Super 8

Year: 2011

Grade: B+

Country: USA

Director: Abrams

Review

definitely draws from stand by me, e.t., and other 80s buddy flicks. the film does its best when the main group of guys is together being kids and talking shop. the love story and the alien are diversions or allegory to add depth or interest for a greater audience than 13 year old boys (or those who still have 13 year old boys inside them). since i’m one of those, the love story and alien stuff was less interesting to me. alien encounter films usually don’t do it much for me because the end tends to be unsatisfying. no, for me this film is much more about the kids and the proximity to, but dichotomy between, the adult world. both worlds

run in parallel with only occasional crossover. i always liked this about a film like stand by me. you have these kids on their own, trying to figure things out. on occasion they have to deal with the adults, but they’re mostly on their own, solving their own problems. they have their own take on the issues and actually can see, or are privy to, a lot of things that the adults don’t.

it’s a nicely shot picture and the big train crash was a nice spectacle.

Watched in theater