Review- Super 8

Review - "Super 8" - A mixture of "The Goonies", "Close Encounters Of The Third Kind", "E.T." and some of the "Creature Features" of the 1940's and 50's. The buildup is effectively atmospheric and entertaining- too bad the payoff falls a bit short.

A group of kids filming a super 8 movie in their small Ohio town witness a train crash and then investigate the strange events that follow.  Set in 1979, the movie is a bit of a time capsule- those that are old enough will have fun pointing out all the memorabilia of that particular era.  The monster and mayhem is just a backdrop- the movie is really a coming-of-age tale about a boy struggling with the loss of his mother and trying to connect with his father.  He and his friends interest in movies and film is a recurring theme.

Elle Fanning (Dakota's sister) is my pick for talent to watch here, although first-time actor Joel Courtney (the star of the movie) will surely be featured in many films to come.  Kyle Chandler and Ron Eldard are solid in support.

I'm a fan of the "Creature Feature" genre- some of my favorites include JAWS, John Carpenter's The Thing, Tremors, The Creature From The Black Lagoon, Aliens, Predator, Them! (1954 ), Gojira (1954 ), King Kong (1933), Mighty Joe Young (1949 ), Alligator, The Host, Deep Rising, The Descent and Rogue. For the most part, those films featured memorable monster designs and excellent effects work (for their time)- some of them have become iconic.  I can't say that about the "big ugly" in this film- it's bathed in darkness, entirely CGI and never onscreen for more than a few, fleeting seconds.  In short, it's not very memorable.

This is a good to very good film- it's far better than the idiotic "Cloverfield" that some have been comparing it to.  Furthermore, there's none of that shaky-cam bullshit to sit through either.  Produced by Spielberg and directed by JJ Abrams (Star Trek), the film feels like vintage Spielberg- the tone and pace match the Director's earliest efforts.  Although it was intended to match the look of films made in that era, I still can't stand all the frickin' lens flares- you'll know what I'm talking about if you happen to check this out. Worth a watch but be forewarned- the PG-13 rating is a bit misleading.  It's not for the younger set- hell, I jumped in my seat a couple of times.  

7.5 outta 10