Super 8 (2011)

Rating: 8/10 (18 August 2011)

J.J. Abrams directs this loving mash-up of 80s sci-fi adventure films, notably the Amblin stable films, with a slightly darker, modern touch as shown by Spielberg himself in his War of the Worlds. All the reviews so far have given Spielberg as the touchstone, but to me the underrated Joe Dante springs to mind rather more. Unlike Spielberg, Abrams uses his top notch, if overly bombastic, effects sequences to shock and awe in their predictable visceral impact, rather than create that sense of original wonder.
Despite Abrams crow-barring an unearned, sentimental moment between kid and the ugly, violent ET, the heart of this film is not the relationship with the alien, here teasingly glimpsed as a Cloverfield type monster, or even the perfunctory broken family subplots but between the kids themselves. A squabbling, Goonies-style dynamic is the films ace, further enhanced and complicated by the inclusion of Fanning's strong female character, a rarity in this sub-genre, provoking puppy love, jealousy and naive heroism to the usual boy's own adventures. The filmmaking project also brings some comic highlights, as Charles opportunistically shoots the threatening military personnel and the train wreckage for added "production value!". The film within a film (shot by the actual teen cast) plays over the credits and is a great outro.
The fun that Abrams has channelling Spielberg does come across, but to me this just further proves just how great the master is and how enthusiasm, technique and a big budget will never beat a warm, genuine heart and perfect storytelling. This is both a director and a film trying hard to please resulting in a visual spectacle which entertains but soon fades, whilst the films it is in love with still feel beautifully effortless all these years later.