1979 is back

Rating: 8/10 (27 November 2011)

The plot of J.J. Abrams's "Super 8" is quite clear, and it is equally clear that the movie takes a lot of cues from producer Steven Spielberg's movies "Close Encounters with the Third Kind" and "E.T.". But there's more that I interpret. The movie is set in 1979, when my parents' generation was approximately the age that my generation is now. Both years had seen a previous decade of cynicism. This year's Arab Spring is analogous to the Iranian Revolution that year, and the news clip about Three Mile Island brings to mind Fukushima. And of course, both years saw the economy faring poorly.
Of course, that's probably all a coincidence. The movie itself brings up good points about government cover-ups, while also showing kids having the most fun possible. Without a doubt I would have loved to participate in the making of that zombie flick.
As yet I haven't seen any other of J.J. Abrams's work. I don't know whether or not I'll get around to it, but "Super 8" definitely gives him a good name. I highly recommend it. Production value indeed!