Super 8 (2011)

Directed by: JJ Abrams | 112 minutes | science fiction thriller | Actors: Elle Fanning, Kyle Chandler, Amanda Michalka, Ron Eldard, Noah Emmerich, Gabriel Basso, Zach Mills, Katie Lowes, Marco Sanchez, Joel Courtney, Thomas F. Duffy, Ryan Lee, James Hébert, Teri Clark, Riley Griffiths

A simple calculation is enough: how old was director JJ Abrams in 1979, the year in which ‘Super 8’ takes place? Right, thirteen, just like the group of protagonists in the movie. This group of teens is just entering the summer at the beginning of the film, where they, led by the nerdy, fat director Charles (Riley Griffiths), try to make a zombie film of their own that can enter a local film festival – filmed, of course, at the primitive super 8 format. Our film’s protagonist and zombie film make-up director, Joe (Joel Courtney) of the same age, has more on his mind, however, as he still struggles with the loss of his mother, who died in a factory accident.

Charles is nevertheless strong-willed enough to get a crew of respectable size together, complete with star actress in the person of Alice (Elle Fanning, who also impressed in ‘Somewhere’). Unfortunately, that is also difficult for Joe: their respective fathers have been fighting fiercely since the death of Joe’s mother. The making of the zombie film is a wonderful start to ‘Super 8’, due to the good chemistry between the young actors and the visible pleasure with which their clumsy shooting days are portrayed. Thoughts quickly return to Michel Gondry’s ‘Be Kind Rewind’, which focused on the love of filmmaking in an equally infectious way. It is impossible not to detect the nostalgic look of Abrams in this variant, who has already given descriptions of his youth in interviews that quite match the characterization of Charles’ film rage.

However, Abrams is also the man behind the TV series ‘Lost’ and disaster film ‘Cloverfield’, and here too it is an action film with a good dose of science fiction. During a shooting day by the young film crew, they see a train derailed with great violence, which turns the entire drowsy rural community upside down. Especially when weirder things happen: people and electronic devices disappear, pets run away. Not to mention the mysterious, taciturn soldiers who suddenly appear. What exactly lies behind these puzzling disappearances is becoming painfully slow; only three quarters of the way through the film is there a definitive answer. Until then, ‘Super 8′ is remarkably slow for a summer blockbuster and there are only a few moments that can pass for action scenes – the deepening of the characters is central here. In that respect, the film seems more oriented towards Abrams’ peers than to the thirteen-year-olds of today.

It’s almost impossible not to think of some of the films Abrams pays tribute to. ‘Jaws’ and ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’, both by Steven Spielberg (who, interestingly, produced ‘Super 8’) are most notable for their summery vibe and obscure way of saving the strange element for last. However, there are too many reference points to mention: ‘Super 8’ is, in short, one lump of nostalgia. That leads to a feast of recognition, especially for people who consciously experienced the late 1970s, but the unconditional cherishing of all these clichés at times has something double. When do such chewed-out patterns become too predictable? The last half hour suffers the most, when the (in this case very young) hero of the story must single-handedly free his proverbial princess from the clutches of evil.

Nevertheless, the main thing is that ‘Super 8′ is otherwise well put together. The tension is skillfully built up in the course of the film, after you have become sufficiently familiar with the main characters, without giving too much away or immediately proceeding to excessive action. The recurring quest to finish the zombie film remains a nice addition. All in all, Abrams’ love for his source material is both the strength and the weakness of ‘Super 8’: the nostalgic air is largely contagious, but also stands in the way of the audacity to deviate from its illustrious predecessors just a little too much. to really transcend this work.

This is a bit of a shame, but although Abrams does not definitively emerge from the gigantic shadow of mentor Spielberg, it does not alter the fact that ‘Super 8’ will probably prove to be one of the more fun action films of this summer.