Super 8 is Sci-Fi Done Big
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Super 8. is not horror by any stretch, but Sci-Fi is of interest to Horror Freaks and the Train Crash is awesome. The kids do make a zombie short film though, good enough?
Written by The Horror Czar, Don Sumner
June 10, 2010
Movie Trailer
Image Gallery
Release: June 10, 2011 (U.S. Theatrical)
Written and Directed by: J.J. Abrams
Starring:
Joel Courtney as Joe Lamb
Kyle Chandler as Jackson Lamb
Elle Fanning as Alice Dainard
Joel McKinnon Miller as Mr. Kaznyk
Riley Griffiths as Charles
Young Joe Lamb (Joel Courtney) lost his factory-worker mother in a terrible accident, and is left with a father (Kyle Chandler) who doesn’t know how to deal with the needs of a hurting child. Luckily he has a bit of a diversion as his best friend Charles (Riley Griffiths) has plans to enter a short zombie film in a local film festival, and Joe has a talent for monster make up. In an attempt to add some realism to his Super 8 film, Charles brings his adolescent cast and crew to a small train station outside of town to shoot the big “good bye” scene, and as luck would have it a train comes by! Perfect to catch some real moments in the film… until a truck driven by the middle school science teacher races onto the track and causes the most horrific train crash imaginable.
As the dust settles from the high-drama train crash a military platoon takes the scene under siege, and thus begins a series of over-reaching and sinister military actions along with strange attacks and happenings in the town. Can Joe survive the onslaught of monsters and men, save the girl he loves and repair a broken relationship with his father before the credits role? And what about the zombie short?
Super 8 is Stephen Spielberg in all his glory, complete with outstanding effects, evil bad guys and kid heroes who overcome odds that the most accomplished survivalist would shy away from. Spielberg will continue to be popular because he introduces the concept of young action-hero fantasy to younger generations repeatedly, thereby ensuring that those youngsters will grow up remembering how they felt the first time they saw a Spielberg production. From the beginning there have either been big villains (Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind), or big heroes (Raiders of the Los Arc) but it didn’t take him long to realize that brave kids would really seal the deal (E.T., Poltergeist, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Goonies).
The effects in Super 8 are, of course, outstanding – the train crash is already approaching legendary. My favorite effects, though, are the old-school make-up and blood fare of the zombie short film being made as a parallel storyline as the kids are thwarting trained military commandos and a victimized alien monster who just wants to go home. The performances are also good, in a big-studio “that would never happen” kind of way. You get to know everyone, care about what happens to them, cheer as they overcome insurmountable odds – all that good film stuff that allows one to be completely absorbed in what’s happening on the screen and believe for a time that bravery can overcome anything and love conquers all. Just as it should be.
Writer/Director J.J. Abrams is no stranger to Horror Freaks as he wrote and produced Joy Ride (2001) and produced Cloverfield (2008) as well as having a good resume of big Sci-Fi including 2009’s Star Trek and a multitude of episodes from Television’s Lost. The combination of Abrams and Spielberg certainly works in the case of Super 8 and the box office proves it.
All
of this said, there are two particular stand-outs in Super 8
that add a level of enjoyment to the film that is icing on the cake.
The first is the performance of Elle Fanning, little sister of (also
young) Dakota Fanning. She’s just great in Super 8 -
something about the genes of this family turns out some incredible
performers. The second is the short “Super 8” zombie film done by the
youngsters. We do finally get to see this film in the closing credits,
so don’t leave the theater (or turn off the DVD, depending on when you
read this) too early. It’s a peach.
Super 8 is a very fun and visually huge film that is recommended, yet it is again acknowledged that this is not horror, even a little bit. References to George A. Romero in the zombie short are fun to hear in mainstream entertainment though, and for that along with the zombie short and the train wreck this one is worth seeing.
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