Super 8 (2011)
June 9, 2011
VERDICT:
8/10 Neo-Nostalgias
Making Spielberg proud and fans happy.
All you E.T., Close Encounters, Goonies, and Cloverfield fans rejoice, this was didn’t disappoint. So hit the jump to get the full scoop, yo’.
26 Comments
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Cut The Crap Movie Reviews 
Looks so good, need to definitely check this out this weekend. Good Review Aiden!
Thanks, man. Let me know what you think, eager to hear what the consensus is on this one.
Super 8 is horrendus. People were walking out it was that bad.
Really? Geez, that’s a damn shame.
conservatives and other boring people with loads of kids loved it …..so that gives you a pretty good indication to its quality and lack of edginess .
cheesy love story , stereotypes , same old father son dysfunctional family healing at the end crap ,
formula tic
it was really embarrassing .
Well that’s a bizarre way to judge a movie’s quality and edginess. Sorry it was a disappointment, man.
Geez there is alot of hate going around for this movie. I guess when something good comes around it has to get bashed lol. I personally loved it. I love movies that have aspects of movie making them self in them. Blow Out is one of my faves that gets lost in the shuffle. Inglourious Basterds is another I love. idk.
Yeah, I’ve been pretty surprised at the backlash, too. Can’t knock someone for not liking a movie, but I can’t help but feel like people just don’t miss early Spielberg enough. Never seen Blow Out though, gotta check that out.
Hey there Aiden, I enjoyed it too. I went in for nostalgia reasons as the trailer reminded me of ET, and it didn’t disappoint on that front.
Ruth! Welcome back and sorry I’ve been so non-existent over in your neck of the woods. I feel shame, but glad you liked the movie. Definitely helps to go in for the nostalgia.
Oh I totally understand, I’m sure you’re busy writing reviews for Moviefone AND this awesome blog of yours! I’ve left you a comment on Moviefone as well, do you prefer that I leave the comment there or on this blog?
Haha. Either will do just wonderfully. Thanks!
Well, excuse me. I’m not a conservative but I loved this shit. Yes, the template was Spielbergian but Abrams had enough small twists to make the material his own. And the kids were fantastic. I had NO IDEA it was Joel Courtney’s first role. I think he might be someone to watch out for.
Hahaha. You liberal scum, you!
Glad you dug it, I had myself a time with it. Totally agree that Abrams really made it his own and the kids were great. Not a bad place to land your first role, huh?
What can we say other than different people different movie taste 🙂
Hahaha. Dude, why can’t more people disagree so cordially? I hear ya’, I respect ya’, and thanks for stopping by!
I like how in your review you say it’s not a clone of early Spielberg. Good on ya as people are easily mistaking it for that!
Unfortunately with all the drippings of nostalgia, I don’t think this would have worked in any other setting and had the same charm which is pretty much one main reason why the film works. While pretty much everyone and their mom is complaining about the third act I think that we all (myself included) were expecting something other than the underlying character development forced but eh not deplorable. But I think you said it best at the end there – the less you know going in the better:)
Haha, thanks. It really is as much Cloverfield as it is E.T., so it’s hard to pigeonhole it as a carbon copy when it’s far more a tribute.
And as far as the third act is concerned, I’m actually fine with it just because it’s one of those movies you need to take with a grain of salt to begin with. Resolution still could have been better and it did get a bit sappy there, but that didn’t take away from it being a fun time. Glad you dug it, man.
There’s weird Abrams backlash going around the Internet, and I don’t totally get why but it’s definitely at its worst in the weird criticisms made at the start of these comments. “For conservative/boring people” is about as banal and worthless and critique as you can make. Maybe it’s that Abrams is clearly trying to assume the mantle of Spielberg, maybe it’s that he’s ridiculously successful and even more nerdy (if that’s possible), but for some reason people seem to hate Abrams.
That’s not to say I thought this was a masterpiece, but it’s really, really good even taking the third act fuck-ups into account. Everything with the alien confrontation feels forced, as though it was included out of some sense of obligation, and it works opposite to what makes the rest of the film– which is about these kids standing on the edge of the disaster– so good. The face-to-face with the alien muddles the thematic elements and leads to a catharsis that feels kind of disingenuous (unless you think the death of Joe’s mom compares to being intentionally detained and tormented for decades), and I think that alone holds the movie back from being “great” in that iconic sense.
But it’s still strong overall and worth seeing, and could be one of the best blockbusters of the summer.
Totally agree, and great point what makes the film is the “kids standing on the edge of disaster.” I think the fact that there’s so much Spielberg and not enough Abrams is what dooms it from being great and standing out on its own, but like you said, there is more than enough Abrams here and it’s still a blast even with the hang-ups. Not a movie I’m itching to see again, but it was a blast that one time.
Seriously disappointed in this movie. Reminded me of a goonies style film bur with a rubbish alien and crap storyline 😦 if you want to see a superb film in cinema at the moment go see rise of the planet of the apes this was fantastic
Just left the cinema now and have to say it was crap!! Ive been waiting since last year to see this and it brings nothing new and original. People got up at walked out also. Weak story line, rubbish alien, kids ok, fed up with same old mum die rubbish and dad hopeless nonsense. Im a film mad and have been ever since a young age and know a good film when i see one and this isnt it.
Oh, man. Sorry to hear that. Folks seem seriously divided over this one, and while I sure liked it, I can get the other end of the spectrum. Definitely wasn’t the most memorable movie of the year, nor was it the best alien invasion movie, but hey, still thought it had its merits from a nostalgia standpoint. The kids were great too. Different strokes for different folks, yo. Thanks for stopping by!
Yeah, I really need to see that already. Sorry to hear this was a letdown though. Thought it was pretty fun ride down memory lane, but it definitely had its flaws in retrospect.
What the hell was this crap? Why is this rated 7.5 on imdb?
The train at the start behaved like it was hit by a nuclear warhead, not a truck. The characters acted in ways that made no sense at all as if they were robots being handed down instructions.
Mr.Alien then makes all of the metal in the town fly into the sky at which he turns it into a spaceship, but not before he steals the boy’s mother’s amulet because it couldnt turn into one without that.. if the alien had such power over metal why did he spend 20 years trapped in a metal cage, and then a train? Why not turn his cage into a spaceship and save us from this awful movie?
Overall rating 2/10
Hahaha. Damn, that is hate. Yeah, the ending is wonky, I’ll give you that. I don’t think it had to do with the amulet though. I think the alien could have left any time he wanted, but he stayed so he could get some payback on the sonsabitches who caged him up and turned him into a monster. Wasn’t until he saw into the kid’s heart that he finally let it go and went home. But still, I hear ya’.
I thought the cast was great though. Well, different strokes for different folks. Thanks for stopping by, man!