The theatre is packed wall to wall. The smell of popcorn, and the sound of my feet sticking to the floor from years of spilt cola and candy fills my senses. The silhouettes of the audience are all I can see in the theatre as the lights of the Vista theatre fade and the projector fires up. Nostalgia sets in as the coming attractions and the classic 70’s “lobby snacks” promo I have come to love dance across the screen. Suddenly, the “Amblin Entertainment” logo “fades-in” on screen, and I’m twelve years old all over again, while the audience settles as the nostalgic feeling of J.J. Abrams “Super 8” brings their inner-child out.
In a summer inundated with super-hero films, sequels, prequels, transforming robots, and more pirates, “Super 8” is the movie that gives hope that “Hollywood” hasn’t totally forgotten that “story” still matters.
Set in the late 60’s, “Super 8” follows the story of Joe Lamb and his group of friends as they set out to use their summer freedom to make the perfect zombie movie. Joe and Company, led by Charles (Joe’s best friend and director of their film) goes to great lengths to capture their story on classic 8mm film. In an attempt to add more “production value” to their story, the gang sneaks out past curfew and films on location at a train station on the outskirts of town. And this is where the film really takes off. While filming their scene the most spectacular train crash and one of the most amazing action pieces I’ve ever seen put to film unfolds; unleashing an unknown monster upon the small town of Lillian, and introduces us to the second half of this story. As the group and our Monster’s path begin to intertwine, the story thickens. The U.S. air force, led by Colonel Nelec (played by another proverbial “that guy”, Noah Emmerich), are hot on Joe’s trail in hunting down their lost property, and silencing anyone that gets in their way. Meanwhile, Joe’s father, the town’s curious deputy, must balance his paternal instincts with his ability to cope with the unexplained events taking place in Lillian.
Like Joe’s father, curiosity and intrigue have captured my imagination, and I’m glued to every frame of this instant classic. Each scene is perfectly captured. Joe and his band of misfits symbolize all my lost innocence and remind me of all the classic films I grew up loving: “E.T.”, “Jaws”, “Star Wars”, and “Indiana Jones”. They all share this bit of magic, a bit of the “unexplained”, but that’s why it works so well. When we are introduced to the creature, there is no attempt to over deliver on the promise of the creature or try to explain the reasons behind it’s motivations; it just is. The intense scenes of the creature are juxtaposed with Joe and friends’ continued pursuit of their summer movie. The contrast between the two storylines works brilliantly to balance the intensity of the monster and humor and charm of the adolescence.
The performances Abrams gets out of his young stars is on par with “Stand By Me”. There are some real talents born on screen here, the likes of which we have not seen since River Phoenix. All of the ancillary characters bring a real sense of urgency and intrigue to the screen. Another refreshing aspect of the cast is there are no big names; no ego’s to over power the other characters on screen. It’s just pure character actors doing what they do best.
Abrams’ “Spielbergian” direction and camera movement contribute to the feel of an 80’s genre film. Combine with his ability to keep the audience in suspense; one feels as if Abrams has somehow filled this void we’ve all been missing in movies for fifteen years; one that Spielberg, Reiner, and Zemekis once filled in our hearts. We would only be so lucky if there were more filmmakers willing to make such original stories.
“Super 8” touches on every aspect of what makes a movie great: budding romance, humor, mystery, action, and great visuals that culminate into this rare popcorn flick that we get maybe every four summers. It’s not trying to win Oscars, or bombard us with exposition to explain the unexplainable. It’s purely focused on classic story motifs and entertainment. Run, don’t walk to the theatre to see this gem, it may be the only great choice you make at the box office all summer. 4.5 out of 5.
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