A Welcome Throwback to Early Spielberg Nostalgia!

Rating: Null/10 (18 September 2011)

For baby boomers of the 60s, Super 8 is a nostalgic period piece that harks back to the early films of Spielberg. It's Close Encounters meets ET meets The Goonies but with an emotional heartbeat that lifts it above the usual summer blockbuster fare. The film begins with a bereavement which is an indication of its true intentions - a film about pain, loss, broken families and friendship - but wrapped around a fast paced story of an alien cover up that is both thrilling and humorous throughout. The spectacular early train crash, for example, must be seen and (especially) heard in IMAX format to be fully appreciated. The alien is well designed and pleasingly strange and unfamiliar. The three main child leads of Joel Courtney, Riley Griffiths and Elle Fanning deliver pitch perfect performances and in the case of Fanning has shown that she is even more talented than her precocious older sister, Dakota Fanning. An early scene in which Fanning is 'acting' in the Super 8 film will leave you awestruck in wonderment. Overall, Super 8 is not just the film of the summer, it's the film of the year so far. Only a young Spielberg at the height of his powers could have matched it.