Super 8 Review

Super 8 is a fun, roller coaster ride of a movie that hearkens back to the great Spielberg movies of the 1980’s like ET, Jurassic Park, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Although Steven Spielberg only produced Super 8 and it was written and directed by J.J. Abrams, it still has Spielberg’s mark all over it. It's as if Abrams was trying to make a Spielberg movie out of reverence and respect. If that's the case, then he was successful. In the process, J.J. Abrams put his own mark of suspense driven story-telling told through the eyes of characters we can relate to.

What I Liked about Super 8:  The film is set in 1979, a year I remember well having been 16 at the time. I felt Super 8 did a remarkable job at presenting that time in American culture. Not only did he give us the clothes, the cars, even the neighborhoods, but he also gives us an accurate portrait of middle-class, middle school aged kids during that time period. The characters were refreshingly real and I could easily remember scenes from my own teenage years that were remarkably similar, minus the train wreck, the monster and all of the exciting stuff, of course. But, if I had gone through any of the catastrophic events that happen in this movie, I think me and my friends would have reacted and behaved much like the kids in Super 8. My point is they were real-life, not your usual Hollywood cut-out characters. The title Super 8 refers to a low budget zombie movie the kids are making throughout the movie. As superficial and amateurish as their ill-fated movie is, it’s all they care about and it defines their friendship, just like real kids tend to do with whatever they’re into. The budding romance between Joe and Alice was subtle and sweet and expertly acted by Joel Courtney and Elle Fanning.
I also liked that the monster isn’t shown clearly until close to the end. We get just enough glimpses and human reaction shots to keep us begging for more. Producers of horror movies should take note. The kind of restraint shown in Super 8 and Jaws and Close Encounters is what keeps the suspense alive and makes it all the more satisfying when we do see the monster in all of it's glory.

What I Did Not Like About Super 8:  Sadly, J.J. Abrams felt the need to pepper the dialogue with many curse words, most coming from the mouths of the kids. Sure, many teens use fowl language, but not all do, especially not back then. Realistic or not, this movie wouldn’t have suffered at all if the language had been toned down. There are also a few references to drug use by one of the older teen characters.

Who Should See it?  I don’t recommend this movie for younger kids. For once, I’ll agree with the PG-13 rating. 13 and up might be a good rule for most families when it comes to Super 8. Besides the bad language I’ve already mentioned, this movie also has some very scary moments. In this sense, it’s much like Jurassic Park with it’s All-American characters getting chased by something extremely scary. Many scenes had me jumping out of my seat. Plus, the monster is quite large, slimy and disgusting, perfect nightmare material for little kids.
Super 8 shows very little real blood and the gore is minimal. As far as modern monster movies go, this movie is actually tame. Thankfully, Abrams has bypassed the gross-out scenes and worked hard at scaring us silly with old fashioned suspense, off-camera action, and jarring music.

In Summary:  With the exception of the bad language, Super 8 is the first great movie of the summer of 2011. Although the movie trailers emphasize the mysterious monster and the action that follows, this movie is first and foremost about a group of young teens trying to deal with the ups and downs of life. Their world is literally turned upside down in this movie, but they never cease to be the relatable characters that we care about 10 minutes after the opening scene. J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg have hit a home run by giving us a truly great movie like Super 8 in a year filled with Hollywood's usual big-budget movies that have predictable, worn out plots. I just hope next time they'll go for the grand slam and leave out the profanity.

Superheroes Coming Soon - part 3

CAPTAIN AMERICA - July 22nd

Summary - Set during World War II, a young man named Steve Rogers is deemed too puny to serve in the United States military. Instead, he volunteers for a top secret military project that turns him into the ultimate soldier. He's a superhero dedicated to protecting his country at all cost. Captain America goes up against a villain named Red Skull and the entire Nazi army.

My Take - Captain America, like Thor due out in May, is a different kind of superhero than we've seen in movies so far. He's created in the 1940s by the US military to fight in a war. He doesn't have the kinds of powers that we expect a superhero to have. No flying or leaping ability. He can't throw tanks around or shoot webs from his hands. The abilities that are presented in the trailer and articles about the movie are incredible determination and an awesome shield. I'm sure there is more that he can do because he's injected with some kind of super serum by the military scientists, and comes out with bulging muscles that weren't there before. We'll have to wait for the movie to find out the full extent of his abilities.
Captain America: The First Avenger has the potential to be really really good. The characters look interesting. The idea of a super U.S. soldier who kicks Nazi butts is worth the price of admission alone. And the story isn't so far out there that we'll have to suspend our brains to accept it. If it turns out to be a well made movie, I predict Captain America will rival the recent Batman movies in popularity. Since there isn't as much sci-fi and fantasy in the concept, it will appeal to a wider audience. Plus, our country needs a hero that stands for good old fashioned American values. Let's hope Captain America is that hero.

