Lindsay: Super 8, my personal selection for most anticipated film this summer, blew me away. It was exactly what I wanted it to be and more. I can already tell that there are going to be two big types of critical responses: (1) People that admire and adore the film and (2) Buzz kills. Honestly, the film does have a few small issues that I can understand some viewers finding problematic (although I didn’t.) Like ‘the lens flare is so distracting’ or ‘there are so many plot holes.’ I suppose people were expecting an episode of Lost? Oh and the whole “a car can’t derail a train like that!” Fuck you, that train crash scene is phenomenal. Well, I want to stand up and say that in this summer crowded with rehashed superheros movies and sequels, we are in desperate need of a film with some heart, and Super 8 is here to bring that to us.
Super 8 is a family film. Not a kid’s movie that adults might like, it’s made for everyone to thoroughly enjoy, not one age group over another. The movie makes you feel excitement, fear, humor, warmth and sometimes sadness. It’s all about making you feel what only the movies can. That sense of wonder that made you want to be in the movie. Where you leave the theater and wonder what adventures you would have had, if you got to be that main character for a few minutes. And for 112 minutes you get to fall in love with a group of kids that feel authentic not clichéd. Kids I knew and grew up with. Except these are way cooler than me because they make monster movies and sing “My Sharona” and use Dick Smith makeup kits and love George A Romero. Super 8 is also a film for movie lovers. Not necessarily the most cynical critics, but those of us that love to go to the cinema and experience magic. Are you one of those people or have you lost too much of yourself in criticism of film?
Jessica: Super 8 was for me the most dynamic movie that I have seen this year and definitely the one with the most heart. Yeah, you can find some similarities to older movies, but this movie isn’t riding on their coattails or copying–it’s more so a love letter to these films that just make you feel nostalgic and gives you all those warm fuzzy feelings inside. I found myself quite delighted with the story of this film and definitely the characters. Each of these kids really holds their own and were truly funny in a way I wasn’t expecting. They have the sort of chemistry reminiscent of the kids in Stand By Me or The Goonies. Joel Courtney, who plays the lead boy, is really great in a quiet, reserved way that still stands out over his more loud-mouthed friends, and Elle Fanning is just fantastic. I really have high hopes for her and she shows the same potential that had everyone so excited about her sister. This film simply culminates in the perfect balance of the J.J. Abrams excitement and Spielberg charm to make me a very happy film watcher.
