Heart-warming adventure...don't miss out!!!

Rating: 10/10 (10 September 2011)

I had been waiting for this film for a long time, I think it had been at least a year before I watched it that I first came across the teaser trailer that we are all familiar with. Having watched and admired JJ Abrams' work on Cloverfield and being a Spielberg fan from my yester years, this was a greatly anticipated film for me to see what magic these two film making greats can bring to the silver screen. I had, however, started to get cold feet upon watching the full trailer in which the story seemed to be about kids, etc. My brother, however, encouraged me to make sure I watched it. He said not to get put off just because of the kids, that it would be definitely a mature audience appreciation of good cinema.
I'm glad he did, because after watching this film, my faith in the possibility of Hollywood brewing up and serving true cinematic magic and wonderment has been completely restored for at least another generation. This film had everything: depth, soul, heart, horror, comedy, action, drama, romance, tragedy, adventure, you name it. A TRUE AND ORIGINAL CINEMA EXPERIENCE!!!! From the very beginning of the film, there is real emotion and drama and one by one the characters each steal your attention at every comment, gesture and act. The kids in the film work work very well together, it's really fun to watch. The whole film is also one big homage to the art of film-making and the creative drive that these children have in realising their vision of a film to its fruition. Then the dynamic of the film builds around the impending train crash and the subsequent events that then snowball into an adventure in true Jurassic Park/Indiana Jones/ET-esque fashion.
The way that the whole film is developed is pure artistry and this is why the two film-makers are so renowned. The pacing of the visuals, the sounds, the story, the characters, the action,, the music soundtrack, the sequences are perfection itself. It's a rare type of film (in the image of ET, Close Encounters, Indiana Jones) that you can give yourself over to completely and be just taken away on a treat of a ride through an adventurous viewing that you'll want to experience again and again.
As far as peoples' complaints that it is too much of a copy of those previous movies made by Spielberg movies, I beg to differ. It's meant to be a bit of a throwback to those films to show audiences that it can still be done. With everything that could have been original, Spielberg and Abrams made it exactly that. For example, the entity is nothing like anything I have seen before and the craft is also very unique and the surrounding elements to that part of the plot is also unique. The characters have unique roles, the whole story of how these kids are trying to make a film and the way these events turn their worlds upside down and 360, all serve up a satisfying and as original film as can be with having to be compared to so many good films that came previously. There is an air of nostalgia within the film not only for the filmmakers, especially JJ Abrams, but also the viewer with being taken back to the type of enjoyment one had from watching a great adventure film made for all ages.
Super 8 is a once in a lifetime movie and I urge you all to watch this, so you can say, " I watched Super 8!!" This is movie-making at its best. The actors do an incredible job,, the cinematography is precision itself and Michael Giacchino's score just seals the deal. People keep calling him the new John Williams, that may be the case and if he is happy to be compared to that soundtrack writing heavyweight then there's no loss there!! I was asked how it compared with Cloverfield and I feel that it is as good, if not better. If it's better, it's because JJ Abrams is a rare breed, like Spielberg, who know how to make an imaginative, captivating and endearing film. If you watch this cinematic treat, you will be thinking about it long after.