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Forum index » Archive » Archive: General » ARG: Super 8

THE REVIEWS ARE STARTING TO COME IN!

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eating cheese
Guest

THE REVIEWS ARE STARTING TO COME IN!
Reviews & Potential Spoilers

Alrighty people, per Super8news.com, here are the latest reviews.

Reviews are fantastic!!! The reviewers seem to have a deep love for the film.

WARNING: Some are more spoilery than others. And, yes, we find out what 'it' is in some of these reviews. And, here we go:

Spoiler (Rollover to View):

First things first: this movie may not be exactly what we're all expecting...it seems very, very exciting, but more character-driven than whiz-bang action driven...including 'it'. Don't care - still in!!!

Not sure if I'm articulating that correctly, but trying! Smile

1. http://www.aintitcool.com/node/49854: Yep, this one's spoilery about 'it'. But, the article's written with such love and admiration, you'll ignore the spoilerocity of it ^_^

2. http://www.sheknows.com/entertainment/articles/832531/super-8-movie-review. Not too spoilery @ all.

3. An alright review: http://www.totalfilm.com/reviews/cinema/super-8

4. I will especially warn about spoilers for this review (seriously, the reviewer goes a bit 'therapist' on the 'thing' in the train car. I 1/2 expected the reviewer to offer the thing a Kleenex, hug, and a 'same time next week', lol.

http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/motion-captured/posts/review-super-8-offers-up-charming-character-piece-with-soft-alien-story

Alrighty, guys, there you have it!
[/spoiler]

Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2011 10:50 pm

eating cheese
Guest

And, it seems we do find out 'it' is...

Spoiler (Rollover to View):

an alien. So, it's not an earth-originating creature. It doesn't appear to be a mutation of something from earth, etc. Dude is looking to peace out and get back to where he's from.

Also, what's Abrams' obsession with aliens or monsters that are angry or that have been 'done wrong'?

In Cloverfield, the monster was a baby - innocent, confused, scared, lost, 'alien' in that he wasn't one of us, and just straight up cranky. Hitting it with bombs...probably not the best thing to improve its mood. Poor thing probably just wanted to go home...

Even in Star Trek, it's an angry Romulan [alien] who's upset his planet was blown up a little bit, and whatnot, and deep down, all he really wants is to go home, but can't (isn't that what we all really want, though? deep down? just to go home? moving on!).

Even though, that guy was a bit imbalanced anyway...

And, now in Super 8, it's a hybrid of the two: it's an innocent alien that's been hit and prodded like some experimental space cattle, and he's a wee bit angry at the weapons being used against him, and he really, really, REALLY just wants to get home.

Is there a subtext commentary there that we're missing?

Is it about going 'home' (like Clovie, Nero & Super 8 dude)?

Is it subtext on the treatment of 'aliens' in the US [Clovie - blown up first, questions later; Nero: same thing; Super 8 dude: same thing]?

Ok, it's late, and I'm starting to spoil a little. Need to hit the fridge for some shut-eye, lololol.

Alrighty, that's it.

Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2011 12:11 am

Guest
Guest

Oh snap! this is starting to get good. only 7.5 more days and counting!!!

Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2011 12:01 pm

tether
Unfettered

Joined: 10 Dec 2007
Posts: 304
Location: Louisville Ky

Here is a review from Bloody Disgusting. I'll hide it just in case, but overall the review is positively glowing.

Spoiler (Rollover to View):

By: Brad Miska (MrDisgusting)

Editor's Note: There will be some spoilers as it's literally impossible to avoid. I'll try my best to keep it to a minimum. You've been warned.

While studios and theater chains struggle to figure out how to get people back in cinemas, I find myself pondering what it would take for me to get excited about going to the movies again.

The outcries of rude behavior (talking, cell phones, etc.) and outrageous ticket prices are just two obvious reasons going to the theater isn't "fun" anymore. For me it's the lack of "event"; I actually miss those summer blockbusters that forced my family to get to the theater early just to stand in (one of many) long lines. The seats sucked, thus getting there early you could ensure you wouldn't be sitting behind "that tall guy." It wasn't just an hour and a half of your night, it WAS your night�

But nobody cared. Nobody complained. Why? My perception is that "back then" (woh, did I just get old?) the studios had a single summer blockbuster that was hyped all year long because they knew it was awesome (or at least close to awesome); the quality of the films were almost guaranteed.

These days we pre-order our tickets, have a posh seat waiting for us, and just waltz in to see one of 50 big summer movies where quality is in how much money they spent on special effects. It's disgusting. It has ruined movies.

And then there is J.J. Abrams' Super 8, a love letter to early Steven Spielberg films that was actually produced by the iconic director's Amblin Entertainment � thus making it an authentic Spielberg film. (The irony is that Spielberg produced Transformers 3 - opening this summer, from the same studio - one of the many movies that has ruined the theatrical experience.) When the film's end credits began to roll, every ounce of my being was confused, angry and even a bit sad. Everything that's RIGHT about the immersive movie experience lay within the grasp of Super 8, a film that isn't worried about the "creature" or "special effects" as much as it wants you to love its characters (in a very meta moment one of the kids asks his friend to read an article about character development in film).

Super 8 can be simplified as E.T. meets Cloverfield, where the creature is just a device to move the story along. While the audience will long for the big creature reveal, the emotional connection they make with the film will be with the protagonists � which in a Spielberg production are in the many. Super 8 follows Joe Lamb (Joel Courtney) struggling with the loss of his mother (in a freak accident at a local plant), as his father (Kyle Chandler) continues to break down. Filming a movie with his friends, Joe falls in love with Alice (Elle Fanning), who is having problems with her seemingly abusive father (Ron Eldard). Abrams takes some time to really introduce us to the kids, who carry a Goonies-like feel to them (Riley Griffiths is the "fat kid" while Ryan Lee likes to blow stuff up with his homemade fireworks). Eventually the kids end up at the train station where their film shoot comes to an explosive end. As shown in the clips, a train crashes leaving a weird box-shaped device in their grasp, while military officers come splashing to the scene. The mystery thickens as the kids keep the secret to themselves, all the while the military quietly begins to take over their town.

Without giving too much away, Super 8 isn't a straight-up horror movie, but it carries signature Spielberg scares such as a gas station and bus attack that are both over-the-top intense. It's incredibly dark, like when Spielberg wasn't afraid of scaring off a few family members (think Jaws or Close Encounters of the Third Kind). Literally everything screams "1980s Spielberg" from the kid's haircuts to the (impeccable) score, cinematography, dark family relations, and overly melodramatic finale. While the ending will piss a lot of people off (much like with War of the Words), it's actually a remarkably beautiful connection between the two families and said creature. Sealed tight and wrapped with a bow, they say.

I find it absolutely hilarious that James Cameron spent $500 million on Avatar in an attempt to create an immersive experience (he failed), yet Abrams did it on a shoe-string budget (for a studio film). Super 8 truly is the beginning and the end of summer blockbusters. In fact, this is the summer blockbuster of 1986. If Abrams' flick came out in the '80s, it would be the sole movie that everyone was in line for. That's the most heartbreaking aspect of this mind-blowing nostalgic experience. Grab your loved ones and embrace what could be the last true summer movie event.

"What is the #Super8Secret?"
Score: 9 / 10

Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2011 12:42 pm

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