Jason KingSuper 8: A Review
June 1st 2011 21:34
:
Spielberg Wet Dream
Category: Trailers
I finally got to see my most anticipated film of the year last night. I have been itching to see this film ever since the leaked teaser trailer almost a year ago. And JJ is one of my fave directors and I have become a big fanboy ever since being able to interview him after watching Star Trek - a top 5 film of mine.
Writer/director J.J. Abrams teams with producer Steven Spielberg for this period sci-fi thriller set in the late '70s, and centering on a mysterious train crash in a small Ohio town. Summer, 1979: a group of young friends are filming a Super-8 movie when a pickup truck derails a speeding train. When the locals start to disappear and even the inquisitive deputy can't come up with answers, suspicions emerge that the incident was anything but an accident. As the truth finally begins emerge, no one is prepared to learn what now stalks the unsuspecting citizens of this once quiet community. Kyle Chandler and Elle Fanning star.
In this one JJ Abrams is recreating a fan film of mish mash of Spielberg favourites. This film is the ultimate combination of ET, Close Encounters, Stand by Me and Abrams own Cloverfield. If you think it through this could easily be also an advanced prequel to Cloverfield. There are lots that work and this film is easily a highlight of the year but there are things that don't work that let it down slightly. For me the secretive production and background hype of the project actually let this one down. It built the hype too far for me and I was expecting to be mind fucked, face slapped and left tingling just like I was after Star Trek but I came away with an "is that all?". I loved it but wanted more.
The things that work are a many, the effects, the scary monster, the secret military operation that is evil, the setting in the late 70's, the humorous payouts of technology of the time and where it could lead, the Spielberg mishmash of films, the heartbreaking battle of a family dealing with the loss of the mother, the odd little cubes spilled everywhere in the crash, a group of 5 kids that are absolutely mind blowing and completely entertaining and "totally real" and a lead actor who is about 12yrs old that just made the film for me. Joel Courtney totally rocks.
Courtney easily carries this film with abundant support and does it flawlessly, he is a natural in the role and we need to remember his name - if he chooses to follow acting he is going to be dynamite and the new male version of Dakota Fanning. He even outshines Dakota's little sister Ella who stars along side him as "kind of" the love interest. A lot of the film is told through emotional reaction, don't worry there is still plenty of shit blowing up, Aliens, gunfire and so on, but much of the success of this film is its HUGE heart and this is something that Courtney masters at. He has these big brown watery eyes that melt your heart at his predicaments and the fight he has with his father will break your heart. The kid alone and with only his friends as his support is a sad winner. Nice work kid!
Ryan Lee as Cary was also a standout for me - everyone had or has a friend like him. The geeky funny kid with massive braced teeth that just likes to get dirty and is obsessed with blowing shit up
. My friend was Josh, from school, he liked all things science and was obsessed with spiders and bugs. I saw this kid literally allow a funnel web climb over his hand and would have a pet huntsmen spider on his body at all times. One day he literally opened his mouth and stuck his tongue out and there was a huntsman sitting on his tongue. The guy was a freak and Cary reminded me of him through and through. All of these kids in the group are such a real representation of groups of kids of their age, They even have little bickerings that may not make sense to adults but are perfectly reasonable for them.
The homage stylings of this film is what holds the excitement of the viewer, it totally captures all the Spielberg films of the 80s and even looks like them. The little town with the townsfolk of big heart is just mind blowing. The ET and Close Encounters blend is superb and there is even a few minor echoes of Indiana Jones. I got it most while the dad is escaping in a Jeep and the running through tunnels. A lot of the emotion is captured with the score also, a score written by Michael Giacchino who is known for The Incredibles, Star Trek, UP and many more. The orchestral movements are perfectly timed and catch the way a child would imagine them, when the bad army guys are coming to confront the kids there was a definite hint of Darth Vader's march in there. I got goosebumps
The film is filled with unknowns and the only people you may know are Kyle Chandler as the dad, he is best known from King Kong and Friday Night Lights. There is also Ron Eldard from Black Hawk Down, Sleepers and Deep Impact. That's about it - and part of the success is the huge cast of unknown child actors - they are all superb.
What lets the film down for me is the film does too much with everything and in the end lacks in its satisfaction. I wanted more and by the time it came to the end I felt let down as it never reached the emotional climatic ending of all of Spielbergs 80s films. The dad wraps it up with a hug, and the rest I can't really tell you about as they would be known as spoilers I don't want to tell. What I do want to mention is that Joe's (Joel Courtney) story ending was satisfying. When the creature opens his eyes fully he does see Joe and those eyes aren't a monsters looking back - they are his mother's - and this had tears rolling down my cheeks.
