Renewed Memories

Rating: 10/10 (17 July 2011)

Moments are captured and touch our heart. They can be as banal and nostalgic as a human touch or remembering your closed one, but if captured in an emotive manner would reflect accurately with the audience mood and emotions. For such emotions we have our usual critics, who would make a movie look like some rehash trying to cash in on audience nostalgia. But they are wrong this time around. To discard this summer's big movie ticket 'Super 8' as 'E.T on steroids' or some others gag insults is plain ignorance and bias to their own false sense of nostalgia and pride for those eighties memorable Spielberg movies. The movie that takes its audience back in the seventies along with memories of E.T, Close Encounter of the third kind and Goonies surely was lapped up by the young audience of eighties over the past few weeks, but was also appreciated by the new generation.
Mr. JJ Abrams latest monster thriller (with a pretty similar looking monster from Cloverfield) takes you back to the seventies small town America, where a recent work place tragedy has unsettled the family equations of a father son duo. The work place tragedy takes the life of Joe Lamb's mother (Joel Courtney), which complicates his relation with his very seventies Hollywood father Jackson Lamb (Kyle Chandler) who is the town deputy sheriff. Joe has a healthy bunch of friends that adds a certain childish charm to the movie.
As the summer vacation starts, Joe begins to dedicate his entire summer holidays to help finish a short zombie movie that is being made by his friend Charles. His excitement about the movie grows further with the involvement of Alice (Elle Fanning), though his father is excited neither about him wasting his summer making monster movies or his friendship with Alice.
During their first night of shooting with Alice at the local railway station, the zombie movie takes a turn for something very grim and real, as a military train is deliberately derailed by the local school professor. As Joe and his friends run for their lives they live the super 8 cameras and equipment stranded at the destroyed station. As they flee from the scene of tragedy they gather their equipment before the military arrives. Flustered and scared by the whole event they decide to not speak about it to anyone.
As the news of the crash spreads Jackson tries to find out what was in the cargo that was derailed, but the military personal do not let any details known to him during his visit. But soon the deputy realizes the town has a much bigger problem than the crash train to deal with, as the town witnesses' sudden disappearance of electrical appliances along with human's vanishing.
As the paranoia about the events related to the crash spreads over the town, the deputy takes the matter into his own hand and tries to know more about the crash through intercepting military frequencies. Through the military intercepts Jackson uncovers that the armed forces are planning to begin operation 'Walking Distance' inside their town Lillian. What he does not realize is that the military is ready to go at any extent to keep their motives secret and hence further pays the prize.
While the military is busy finding their lost asset before the locals find out, Joe and his friends use the chaotic scenes around the town as production values for their movie. As their movie shoot progresses there is a blooming romance between Joe and Alice that has stern opposition of their respective father, due to the families entangled past related to the death of Joe's mother.
While all emotional drama is being played out, the military's biggest secret, the alien monster is on the loose and the military is finding it difficult to trace and capture him. While the alien is nowhere to be seen by anyone, Joe and Charles have the Super 8 camera that has captured the footage from the accident that will uncover the mystery surrounding the train accident. The search and the eventual rescue of the alien by Joe and his friends becomes a joyride that was not witnessed by this generation on the silver screen.
Super 8, time after time give a shout out to its inspiration i.e. 'E.T' and 'Close Encounter of the Third Kind', something that will be appreciated by the fans of those movies. But what truly strikes a chord with the audience is the emotional relation Joe has with his Mother which Mr. Abrams successfully binds with the film's final conclusion.
The maker uses all the clichés available to spike the emotions around the drama and succeeds to avoid and possible trappings. The music is another high note that is used passionately around the evolving scenes. Super 8 has successfully recreated the magic of the seventies and has given further impetus to Spielberg's brand of movies.