Modernized Love Letter to 80s Adventure Flicks is Sometimes Too Indulgent

Rating: 6/10 (2 September 2011)

For better or for worse, this certainly wasn't what I was expecting. At times an innocent, slice of life glimpse back at childhood in the very late 1970s, the film's sudden, jolting leaps into completely different genres left me disoriented and on edge for its duration. Mixing equal parts of The Goonies, Cloverfield, ET and Red Dawn in the same blender, the final product admittedly feels a bit blotchy and uneven. Rather than running from the stereotypes inherent in each ingredient, like a cast of minors fleeing a destructive unseen monster, Super 8 wears them boldly on its chest like a badge of honor. In many ways this plays out like a picture from the distant past, more concerned with upping the ante and bringing an excess of action and adventure than delivering any messages beneath the surface. A broad, varied lead cast toes the line between strong characterization and oversharing, while their less-than-stellar supporting characters bring the cheese in lethal doses. It's a fantastic popcorn muncher with a fascinating knack for the unpredictable, but much, much more shallow than anything else in the Abrams catalog. Fun for a single viewing, I doubt I'll be back for more.