The film is out next Thursday the 9th of June. While the film left me a little unsatisfied it is a brilliant piece of work that is suitable for the whole family. Call it the ET of this time and take everyone to see it. Worth 9 our of 10. I so wanted to give it a 10 but I had to be honest - close enough
Writer/director J.J. Abrams teams with producer Steven Spielberg for this period sci-fi thriller set in the late '70s, and centering on a mysterious train crash in a small Ohio town. Summer, 1979: a group of young friends are filming a Super-8 movie when a pickup truck derails a speeding train. When the locals start to disappear and even the inquisitive deputy can't come up with answers, suspicions emerge that the incident was anything but an accident. As the truth finally begins emerge, no one is prepared to learn what now stalks the unsuspecting citizens of this once quiet community. Kyle Chandler and Elle Fanning star.
In this one JJ Abrams is recreating a fan film of mish mash of Spielberg favourites. This film is the ultimate combination of ET, Close Encounters, Stand by Me and Abrams own Cloverfield. If you think it through this could easily be also an advanced prequel to Cloverfield. There are lots that work and this film is easily a highlight of the year but there are things that don't work that let it down slightly. For me the secretive production and background hype of the project actually let this one down. It built the hype too far for me and I was expecting to be mind fucked, face slapped and left tingling just like I was after Star Trek but I came away with an "is that all?". I loved it but wanted more.
The things that work are a many, the effects, the scary monster, the secret military operation that is evil, the setting in the late 70's, the humorous payouts of technology of the time and where it could lead, the Spielberg mishmash of films, the heartbreaking battle of a family dealing with the loss of the mother, the odd little cubes spilled everywhere in the crash, a group of 5 kids that are absolutely mind blowing and completely entertaining and "totally real" and a lead actor who is about 12yrs old that just made the film for me. Joel Courtney totally rocks.
Courtney easily carries this film with abundant support and does it flawlessly, he is a natural in the role and we need to remember his name - if he chooses to follow acting he is going to be dynamite and the new male version of Dakota Fanning. He even outshines Dakota's little sister Ella who stars along side him as "kind of" the love interest. A lot of the film is told through emotional reaction, don't worry there is still plenty of shit blowing up, Aliens, gunfire and so on, but much of the success of this film is its HUGE heart and this is something that Courtney masters at. He has these big brown watery eyes that melt your heart at his predicaments and the fight he has with his father will break your heart. The kid alone and with only his friends as his support is a sad winner. Nice work kid!
Ryan Lee as Cary was also a standout for me - everyone had or has a friend like him. The geeky funny kid with massive braced teeth that just likes to get dirty and is obsessed with blowing shit up
. My friend was Josh, from school, he liked all things science and was obsessed with spiders and bugs. I saw this kid literally allow a funnel web climb over his hand and would have a pet huntsmen spider on his body at all times. One day he literally opened his mouth and stuck his tongue out and there was a huntsman sitting on his tongue. The guy was a freak and Cary reminded me of him through and through. All of these kids in the group are such a real representation of groups of kids of their age, They even have little bickerings that may not make sense to adults but are perfectly reasonable for them. 
The homage stylings of this film is what holds the excitement of the viewer, it totally captures all the Spielberg films of the 80s and even looks like them. The little town with the townsfolk of big heart is just mind blowing. The ET and Close Encounters blend is superb and there is even a few minor echoes of Indiana Jones. I got it most while the dad is escaping in a Jeep and the running through tunnels. A lot of the emotion is captured with the score also, a score written by Michael Giacchino who is known for The Incredibles, Star Trek, UP and many more. The orchestral movements are perfectly timed and catch the way a child would imagine them, when the bad army guys are coming to confront the kids there was a definite hint of Darth Vader's march in there. I got goosebumps
The film is filled with unknowns and the only people you may know are Kyle Chandler as the dad, he is best known from King Kong and Friday Night Lights. There is also Ron Eldard from Black Hawk Down, Sleepers and Deep Impact. That's about it - and part of the success is the huge cast of unknown child actors - they are all superb.
What lets the film down for me is the film does too much with everything and in the end lacks in its satisfaction. I wanted more and by the time it came to the end I felt let down as it never reached the emotional climatic ending of all of Spielbergs 80s films. The dad wraps it up with a hug, and the rest I can't really tell you about as they would be known as spoilers I don't want to tell. What I do want to mention is that Joe's (Joel Courtney) story ending was satisfying. When the creature opens his eyes fully he does see Joe and those eyes aren't a monsters looking back - they are his mother's - and this had tears rolling down my cheeks.
The film is out next Thursday the 9th of June. While the film left me a little unsatisfied it is a brilliant piece of work that is suitable for the whole family. Call it the ET of this time and take everyone to see it. Worth 9 our of 10. I so wanted to give it a 10 but I had to be honest - close enough
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