The story here is pretty generic - involving a military conspiracy and aliens. There isn't a lot that we haven't seen before, and it is a testament to the child actors and the characters they are able to create that the film is still very good in spite of this. I didn't grow up in the 70's, but I got a real sense of what the time was like and felt a childhood nostalgia while watching the group of adolescents in the film.
A group of kids lead by Joe Lamb (Joel Courtney) and Alice Dainard (Elle Fanning) are shooting a zombie movie. They sneak out at night to film a particular scene at a railroad crossing. During the shoot the train is derailed and a mysterious force escapes. The ensuing sequences of military intervention and the attempts by Joe's father - a deputy sheriff in town - to get to the root of the strange occurrences that begin to take place (animals fleeing, townspeople disappearing and unexplained electromagnetic events) are thrilling and well executed.
The kids are the key to this film. They are like a more mature version of the Goonies dropped into an interesting sci-fi mystery/thriller. Their dialogue and actions show a real knowledge on the filmmaker's part of how kids think and behave. These aren't your standard movie middle schoolers. They are smart, funny and resourceful. Hollywood tends to underestimate the intelligence of children, but not so here.
Elle Fanning and Joel Courtney are very good in their roles. They display an uncommon maturity and have a relationship that never seems forced or over the top. They play their mutual crush effectively and endearingly, and there is never a moment where you roll your eyes at their dialogue or presence.
The 2nd half devolves into a pretty generic action/sci fi picture, but the focus on the group of kids never waivers. They are the heroes of Super 8 - the adults are secondary characters. It's refreshing to see a film break away from traditional cliches in this way. The plot may fall into that trap, but the plucky and bright group of middle schoolers never do. They rise above the film and make it highly watchable popcorn entertainment.
3/4 stars
Abrams remembers the simple rule that a majority of his contemporaries have forgotten: action and mayhem have meaning only when an audience cares about the people trapped within the maelstrom. And I cared for all of these characters, even that drunk dad that gets arrested in the beginning. Nice review.
ReplyDelete