Super 8

Written and directed by J.J. Abrams, Super 8 follows several ’80s-era adolescents (including Joel Courtney’s Joe, Elle Fanning’s Alice, and Riley Griffiths’ Charles) as they witness a fairly epic train crash and subsequently find themselves drawn into a mysterious (yet action-packed) adventure involving sinister government agents and an otherworldly creature. It’s clear right from the get-go that Abrams is looking to evoke the feel and tone of such similarly-themed fare as The Goonies, Poltergeist, and, especially, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, as Super 8 hits on many of the touchstones that one has come to associate with the youth-oriented blockbusters of the 1980s – with the scrappy kids at the narrative’s core certainly standing as the most obvious example of this. The pervasively nostalgic atmosphere proves effective at initially drawing the viewer into the proceedings, with the affable vibe perpetuated on a relatively consistent basis by the irresistible chemistry between the down-to-earth protagonists. (This is despite the fact that the kids all-too-often feel more like specific character types than wholeheartedly authentic figures.) It’s only as Super 8 progresses into its increasingly (and dishearteningly) erratic midsection that one’s interest begins to wane, as Abrams offers up a series of overlong and flat-out needless sequences that seem to exist only to pad out the running time. It’s worth noting, however, that Abrams effectively compensates for the uneven feel by offering up several absolutely gripping set pieces, with the film’s highlight surely an electrifying sequence in which the creature attacks a bus holding the protagonists and a few cops. And although the climax isn’t even remotely as effective as it could/should have been – Abrams bogs the sequence down in dank set design and shaky camerawork – Super 8 nevertheless, for the most part, comes off as a fun throwback that represents a breath of fresh air within the otherwise stale summer movie season.

*** out of ****