Supernatural coming of age story

Rating: 7/10 (25 February 2020)

"Super 8" is a 2011 mystery thriller directed by J.J. Abrams starring Joel Courtney and Elle Fanning. This movie and I have shared a history together, even if I watched for the first time today. I still remember how I went on a field trip in school and this film was planned to be broadcasted on TV. I was encouraged to watch it with my class mates, but in the end, I was the only one who didn't watch it, simply due to the fact that I was chicken hearted as hell back in then and suddenly decided against it. That's why it was a strange moment for me to finally give it a watch today, with my sisters that are now the same age I was back then and to see that things have come full circle in some way. It wasn't even as bad as I heard, as many complained about the film's nature. To be honest, it's sorta misleading. What else but a masterpiece would you have expected from a Spielberg production in form of an alien film? Another "Close Encounters Of The Third Kind"? Another "E.T."? Well, maybe, but remember it's basically an Abrams directed movie. What I immediately realized is that the film is no horror film in the first place, but a coming of age story of eight Ohio small town teenagers trying to make it as a film crew that is coincidentally drawn into the supernatural situation. The film's greatest achievement is how it successfully managed to bring a loveable group of friends to the big screen that stands out even in comparison to the adult actors. Even though he only functions as a producer, the Spielberg type of magic is palpable between the characters. They all also perform on a decent level, but Elle Fanning is terrific in here! She's one of my favourite actresses and really impressed me again, as she's shining in every scene she's in. It fits decently into the atmosphere of the film that's more children friendly mystery thriller than an alien horror flick. Nevertheless, one of the most prominent flaws of this flick are the run time and story development. It's stretching it's substance way too much and this sorta disturbs a consistent and well paced buildup of suspense. Aside from that, it's not overall scary and the design of the alien isn't quite frightening, but it definitely has some unexpected medium level brutality in it that hits if you constantly remind yourself that it's a children suitable film in the first place. It wasn't the most brutal thing I've ever seen in a film, but I personally still felt totally nervous at times, cause I always tried to see it from the perspective of my teenaged sisters who sat next to me and possibly might find it too scary. Considering this, I was unintentionally thrilled at times together with them and I think that was an advantage, as I was able to see it as if I was a member of the target audience. Furthermore, as it's known from a Spielberg production, it also had a family conflict elaborated in it, a story of loss, grieving and letting go and the final scene with the necklace was heartwarming, least to say. All in all, this flick is more of a supernatural drama than a horror film and definitely plays a significant role as a coming of age film for young adults to learn from. While it has a nice concept, it could have focused more on the flair of it's time, but still manages to entertain decently. It's a promising formula that's already shown there that, if it was perfectly executed, might be iconic and, in my opinion, eventually hit the screen as the famous Netflix show "Stranger Things". It's a fun watch, go in it without expecting too much.