Eight Reasons to See Super 8 (and Two Reasons Why Not)

Rating: 8/10 (11 June 2011)

Instead of presenting this as a normal review, I'll put it in the form of bullets. I just think it's more reader-friendly for this. It also helps to avoid plot details, and that's probably better if you want to go in with a blank slate.
1. If you like Steven Spielberg, you'll like this movie. J.J. Abrams has clearly created the movie as a homage to the classics that Spielberg has made. Echoes of Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Jurassic Park are felt throughout the entire film. Super 8 directly borrows Jaws' style in that the viewer only gets brief glimpses at the monster for the first two thirds; it isn't until the last third that the viewer sees it in its entirety.
2. The acting. Elle Fanning is the highlight of a great cast of child actors. Fanning has proved herself once with Somewhere, but she ups the ante with Super 8. There's one great scene where she has to act as though she's acting in a movie filmed by the other children. She, along with the rest of them, nails it.
3. J.J. Abrams' script. The writing is one of the best things about Super 8. It's rich, fast, and, again, Spielbergian. Abrams' screenplay is delightful because it plays on the viewer's own childhood memories. It's basically one long nostalgia trip.
4. J.J. Abrams' direction. He basically becomes Steven Spielberg to make this movie, as seen in his use of constant Steadicam shots and visual restraint when it comes to the shots of the monster in the early parts of the movie.
5. The cinematography and color palette. Also reminiscent of 1970s blockbuster film is the visual look of the movie. The drowned-out colors are similar to that of Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
6. The train sequence. The best scene in the movie is one involving a train crash. It's basically what you've already seen from the first trailer, but this time, it's from a different point-of-view. Watch this in a big theater. You're going to want to hear how great the sound editing is in this scene.
7. The monster. I'm not going to say anything other than that I very much enjoyed the way the monster looked.
8. The tone. Like The Goonies, Super 8 is a summer movie that's made to make you feel like a kid again. It's wonderful, at times whimsical and at other times frightening. It's exactly what one should want from a summer movie, but...
Reasons why not to see Super 8: 1. J.J. Abrams got too bogged down in becoming Steven Spielberg. The film is sometimes obnoxious in how much it wants to be Jaws. This ends up getting in the way of the film's great story, and keeps it from becoming a classic.
2. It's not perfect. Super 8 has pacing issues a lot of the time and will often involve characters and subplots that completely unnecessary. There are certain elements of the movie that could have absolutely been taken away without any repercussions.
Overall, Super 8 is worth seeing. Take the family out and have fun. See it in a big theater with a good sound system. It's a fun but unfortunately forgettable ride.