Super 8

"Super 8" is a beautifully written love letter to the early works of Steven Spielberg, the multi-talented movie magician who has dazzled us with his diverse filmmaking skills since the early 1970s. And the influence that Spielberg’s films of the ‘70s and ‘80s, most notably "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and "E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial,” have had on writer-director J.J. Abrams' new sci-fi thriller is undeniable; indeed, any viewer would have to be trying extra hard to not be reminded of these two classics while watching the film.

Abrams' adoration of Spielberg is frequently shown to be flowing through the veins of "Super 8," and one can only imagine his excitement when the man himself stepped aboard the project as a producer. What is it that makes the film such a love letter to the renowned filmmaker? You could say it's the style of the film. Firstly, it's a science fiction, the genre most commonly associated with Spielberg, and includes what we can assume is an alien being. Secondly, it contains a music score (composed by Michael Giacchino) very reminiscent of the work of John Williams, a long-time collaborator of Spielberg. Thirdly, it stars children in the leading roles, and these children are frequently seen riding their bikes, which may recall several images from “E.T.” (though they do not fly them or appear as a silhouette in front of a full moon).

But what really makes “Super 8” a love letter to Spielberg is its humanity. The characters feel real and human in a way that is rare in today’s cinematic world of big-budget cash-guzzlers. Interwoven throughout the mysterious narrative are authentic characters for whom we care, a common trope of Spielberg’s movies. Sure, it is a B-movie blockbuster, and a thrilling one at that, but there’s a humanity and a soul to it that causes it to soar, and soar high and far it triumphantly does.

The film focuses on a group of young aspiring filmmakers, all 13 more or less, in 1979 Ohio. Together, these small-town kids are making a very low-budget zombie movie which they intend to enter into a local film festival. The film’s director is Charles (Riley Griffiths), its two stars are Martin (Gabriel Basso) and Alice (Elle Fanning), its make-up artist is Joe Lamb (Joel Courtney), while Preston (Zach Mills) and Cary (Ryan Lee) help on the side.

While filming a scene at a train station, they all witness a pick-up truck racing down the tracks and driving right into the nose of an oncoming train, causing it to derail, thus creating an eye-pleasing massive trail of fiery destruction. Amongst the wreckage, Joe watches as the door to one of the train’s compartments is beaten open by something inside, though Joe doesn’t see what lurks inside the compartment, nor what leaps out of it. The kids then approach the bashed-and-bloodied driver of the truck (who miraculously survived), who warns them to tell no one about what they saw, or they and their parents shall all be killed.

They promptly flee when the US Air Force approaches the scene, and speak not a word of the events they witnessed. But the next day it’s all over the news, explained as nothing more than a freak derailment. And soon enough, strange things start to happen throughout the town of Lillian. Local dogs run away, people go missing, there are power outages, car engines are stolen, and the Air Force seems to be hiding something. Nobody knows what’s going on, or why, though they‘re quick to blame the Russians. But maybe the truth lies within the footage of the crash captured by Joe’s camera…

“Super 8” works excellently as a mystery film, its mystery being what the hell is going on in this little Ohio town and who (or what) the hell is causing all of these obscure occurrences. Abrams keeps these secrets under wraps for quite some time, teasing us with miniscule glimpses of what could be lurking about in the shadows of this rural town. Much like Spielberg did in “Jaws,“ Abrams tests the audience’s patience with the monster’s revelation, but its exposure is sweet.

But is it a monster? Is it an alien? What does it want? Where did it come from? What does it look like? Is it good? Is it evil? Just like our teenage protagonists, we’re a little confused and curious, fascinated by the thought of discovering the answers to these many, many questions. And these answers eventually arrive in a satisfying, explosive and mesmerising fashion that is most exhilarating to watch as they slowly but surely unravel themselves.

There’s also the mystery of the relationship between Joe’s distant father Deputy Jackson Lamb (Kyle Chandler, “King Kong”) and Alice’s alcoholic father Louis Dainard (Ron Eldard, “House of Sand and Fog”). We know Louis was somehow involved in the death of Joe’s mother four months ago, but we don’t know how. And why are Joe and Alice forbidden from being friends with each other? Why is the resentment shared between their fathers so strong? The plot of the strange local occurrences is of course more theatrically fascinating, but it’s the human element and human mystery that really makes the movie so spectacular.

The pleasures the film presents emit from both of these sources: the gripping, blood-pumping action and the tender, poignant, emotional side. Scenes such as the catastrophic train crash and the tense snatching of townsfolk get the heart racing. Scenes such as Joe walking in on his father crying in the bathroom and as Joe watches home videos of his late mother wrench the heart. These two opposites go hand-in-hand in “Super 8” to brilliant, powerful effect.

Abrams has discovered a fantastic cast of generally unknown child actors for the central roles, each of whom have their role to play in the story that stands aside from simply screaming and frantically running. Courtney is our lead, delivering an engaging performance as a boy who has just recently lost his mother and is then forced to cope with something much bigger than himself. Fanning is the love interest to Courtney’s Joe, with a semi-”Romeo and Juliet” romance going on between them, forbidden love and bonding and all that razzle dazzle. Griffiths is the aspiring director fitted with a determined vision for his in-production monster movie. Basso is the geeky, bespectacled amateur actor. Lee is a brace-faced oddball with an obsession for pyrotechnics. And Mills is the brainy background actor in Charles’ movie. They bring warmth to the film, supplying both poignancy and humour in equal measure, much like the cast of Richard Donner‘s “The Goonies” did back in 1985.

“Super 8” has a story that is wonderfully told, perfectly paced and endlessly intriguing. It is filmed elegantly, Larry Fong (“Sucker Punch”) securing his status as a splendid cinematographer. It is wonderfully acted by the humble cast. It is stimulating, nostalgic, passionate, breathtaking and indeed super. It is an excellent slice of mainstream movie-making, and one of 2011’s very best.

10/10