I've noticed something over the past few years. While movies have been getting bigger and badder they seem to be losing something. With the predominance of action films and superhero movies flooding our screens one would think that we would be staring amazed with a sense of wonder at the majority of films we see. Yet we aren't. Thanks to special effects and an over dependence on action the sheer thrill and amazement of exploring a new movie (and idea) have been drained from the very films that should be doing that. I'm sure this is partly nostalgia speaking, but what happened to simply being sucked into a film because you felt a sense of exploration and wonder not because it had the best action sequences or special effects?
I'm not sure what happened exactly. Most likely a combination of movie watchers shorter attention spans, marketing taking the surprise out of films and a myriad of other factors. However, I am sure that that lost sense of wonder is back and it's back because of J.J. Abrams Super 8, a film that is easily the best blockbuster of the summer so far and a film that will rekindle your wonder at movies.
Super 8 is not really an original tale. It in fact shares many traits with another film that created a sense of wonder, E.T. (as it most likely should since Stephen Spielberg produced the film). A group of children in the late 70s are attempting to film their own zombie Super 8 movie and one night, while shooting, a massive train crash occurs right next to them. The train happens to be carrying a large and angry alien who escapes and starts terrorizing the small town the children live in. If this was where the story ended we'd have quite a disappointing feature, but what makes Super 8 great is that, like the best childhood adventure films, while the background tale is epic the true story is about growing up and friendship.
One of the young filmmakers, Joe Lamb (Joel Courtney), mother has just passed away after an accident at the local steel mill. He and his father, Jackson Lamb (Kyle Chandler), were never close and are now awkwardly alone together. Meanwhile Joe's best friend, Charles (Riley Griffiths), has asked Joe's long time crush, Alice (Elle Fanning) to play a role in their film. Unbeknownst to Joe, Alice and he have a deeper connection that I can't reveal her without ruining one of the better scenes in the film. Needless to say it is the interaction between these children as friends and their parents that drives the film home. While the giant alien may be cool (and scary) at times it is the growing relationships between father and son, best friends and first loves that make this film work. Place all this into the backdrop of an epic childhood adventure and you have the exact right recipe to get any viewers childhood wonder going.
It doesn't hurt that Abrams has somehow pulled some amazing performances out of every child actor on the screen. There are some heavy emotional scenes in this film that could have been absolutely ruined by a poor performance from one of the child actors, but none of them misses a beat. You're instantly in there with them in almost every scene from the truly amazing train crash to the sadder, more emotional scenes involving Joe's mom's death. Abrams also wisely keeps the alien a secret, relegating it to the background of the film for the majority of the time and never giving us a clear shot until the very end. It makes the audience feel like they're on the same road to discovery that the children are and will hopefully teach other filmmakers a thing or two about keeping your cards close to your chest every once in a while.
Where one might complain about Super 8 is that it doesn't feel all that original because, to be honest, it isn't. You've probably heard all these stories before in plenty of films and those vibes you got from the trailers that screamed Goonies, E.T. and Stand By Me were all correct because this film rips from/pays homage to them liberally. But even in mentioning what the film rips from I feel I have only supported the movie's originality in the current state of cinema. All those films are decades old and yet they are the ones I have to go back to in order to reference the sort of childhood wonder that Super 8 instills in the viewing audience. Sure, most of the ideas and story of Super 8 can be found in these films, but compared to most modern blockbusters they're sorely missing and that makes Super 8 as original as can be.
I would also be remiss if I didn't mention Michael Giacchino's amazing score. Instantly perfect at almost every turn and especially wonderful at the end of the film, Giacchino is further establishing himself as one of film's greatest composers.
What stands out most about Super 8 is how well it handles itself as a whole. While it could have gotten cheesy and boring quite easily it only plays with melodrama here and there. The story careens along perfectly and while the happenings are out of this world the tale is down to earth. It's movies like these that make you want to go back to the theaters and sit with an audience to share an experience that makes your marvel, wonder and feel amazement.
Comments