A mix of everything classic

Rating: 9/10 (11 June 2011)

From online buzz, from friends hammering it in my head, from Super Bowl ads, to theater previews, I've seen the trailer for Super 8 about fifteen times. Short versions, long versions, two to three minute versions, I was sick of it. I said I didn't want to see it and ignored previews of it in theaters. That changed when I read reviews. I heard it was a seventies, eighties homage in a way and Abrams and Spielberg work wonders.
If I would've ignored this film and saw it on DVD, as planned, I would've been angry and ashamed of myself. Super 8 officially earns my pick as my favorite film of 2011 at the halfway mark. We are halfway through another year of movies and Super 8 has outdone itself and certainly showed off more than I could've imagined.
One of my favorite J.J. Abrams' films is the forgotten Joy Ride. he produced/wrote the film which I found heavily enjoyable and mark it as one of my favorite horror films. He sure knew how to develop the characters and conduct them in a believable fashion rather than having them be cliché protagonists. We got backstory and we got action. Enough to keep my intrigued the whole ride.
Super 8 is a film where I'd prefer discussing my feelings about it rather than the plot itself. I'll explain it simplistically so nothing is ruined; a group of tweens in the summer of 1979 are making their own short film on a Super 8 camera. During the filming of a train scene, they witness a horrible and vicious train accident that causes a major derail for the gigantic train and nearly ends the lives of the kids.
Now the town is being faced with something beyond anyone's expectations. Dogs disappear and the military's presence disrupts the town's natural flow. I refuse to go further than that. I knew all of that before going into it. Don't let yourself know more than that, if that.
As for the film, it's one of the most electrifying and riveting experiences I've had the movies in recent years. Maybe it's because the film's protagonist, young teens like I mentioned, have the same interests as me. Girls and movies. I think the most heart-warming thing about Super 8 is it knows where it came from. It doesn't rely on 3D technology or poorly done CGI to make a film. CGI is used, but in the most effective and proper way since District 9.
The film is a main homage to films like Close Encounters, E.T., The Goonies, Gremlins, Jaws, and other science fiction films done by Spielberg himself. It even resembles that of a drive in film you'd catch on a late Saturday in the seventies. It is done like it would be in 1979 minus the computer animation.
The kid actors made the film. I loved the male lead Joel Courtney and the female lead Elle Fanning, Dakota Fanning's little sister. Both play the roles with authentic and believable reactions to this extremely massive event taking place. The music only adds to some of the scenes in the film that are still done with dead on tonality and effective camera work, props to J.J. Abrams, again.
Super 8's ending can spark criticism. I wasn't a favorite of it, but I really believe it's because both Abrams and Spielberg couldn't think of an effective way to conclude a film like this. I will give it the benefit of the doubt and hope the DVD will receive an alternate ending or two to assure more satisfaction. Regardless, this is an amazing action film that blends a perfect mix of comedy, drama, coming of age, apocalyptic, science-fiction, and numerous other genres to make one indescribable film. It's something that needs to be witnessed on the big screen.
Starring: Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, and Kyle Chandler. Directed by: J.J. Abrams.