Super 8, the 'format of my childhood'

Rating: 10/10 (5 August 2011)

I cannot even remember for how long I have been waiting for this movie before watching it this morning. It was kinda a dream come true, I could hardly believe that I was finally experiencing the film whose trailers had made me shiver more than just once. I was so keen that I could not wait: I went to the cinema for the first show at midday. The perfect mix (A pinch of Elle Fanning, some good chilling thrill, a mysterious creature and our darling J. J. Abrams) for a 20-year-old guy like me. Just to give you an idea of what impact this movie had to me I can tell you readers that, although several hours have passed since the show, I am still thinking of the plot, the characters and the music. Super 8 will unlikely make no impressions on you: You love it or you hate it. It's not just a matter of having sci-fi thrillers among the favorite movie genres because the film is first of all a cinematic experiment: A J J Abrams attempt to introduce the spectacular way to see the life of the 80s Steven Spielberg and a friend-love-family-destruction plot into the new Millennium generation.
First things first it cannot be said that the movie is not well-directed: Abrams has a great experience, even when he 'copies' from his cine-mate Spielberg (There are some delicious brainwaves: The way in which he indirectly informs us about the incident in the factory, the way in which he avoids to show the creature when it attacks - You'll understand what I am talking about when you'll watch the movie). So, even just for that I'd rate the movie 8 stars.
Secondly, the cast. And when I say 'the cast' I am mostly referring to Elle Fanning: She's stunningly beautiful and she has a face expressiveness I have seldom recognized in a 13- year-old girl. Concerning the other members of the cast I really cannot blame anyone and very surprisingly I really enjoyed the performances of the younger ones. Very well chosen 'faces' make this movie a must-see (And here I MUST praise those who choose the cast: In contrast with a large number of cinematic productions where people choose the actors according to their 'hotness' or 'being cool', NONE of the faces seen in Super 8 seem to be 'dull' and 'banal').
Thirdly, the plot. OK, it's not Agatha Christie, it's not Shamalayan (at least at the time of The Sixth Sense) but it's good and gripping. Maybe a little bit predictable, but I would have blamed the writers if they had chosen to make the movie end in a different way. The plot is quite simple; however, it's all I was expecting from a movie like this: I really have no reason to be disappointed because I felt strongly satisfied at the end of the movie. It's moving, it's thrilling, there are even a lot of jumping-off-the-seat moments and, last but not least, SPECTACULAR.
Fourthly, the Music. Even though we can identify a main theme that is repeated in different ways and tones during the movie, Michael Giacchino did a very very very good job. It's not an anonymous theme, it's a theme that I still keep humming in my mind and that, in my opinion, is far better than many other themes from movies far more popular than Super 8.
Last considerations. Super 8 is a movie I've been waiting for for a very long time. Quite happily I may say, today, that it did not disappoint me, not in a single way. J J Abrams, the cast, the Music Composer did a very good job. It's not perfect for sure but it has everything it needs to be considered a 'cult' and I will probably let it in my 'cinematic'-heart.