Super 8

J.J. Abrams comes back from the genre he knows: Monster movies! But since he is collaborating with Steven Spielberg, it is not surprising that an alien came into the scene. Fresh from the success of Lost and Star Trek, Abrams tackled issues on mystery and a little bit about survival on Super 8.

Many viewers may find it odd why the movie was titled Super 8. Was it because the children in these movie consisted of a group of 8? Or are they 8 year olds? None of them are correct. I also believed that the title refers to the number of children in the movie but it was really about the type of film used during the early 80s.

The movie circles around the lives of simple boys who happened to have great dreams: to make a movie. As they film their movie at a railway station, they witness one of the most impressive train wrecks in movie history. Loud and elaborate. This is the main scene of the movie and it was executed well. Aside from exceptional special effects, it is the depth of characters that made this movie a hit. It dwells on the simplicity of the children and it was not made to be so melo-dramatic but more sincere. This is the strength of the movie, it does not need to make it feel heavy for its audience to feel it. Elle Fanning is almost as great as her sister Dakota Fanning in this one and provides a very effective performance for her role as the child torn between friends and her father.

Abram succeeds as a storyteller in this movie and let his audience build interest as the movie progresses. He has been a master in mystery as Lost series has been untimate success. His alien can be compared h\to his monster in Cloverfield. Spielberg and Abrams collaboration is a success in delivering such a powerful drama and engaging action. This is the INCEPTION of 2011. A movie that is not derived from a concept of novels and graphic novels. Super 8 pays tribute to monster movies and somehow has the feel of ET and Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

GRADE: A-