Super 8 – Dual Review

While we already had an early review of J.J. Abrams’ Super 8 (here), for an added bonus, here’s a dual review between Donny Broussard and Jon Peters.

Jon: Mixing the elements of the 1950′s creature feature from the heyday of sci-fi, Super 8 channels the films of our youth, without ever over-saturating the nostalgia. From the mysterious ad campaigns, to the questions still left unanswered prior to heading into the theaters, J.J. Abrams wasn’t deliberately toiling with us as movie-goers, he was doing a rare and respectful thing we took for granted back then. Abrams wanted to protect the sense of awe and wonder, seemingly lost now days in the midst of ready-made blockbusters, where we’ve seen it all before. It doesn’t matter to Abrams if we’ve seen it all, because he stages the action, the creature sequences, with such careful relish, you cannot help yourself in thinking about Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters and Jurassic Park.

Donny: There are many movies released every summer that are labeled as “blockbusters”. Some of them deserve the label, but most of the time these summer tent-pole movies fall flat in the wake of classics like Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T. Fright Night, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Gremlins, and Star Wars. While many of these summer movies boast beautiful special effects sequences, they don’t have memorable characters, or set pieces that make the audience feel like a part of the film. J. J. Abrams’ Super 8 not only kicks its audience’s ass with amazing visual spectacles, it engages them with rich characters, and an original heartfelt story. For the first time in many years, a true summer  blockbuster has made it onto the silver screen.

Jon: You touched upon something key, Donny. Characters. Besides having great, snappy dialogue, with these amazing kid actors hitting all of the beats, it’s great to see well-rounded characters we care about with arcs and drama that are devoid of something Spielberg adds: over-sentimentality. Gone are the days of average people wrapped up in extraordinary circumstances. It’s like everyone now days in movies has these glossy, expensive cars and iPhones. So kudos to Abrams for keeping the kids in the 1980s.It gave the film a sense of nostalgia, without seeping it into a ham0fisted territory. Death and grief and how the characters handled it was truly the backbone of the film.

Donny: You’re right. It was refreshing to see a story centered around a middle class cast of characters. It is getting exhausting watching tweens drive around in hundred thousand dollar cars, wearing designer clothes and kicking ass with special-ops-like precision.  Abrams understands character development and he knows how to craft a story that lives up to its potential. Sure, Super 8 is a sci-fi thriller about a secret creature, but amongst the action and mystery is a story about a family that will do anything for one another.

Jon: Once you are emotionally invested, you’re golden for the great creature sequences. Remember when you were watching a movie and had a few “awe” moments, due to the surprise and spectacle? That’s Super 8. Abrams in his brief theatrical film-making career is recreating the movies he loves that aren’t copy-and-paste homages, but movies he wants to see, as I do. The creature, which Donny and I have been avoiding spoilers, is a wonderful new design, even if it’s a kissing cousin to the Cloverfield alien. Paying attention to the story, it’s a wonderful arachnid design. Blah blah blah, if these 600 words don’t draw your curiosity to see this movie, then maybe you just don’t like original, fun, spectacle sci-fi.

Donny: If you miss the good old days of cinema, when real heroes graced the silver screen, and the characters were so well written you felt like you actually knew them, then Super 8 is the one film you should see this summer.

Jon: Rating:

Donny: Rating: