Fun, Sweet, Funny, Scary, Nostalgic SF

Rating: 9/10 (11 June 2011)

Coming out of Super 8, I felt as though it was the early 80's again, or sometime in my own childhood. That is not because it was set in the early 80's, however. It's because J.J. Abrams engineered a style of film that reminded me of a monster movie formula of the 60's combined with a science fiction formula of the 70's and early 80's. It definitely has a Spielbergian echo, with thematic homages to movies Spielberg directed like E.T., Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Jaws, and produced in his early years like Poltergeist, Gremlins, and The Goonies (when he was more creatively involved). Monster movie motifs were found all over the place, ranging from zombie flicks (the type of Super 8 movie the kids were making) to Them and Earth vs The Spider, as well as cult SF alien invasion movies like Invaders From Mars.
Abrams thankfully avoids the shaky-cam trend of modern movie making and takes more time setting up shots and angles that work in the moment, another Spielberg and Hitchcock style I wish more directors would adapt.
That is not to say that Super 8 isn't original. Every child carries genes of his or her parents, grandparents and ancestors, but is still unique. It is a great adventure movie featuring a group of kids doing things not unlike what I tried to do when I was young (but with a lot better resources than were available to me), and so it reached me personally not only in style but in content.
For younger audiences, who may not have even been born until the mid-80's (or later), and who haven't taken the time to watch movies from earlier years, should find it fresh, fun and interesting, and unlike your typical Michael Bay action film, easy to watch.
No matter how it performs in today's box office climate, I think Super 8 will prove to be a classic in later years.