I'd waited so long for this film to come out in the UK, I'd almost forgotten about it until tonight. I've avoided just about every bit of spoilerish material on this one in an attempt to go into a film for once with very little idea of what I'm about to see. And man, was it worth it.
Super 8 is such an amazing mashup of ideas and themes from 80s sci-fi adventure movies and youth oriented films like Stand By Me, E.T and Close Encounters. But never once is it overtly plaguristic. There is definitely an original vision here - albeit a very nostalgic one. I've glimpsed other reviews stating that the film was disappointing when compared to the films of Spielberg in his prime, but honestly, I couldn't really say much negative about this film at all. I also think it's unfair to compare this so lazily to Spielberg movies, as this is definitely something new, but clearly delivered by a filmmaker who is as fond of those 80s movies as I am.
The story wasn't exactly ingenius, but it was driven by a bunch of genuine characters that took the focus away from technicalities and let us enjoy a truly character driven film. The banter and sweary dialogue between them was very realistic, as was the humour. I don't think i've seen a buddy movie this well written for a very long time. It makes me wonder if it's movies of the 80s we've been missing from our screens so badly, or purely movies of this quality that have been absent from our cinemas for so long.
Effects were almost flawless, but were hardly the centrepiece of this one. There were a few real eye opening moments in there, and a good balance of CG and practical effects that kept the visuals from being distracting, which is how it should be.
The music was another success from Giacchino, writing a score that complimented but didn't overwhelm the film. It was memorable music for certain, but not overtly in your face. Sure, this is no John Williams score, but as i've pointed out, anyone going in expecting that should go and rent a Spielberg movie.
I could really write so much here. Super 8 pushed all the right buttons for me. This will be a definite Bluray purchase, and I'm adding it to my list of top movies (see the blog navigation bar) as we speak. I know this film won't please everyone, but when the credits rolled, I knew immediately I'd found the movie i'd been looking for since...well, the 80s, and it'll take something genuinely impressive to beat it this year.
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