If you were lucky enough to have experienced the release of Spielberg's Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, E.T. and Jaws, then you'll no doubt remember that feeling of awe. For those two hours you were in the palm of a storytelling master. They are just...classics. So when people start to compare J.J. Abrams to Spielberg (calling him a young Spielberg, in fact), one can't be blamed for having near-impossible expectations for his next project.
Abrams' latest, Super 8, isn't exactly in the same league as those early pictures. Sure, it looks very much like a film by Steven Spielberg. Hell, it even carries the Amblin logo (the producing house on The Goonies, E.T, etc). But there's just something missing amongst it. Super 8 tells the story of a young boy, Joe Lamb, whom after the death of his mother struggles with living with his alienating father (the town deputy). Joe spends a lot of time with his friends who're all budding filmmakers. And on the eve of a climactic scene-shooting, the gang witness a massive, apocalyptic-style disaster. One that releases a horrific creature of unknown origin but clear intent.
The performances in Super 8 are for the most part, very, very good. They say never work with children or animals, but Abrams has cast a wonderful group, all capable of delivering 3-dimensional characters. Kyle Chandler, who plays Joe's dad, in particular is a superb addition. He pretty much steals the show as the embattled father figure.
This being a big summer picture, Super 8 does absolutely deliver on the big-scale FX set pieces. The CGI, for the most part, is flawless. It's refreshing to see computer-generated work that seamlessly joins with the practical based work.
So far, sounds like a 4/5 star review, right? Wrong. Super 8 is definitely flawed. There's a real (and unfortunate) rushed-feeling to it. As well as massive gaps in storytelling that'll leave you scratching your head. I can't go in to any of them, as they're all skirting serious spoiler territory, but when you see it, you'll know.
Apologies for the very brief review, once I'm back home, I'll dive back into the longer reviews once again.
Super 8 hits Irish cinemas August 5th, 2011.
