Films and Fiction

A while ago, I watched a movie called Super 8. I saw the trailer for it once on a DVD and was intrigued by it, so did it live up to my expectations?

The film is set in late ’70s America, a time where nostalgia fruit is ripe and ready for picking. Naturally, it also takes place in a small town, like all good sci-fi, where a group of young friends are trying to finish a short film to enter into a local competition. They’re out doing a night shoot at the railway station when they witness a train crash, but all’s not what it seems. It’s a military train transporting some kind of creature that escapes and begins terrorizing the town.

When I saw the film was produced by Steven Spielberg, I was even more exited. Then when I saw it was directed by J.J. Abrams, I was gripped with fear, after seeing his work on Star Wars and Star Trek, yet somehow it works. Yes, of course there’s lens flare and some frantic action, but it also has that Spielberg magic from the ’70s and ’80s when everything he touched turned to gold, and is clearly working to spring off the nostalgia for this time period. There are references to films like The Goonies and E.T., but they are done well, and at least J.J. got Spielberg’s permission to rip off his work.

Fortunately, Super 8 also has its own story at its centre. There’s a group of random friends with their own personalities, and while they’re not as memorable as the Goonies, they at least bring something to the screen. There’s also a deputy sheriff (played by the always engaging Kyle Chandler) who’s desperately trying to protect his town, both from the unknown creature that’s snatching people and from the military who want to cover it all up. It builds up the tension well, and like any good monster movie, it avoids showing the monster as long as it can. With all of this being backed up by the plot device of the movie shoot, it means there’s always something going on to keep you interested, and like any good Spielbergian film, it has a heart, both in the young romance between the two main kids, and in the reconciliation between father and son who’ve grown distant after his mother’s death.

If there’s a problem here it’s in the ending. I’m not sure how to take the idea that the alien is actually a good guy, it feels slightly contrary to everything we’ve seen before, and the creature design itself isn’t as memorable as it could be. Still, it’s a satisfying end that finishes (of course) with everyone looking up at a departing spacecraft.

Looking at the movie, it could be considered a copy of those other familiar classics, but there’s a line between homage and rip-off, and fortunately J.J. stays on the right side. It does make you wonder just how much input Spielberg had here considering the disasters of where Abrams had full control. There’s more heart, character development and story above the flashy visuals, which is nice to see for a change, and makes you think he could be capable of so much more. I’m also struck by the similarities between this movie and a certain series created by the Duffer Brothers. Coming just a few years before the first season of Stranger Things, it’s likely they saw it and took some inspiration for their own project, though not enough to count as plagiarism (and who cares when both are excellent?).

In short, Super 8 isn’t a movie that will blow your mind with its visuals, story or cinematic spectacle, but it will leave you feeling satisfied, and that’s an achievement in itself.