With Super Eight J.J. Abrams Proves He Has Not Lost His Touch

Rating: Null/10 (17 October 2011)

The new sci-fi thriller, Super Eight, proves that writer/director J.J. Abrams has not "Lost" his touch. Super Eight was advertised in an extremely risky fashion – neither the movie poster nor the movie trailer divulge anything substantial about the film itself – indicating that Abrams and executive producer, Steven Spielberg, had faith that the movie would stand for itself. In short: their gamble paid off.
Super Eight reminds viewers what's missing from most of the big budget, CGI-laden Hollywood movies of today – emotion. Due to a poignant combination of phenomenal acting and impeccable scripting, the on screen emotions seem organic and genuine – transforming the seemingly implausible sci-fi film into a believable, emotional roller coaster for the viewers.
Abrams' admiration for his mentor/coworker, Steven Spielberg is palpable in the movies' nostalgic atmosphere. The story takes place in 1979, long before cell phones and YouTube gave every kid the opportunity to make "movies." It also happens to be the period in which Spielberg captured the imagination of moviegoers around the world with the impassioned films that made his career legendary: Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T. The Extra Terrestrial. Despite the clear links between Super Eight and Spielberg's' movies Super 8 never feels old, stale, or recycled in any way.
Although the movie may not satisfy the disgusting CGI-thirst of the younger (okay, fine, my) generation, the movie brings back the emotional, enjoyable elements of older movies. Absent are the effects of the surrealistic, 21st century, Avatar sci-fi movies, and the repulsive influence of the Apatow generation. Super Eight is a movie that reminds viewers, especially older viewers, of the power of film. This film brings viewers back twenty or thirty years to a time when filmmaking was about much more than nukes and nudity.