Super 8
I haven't been able to rationalize it... which pretty much means I'm a shitty person... but there is something about J.J. Abrams that I just don't really like. Maybe I'm something of an iconoclast and he's become something of an icon. I don't know. But when ever I see Abrams' name attached to a movie or TV show, the classic OVER-RATED chant starts up in my head. Do I think that Abrams is overrated? I guess, but I really can't justify that. I haven't seen enough signature-Abrams stuff to really know. Yeah, I got sick of hearing about the genius of Lost (I actually have only seen less than a minute of the show). And I can't say I've seen Felicity, Alias, or Fringe (all fan-favorites). But I also can't say that they actually appealed enough to me for me to want to see them. Or at least the advertisements for them didn't. What little of Abrams' work that I HAVE seen... looks like that prior to Super 8, we're looking at the 2009 Star Trek reboot... I've liked a lot. So I guess what I'm saying is that prior to going to see Super 8, I really wasn't that excited. It looked like another typical gratuitously over-hyped, fan boy-drool-inducing potential flop from Abrams. (Not that he's flopped much but then there is "Undercovers" isn't there). That said, I saw it. Mostly because it looked like if it was going to flop, it'd at least be an intriguing flop... and it had Kyle Chandler in it... which is awesome. (Note: I've seen less of Friday Night Lights than I have of Lost, but I did see quite a few episodes of Early Edition... quality, quality stuff there).
So yeah, the verdict? I'm kind of a shitty person... or... at the very least, a hater...if you will. Maybe there is a reason that Abrams' stuff is met with so much hype. It's pretty good. Super 8 makes it 2 for 2 in terms of Abrams' stuff that I've actually come off my high horse to take the time to watch. I liked it a lot. That isn't to say that it was technically great or super-original. But it was good story telling and just a very entertaining flick. The story? A creature...courtesy of the US government- visits a small town... and shit starts happening. Luckily, a plucky group of kids (who happen to be amateur filmmakers) are around to get caught up in the goings-on of the creature's visit. What you get here is the spawn of a sci-fi suspense thriller and... ummm... Stand By Me? The Goonies? The Sand Lot? Yeah, one of those. Pretty cool on the whole. And like I said, it makes for an entertaining movie.
But, that said, entertaining by no means equates to original. In most ways, Super 8 is as formulaic as you can get. Abrams follows the mold of paranormal suspense/thrillers to the letter. Things happen off-camera. Fleeting glimpses of the creature in question. The calm before the storm scenes where shit goes bad (loudly and suddenly) just as the tension starts to ease up. The ubiquitous audience-can-sort-of-see-the-creature-but-the-character-can't type moments. These all make appearances in the movie. Any veteran of suspense/thriller movies would easily be able to tell when something bad/loud/"terrifying" was about to happen. There is very, very little deviation from the established pattern. And yet, the movie works.
I suppose the main reason why the movie works.. and thus Abrams' biggest triumph here... is that he decides to let the story unfold through the lens of the kids witnessing all the madness. He doesn't go for the typical mixture of young, good-looking post-college kids and older authority figures that typically drive these sorts of movies. Well, he does include the authority figures here.. but they really don't drive the story... they- particularly Kyle Chandler as Deputy Sheriff Jackson Lamb- serve as sort of a contrast to the viewpoint of the kids at the center of the story. It's pretty clear that Abrams was shooting for a distinct feel. He wanted that coming-of-age vibe to permeate the movie. And he succeeded. The kids are all in the range of 15 years old. They're starting to approach that breaking point where kids have to stop being kids and start being adults. And yet, they're still able allowed to retain some childishness. It's the perfect way to create a great feel for the movie- which was also enhanced by setting it in 1979. The movie had a bit of a nostalgic feel to it. Abrams encourages the idea that times and people in general were just simpler then... and then he adds all sorts of chaos. The kids have to grow up a bunch- and quickly- but they're still able to hold on to their child-like wonder at what's going on even as they race to combat it. It was a brilliant move on Abrams part to take it this route. The kids are awestruck and terrified at the same time. Abrams allows you- through them- to feel the same way.
So yeah, don't expect gratuitously naked chicks to meet their gratuitously grisly ends here. There wasn't a ton of blood and gore at all actually. Yes, things do go bump in the night and in all the ways you would expect, but the way you see it is just a little different. It just feels different. And to me, right. I should probably also mention that the movie would feel different... and awful... had Abrams left the movie in the hands of typical all-looks, no-ability child actors. Somehow, he managed to find youngsters that could actually act...and who looked the part. Big ups especially to the three kids at the very center of the movie- Joel Courtney as the Deputy-Sheriff's kid, Joe Lamb; Riley Griffiths as Joe's best friend, (and the amateur director shooting the zombie movie within this movie) Charles; and Elle Fanning- yes Dakota's little sis- as Alice, the unattainable girl that Charles somehow snags to star in his flick. These young actors were easily able to inject the heaping helping of heart into this effort that most suspense/thrillers utterly lack.
This isn't to imply that there weren't problems with the movie. There were almost unwieldy layers of back story crammed into the plot. The movie also included a few characters that suffered from a lack of development. And there was also the fact that due to the formulaic nature of the story, some aspects were really easy to predict. You knew who was going to bite it and when. But really, these issues fell into the background and hardly took anything away from the movie. What was more apparent was just how spot-on the movie seemed. And how much of a prick I was for categorically disliking J.J. Abrams without the least bit of justification. The dude's got talent.
Grade: A
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