There has been a huge amount of hype generated since the teaser trailer for Super 8 was released last year. Filmed separately from the movie, it didn’t give much away, and still left us intrigued to find out what exactly was in that train. We were even left guessing for a chunk of the movie! Thankfully, there was a huge amount of other things to keep us occupied until the mystery was revealed.
Super 8 is the latest offering from J.J. Abrams (Lost) and Steven Spielberg (Gremlins). From the beginning, the movie struck us as a cross between The Goonies or Stand By Me and E.T. Obvious comparisons maybe, but it needs to be said! The creature feature feel is accompanied by a story of five friends making a zombie movie. While filming one scene, they are witness to a huge train crash and become tangled in the aftermath which includes an invasion of Air Force troops, forest fires and a lot of missing home appliances! They decide to use the disaster and the resulting milatary presence in town to their advantage, filming everything as a backdrop for the zombie flick, allowing us to come along for the ride.
Rising stars, Elle Fanning and Joel Courtney shine as Alice and Joe. They’re joined by Riley Griffiths (Charles), Ryan Lee (Cary), Gabriel Basso (Martin), and Zach Mills (Preston). Kyle Chandler (Early Edition) plays Joe’s father, who struggles to handle the pressures of being a single dad and taking orders from the military. Most of the cast handled their roles admirably, however there were a few characters that seemed a bit unnecessary. Lee’s portrayal of firebug Cary was our pick of the friends, delivering many of the ‘laugh out loud’ lines of the movie. We really enjoyed the fact that there were plenty of those to lighten the mood throughout.
The relationship between the young cast is one of the most important factors of the movie. We were pleased to see that there was no skimping on character development, seeing as a huge amount of offerings in the Sci-fi genre tend to forget that most viewers will only enjoy a movie if they actually care or worry about who dies. There’s even a love triangle thrown into the mix, but we’ll leave you to find out who it involves for yourself.
Visually, the movie didn’t fail to impress. The occassional camera flares feel like a throwback to some of the classic B-movies. There are enough explosions to leave Michael Bay shaking in his boots. The creature is equal parts fascinating and terrifying, often making us question the 12s rating the movie received. It has to be said, we found ourselves jumping a great deal more than we had expected! The bus scene in particular was pretty damn intense.
One element of the movie that we really enjoyed was the setting of the story. Rather than using the present day as he did in Cloverfield, Abrams chooses to set the movie in the Summer of 1979. As a result, the film emanates an awesomely retro vibe that brings to mind some of our old favourite movies. The costumes, cars and homes in the movie ooze nostalgia that only adds to the poignancy.
The soundtrack also deserves an honourable mention. Hearing quality tracks from bands like Electric Light Orchestra, Blondie, The Knack, & Chic to name just a few, had us feeling our age. They were perfect choices for their respective scenes though. My Sharona by The Knack features twice in the film, once sung by the cast and once as the credits for the zombie movie within the movie. Be sure to stay for the credits of the actual movie to see the kids’ film in all its Romero worshipping glory!
If we had to mention one flaw, it would be the fact that the ending felt very rushed. Drawing hugely on E.T.’s influence, it seemed to be a bit… action, action, action… curveball, resolution… The End. We would have also liked to see a bit more of the creature’s history since the scene that did explain some of it felt a bit hurried. Even with that in mind, we came away feeling satisfied that the movie had lived up to its own hype. With a great group of potential young stars, a quality soundtrack and an endearing story of friendship, we found Super 8 to be a wonderful homage to some of the classics, without over-doing it. Definitely worth a look, even if it’s just so you can relive your childhood dreams of having your own E.T.
Super 8 is due for general release Friday 5th August.
