Take a dash of E.T., throw in some Cloverfield, and sprinkle in some old-school sensibilities and you have yourself Super 8.
This isn't for everyone. Critics are already praising it as the first major hit of the summer, using buzzwords like "magical" and "intense", aiming to desperately get themselves a pull quote. It's really is good fun, but you can't help but feel a bit of familiarity as Abrams seems to be trying to recapture the lightning-in-a-bottle appeal and mystery that Cloverfield had.
Just like Clovefield, we catch enough glimpses of the monster throughout the film to grab our attention. Just like Cloverfield, the action is kept fairly tight and close. Just like Cloverfield, the motivating plot device is saving the girl at the end of the day. It's enough to get a been there, done that vibe. Even when the thing gets its close up, you can't help but imagine the familiar mug of Cloverfield himself, staring down the camera.
Thankfully, there are some real talented kids to help carry this along. Most of them are unknowns and actual kids - no Ashton Kutcher playing a teenager here. These kids are dorks with kid problems. My best friend likes the girl I like. Dad doesn't "get" me. It's like the group of kids you knew growing up.
The adults don't have much to do other than look menacing. Kyle Chandler of Friday Night Lights fame proves he's an underrated talent and he makes the deputy believable as hell as he tries to desperately hold on and save his town from chaos.
I also got the impression that the movie wasn't too sure what it wanted to be. There's a few jumps, but it's not that scary to make it be about the monster. And just when we get into the lives and heartaches of these kids, we cut to the military and their shenanigans. Add some really great scenes of destruction and chaos, and the message and theme of the movie drowns out a bit amongst the noise.
It's good, sure. It's got a very retro-feel to it, which is a double-edged sword. The deliberate slow pace, the charming pack of kids, and the government-is-evil military makes you nostalgic for E.T. while the big explosions and nice CGI makes you eager for the summer movie season. It's not the new E.T. or Cloverfield, but it goes down smooth and is a moderately enjoyable ride.
See it if...
-E.T. is your favorite movie.
-You believe The Truth Is Out There.
-There's a bit of a conspiracy theorist in you.
-You yearn for the days of Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
Avoid if...
-You hated Cloverfield's abrupt ending.
-You're expecting a full-blown monster movie.
1 comment:
It's interesting you say this, because I almost went to see this yesterday (2nd attempt) but had other things preventing it, once again.
I expected it to be a cheesy monster adventure, kind of like 'Jurassic Park', which was amazing. I have always enjoyed Steven Spielberg films and I loved E.T.... but I never got the chance to see cloverfield.
So now I happen to be skeptical, I still want to see it, but i don't know what to expect now.
Post a Comment