Super 8

It is nostalgia ridden like many other films have been this past decade, the only difference is it's not of the cynical kind.

The film's narrative FELT all over the place (probably more the plot than the narrative) - there was a certain tightness missing from this that was present in J.J. Abrams' previous film but, other than that, everything else did exactly what it's supposed to. The kids are both engaging and entertaining, the monster turns out to be quite frightening, the dialogue's great, the acting's great, visual effects, cinematography- everything's on point.

It felt like I was watching a proper film! I mean it seems too much to ask for from our blockbusters these days.

This film is an interesting mystery sci-fi that revolves around a small group of teenagers with a passion for cinema. They have a common project for a film, but end up witnessing a major rail disaster while filming. It is immediately clear that the accident is very unusual, and that the military's interest in what happened is far from normal. Set in the late Seventies, a remarkable decade for sci-fi thanks to the fascination of aliens and technology in general, it is a film of familiar contours where mystery is well used.

The film is skillfully directed by J.J.Abrams, and presents a good story, with young teens taking the lead. The film strives to portray teenagers, the way they relate and even the family environment and the relationships between families, which are important for a very small community like this small town. I don't think sentimentality is bad, I think that in the right measure it brings depth to the film.

Elle Fanning and Joel Courtney are the main actors in the film, which gives a lot of scope for young actors to show what they are worth, and these two young actors have definitely done a good job here. Riley Griffiths is good, but not so good. In the adult cast, Kyle Chandler and Ron Eldard deserve an especially positive mention, the latter giving life to a character that is rather unfriendly to the audience.

Technically, the film invests a lot in the environment, in creating tension. It is not that kind of film loaded with thunderous effects, but one where what is suggested matters more than what we see. Honestly, I think it's more interesting than most big-budget sci-fi films, which are basically shot on the green screen. This does not mean that it was not used here or that there are no effects: the film has good special and visual effects, a competent CGI and good sound, but it knows how to use these resources without exaggeration. The good soundtrack also deserves a mention.

Steven Spielberg and J.J Abrams working on a project together. That idea alone is great however the finished project is a masterpiece. I was expecting a lot when I walked into the theater, when I walked out, not only were my expectations met but it was much better than i thought it would be. Let's start off with the actors, they all did a great job, but I was really impressed with Elle Fanning's acting, she added lots to the movie. I know it won't happen for this movie but I think she deserves an Oscar for her performance. Next, let's talk about the overall movie, it was great, it had, action, comedy, Mystery, romance, and suspense. The special effects were amazing, best this year. Now, the ending, i'm not going to say what happens, but many people hated it but I thought it was perfect, great way to end the film. Overall, suspense, action packed movie with great special effects and great acting from underrated stars makes the best movie of 2011, and one of the best movies ever. 10/10

Look, I'm biased. When I first saw the movie in 2011 while I was still just in middle school, I was enamored. Now, 8 years later, as a film student inspired by this movie, I can honestly say that it still holds up. A lot of the love I have for this movie is purely fueled by nostalgia, but even aside from that, the thrills and heartstring tugs this movie delivers still stand up to the test of time so far. This movie is always going to mean the world to me, and I hope someone out there sees this and gives it a shot. It's so criminally underrated and under-appreciated.

I'm just going to say this upfront, Super 8 is now one of my favorite movies. It is one of the most thrilling , emotional, well-acted and just all around entertaining movies I have ever seen, and I've seen a lot of movies. It brings back that old school movie feel of wonder and innocence that made movies like E.T. , Stand By Me, and the Goonies , the classics that they are now and I think Super 8 is right in the same league. But Super 8 has another side to it as well, it's a monster movie. This aspect is obviously modeled after other Spielberg classics like Jurassic Park and Jaws and uses some of the same techniques to great effect.

As I said above, the acting is amazing. All the kids are absolutely fantastic they really act like real teenagers- the way they talk, the way they act and all their different quirks are all hilarious. It's so fun watching them all together. The adults are all great too particularly Kyle Chandler who plays the main character, Joe's, father. He perfectly displays his difficulty in the situation he is in and his lack of communication with his son.

Super 8 is actually a very emotional movie. Joe and his father have been through some tragic events and they are still trying to cope with their loss. There is some real depth in the emotional scenes and this makes you care more for the character and it makes the movie much more intense when the action starts heating up. That brings me to the next great aspect of the movie, the action.

There are some very intense scenes in Super 8. The movie has one of the most awesome scenes of destruction (the train crash) I have seen in a movie, and its in the first thirty minutes. After this is when the unseen monster starts causing havoc. What's great is that you hardly ever see the monster. It's just like Jaws, the less you see, the scarier things are. This makes it so that once you see the monster it is very satisfying.

There are flaws in the movie such as the drastic change in tones between the lighthearted events with the kids to the pretty dark and violent scenes with the monster, and the movie ends a little bit too soon, but this is all negligible because the movie is so entertaining, moving, and heartfelt.

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