Super 8? Really?
When advertisements for Super 8 hit the TV and the big-screen, I, like many people, was highly excited. How could I not be? As a life-long Spielberg fan I’d seen and loved them all, from the early ones to the more recent masterpieces (excluding the last Indiana Jones film, which was less fantastic than promised, unfortunately). And this…this film looked like it had all the hall-marks of a modern-day classic. In the style of The Goonies I had no doubt in my mind that this film was going to set a new bench-mark in cinematic history…
Then I sat down and watched the film in the cinema and held my head in my hands…yes the film was good, but a classic? I fear not.
I definitely expected much more than what director JJ Abrams delivered
Super 8, if you are clueless, begins when a group of kids in an un-named US town experience a horrifying train-crash while making their own Super 8 movie. Soon after that, the mysterious cargo leads to a series of startling revelations involving the military and one big monster-type-thing.
Be sure of one thing: the first half-an-hour of this film is magic. It recreates the era fantastically well and does a great job of establishing one hell of a mystery storyline.
The problem with Super 8 is that it’s an empty vessel; an exciting empty vessel, and one which has all kinds of twists and turns, but unfortunately one which won’t be as memorable as it should have been. And, just like the online running accessories shop which my friend started a few months ago, just because it looks flashy doesn’t mean that it’s going to really hold your attention for that long (sorry Fred, but I did tell you to get someone who knows about marketing involved!).
Maybe I’m being a bit harsh, but personally I expected much more than Spielberg gives us in Super 8. I definitely expected much more than what director JJ Abrams delivered.
So here it is: if you’re a die-hard Spielberg film fan then you will find very little not to love about this movie. The effects are great, the acting is wonderful and the production value is, as ever, out of this world. But, on the other hand: if you’re a fan of intelligent films which possess an incredible storyline without gaping plot-holes, then you may find yourself frowning throughout Super 8.
Thanks Steven, but next time I think you need to focus less on the explosions and more on reading between the lines.
Similar Posts:
No Dairy for This Moggie - is milk dangerous for cats? : We…
How To Groom Your Cat : Most of us think that cats are pretty…
A Starring Role? : I would love to go back to the Universal…
Obsession with ‘Chicago’ : It is absolutely right to say…
Comments are closed!