JJ Abrams takes us on a nostalgic trip with his tribute to Steven Spielberg classics such as Close Encounters and ET. Super 8, produced by Spielberg himself, is written and directed by Abrams and tells the story of a group of kids who witness a strange train accident while filming a DIY zombie film for a local film festival.
The film is set in 1979 and stars Joel Courtney as Joe, the special effects guru of the group and the main protagonist of the film. He is joined by Riley Griffiths who plays Charles the director and a brilliant Elle Fanning (Dakota who?) as Alice, reluctant cast member and love interest. They are joined by Kyle Chandler & Ron Eldard who play the fathers to Joe and Alice respectively.
The main premise of this film as depicted by the trailer was that during the train crash the kids accidentally film something on their super 8 camera. This, however, ends up being just a minor plot point.
After the events of the crash, strange things start to happen in the small town of Lillian where the kids live. Residents are attacked by “something†and begin to disappear as do dogs. Electronics in the town also go missing and since the film is set in the 80s, the soviets are mentioned. Whatever was on the train was sinister and of course by this time the military have show up and are up to no good.
Meanwhile, another plot point is unfolding regarding Joe and his estrangement from his father. Joe’s mother’s death, her funeral opens the film, has created a distance between the two and they clash often. We are also led to believe that Alice’s father was somehow involved in her death. This creates tension between the two fathers which trickles down to the children.
I found the script for Super 8 rather plain, weak & incomplete. Events happen that seem important or are portrayed as important but end up being inconsequential. The various elements that make up the plot; father-child relationship and the creature attack, do not fit well together and at the end you get the feeling that the film would have worked better without the former.
The film also has a surprisingly flat visual style. You would expect a film with Spielberg’s hand to be quite visually stunning seeing as Spielberg is a master at this. The action sequences are good and entertaining but a bit too by-the-book. There are no scenes or shots that are remarkable or capture your attention for longer than the duration of the film. The creature design also feels dated, you’ve seen it before and Abrams sticks to what he knows {insert Cloverfield reference}
Abrams, in his endeavour to create a homage to the films he clearly loved in his childhood, has made a moderately entertaining but ultimately forgettable film.
Tip & possible Spoiler: If you watch this film stick around for the credits where they show the short zombie film that the kids were shooting. I found it quite charming and actually enjoyed it more than the film.