Super 8 is a love letter to Spielberg movies of the late 70s and early 80s such as E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Spielberg created a kind of cinema that can best be described as science fiction Americana, in which aliens and UFOs disrupt the predictable rhythms of modern American life. Super 8, adhering to the principle that imitation is the best form of flattery, sets its story in the same time and general place: a small Midwestern town that has seen better days. The plot also rings familiar to anyone familiar with Spielberg’s films. A group of kids sneak out late one night to film scenes for low-budget horror film they have been piecing together. They witness a catastrophic train derailment involving some mysterious military cargo. In the following days, strange things start happening around town. People disappear and strange acts of theft and vandalism occur.
Writer and director J.J. Abrams has created a film that is considerably darker and more ominous than the movies it references. Spielberg shied away from themes of death and romantic rivalry in an effort to preserve his characters’ innocence in the eyes of the audience. Abrams has no such compunctions and his teens are more nuanced as a result. Abrams has a less commercial sensibility than Spielberg, which also makes for a more interesting movie. E.T. was part of a larger marketing campaign for toys, lunchboxes, and Reese’s Pieces. Without giving away too much of the plot, there isn’t much in Super 8 that lends itself to such commercialization. It’s not a perfect movie; Abrams’ dialog can be clumsy and obvious while some plot resolutions feel lazy and uninspired. Those flaws don’t detract from the film’s immense enjoyability. It’s a standout in a summer movie season that already has several strong entries.