Will It Be For Kids?
Because of the patriotic hero element, I think there is a good chance the producers will limit the violence in order to bring in a larger audience. There was no hint of sex in the trailer, so I don't think that will be a problem. However, I'm not naive enough to think that this movie will be innocent. There will be plenty of bad guys killed and usually blood in there somewhere, and really intense action too. I'm sure the little kids will beg to see this movie, especially after they get the Captain America toys in their kid's meals, but parents may want to check the movie out for content before they see it. Check back here at Watcher500 or a site that's always on top of things is PluggedInOnline.com.

Part 2 - Interesting Movies, Coming Soon in 2011

Here are a few more movies, due to open in the next 2 to 4 months, that look and sound interesting. I'm judging them by their trailers and the general buzz surrounding their production. In each case, the proof will come out in the pudding, as they say. In other words, they may all look a whole lot different once we've had a chance to watch them in their entirety. But, for now, it's fun to try to predict where Hollywood will get it right this year.

March - RED RIDING HOOD

My first impression when I saw the trailer was that it might truly be the next Twilight. Not as a cheap immitation or just because it's a successful series of novels (as far as I know, it's not.), but because it looks like it will be 50% romance and 50% horror, married together in an intriguing and mysterious story. It's even directed by Cathryn Hardwick who also directed the original Twilight. The other thing it has going for it is Amanda Seyfried. She is one of the hottest young actresses in Hollywood right now. In everything I've seen her in (Dear John & Letters To Juliet) she has shined with sophistication and innocence.

Will it be Family Friendly? Maybe. I'm hoping the horror is as tame as it is in Twilight. The trailer didn't suggest any hot and heavy sex scenes, only passionate kisses, etc.

Will it be Good? The production values look first class and the cast looks strong. My guess is yes. I think it will be one of the biggest of this Spring.

June - MR POPPER'S PENGUINS

This is taken from a classic children's young reader book that my wife and I have read to all 4 of our kids when they were around 6 or 7 years old. It's a fun story that will hopefully translate well to the big screen. Jim Carrey stars which at least means it should be very funny. No trailer is available yet for this film.

Will it be family friendly? Most likely, yes.

Will it be Good? Without a trailer to watch, it's anybody's guess.

July - CAPTAIN AMERICA, THE FIRST AVENGER

One of the great Marvel comic book characters of all time is finally getting the first class Hollywood treatment. There have been lesser, badly produced versions of Captain America in the past, but this one looks promising. I'm excited about this movie because I love comic book hero movies, for one thing. More importantly, though, because this one looks different from all recent heroes who have been translated into movies. Captain America is set during World War 2, a time when patriotism was at it's highest and nobody got upset if you said the U.S. is good and the communists are evil. The actor, Chris Evans looks sufficient for the part. His costume looks cool yet down to earth, and his shield is reported to be awesome.

Will it be family friendly? My gut feeling is, yes. Captain America has never been one of those heroes that pushes the line between good and evil. He's as good as they get, at least that's how he's been in the past. Of course, Hollywood could change things like they tend to do (The Dark Knight anyone?). I predict it will be at least as family friendly as the Spiderman movies were.

Will it be Good? There is a 50% chance. Alot depends on the director for a movie like this. Joe Johnston is taking the lead and his record is ok, not stellar. His most recent attempt was The Wolfman, one of the biggest dissapointments of last year. Hopefully he learned a few lessons from that movie.

2011 Movies That I'm Looking Forward To

Movie ticket sales are down, but Hollywood magic is still on the upswing. 2010 gave us some of the best family flicks of all time with Toy Story 3, Alice and Wonderland, Despicable Me, Avatar (it started in '09 but most of it's run was in '10), and a few others. I'm anxious to see what's going to hit it big in 2011 and what's going to come and go with hardly a blip on the screen. Here is part 1 of my list of the stuff that sounds good at this point, judging by the descriptions and trailers that are available.

February 2011 - GNOMEO & JULIET



This looks cute and it's a classic love story set in the world of gnomes, you know, the little statues that people have in their gardens and other places. Red gnomes and blue gnomes hate each other. All except a young girl and a young man who fall in love. The trailer looks funny and charming, and it's rated G.

Family Friendly? Definitely Yes.

Will It Be Good? I give it a 50% chance. The production company is an unknown, so it's hard to say for sure.

March 2011 - RANGO

I'm excited about Rango because it looks different from any other animated movie I've seen so far. And the story is unusual. It's a western, done with lizards, snakes, birds, and various exotic creatures. It looks funny in a sublte way, not so much slapstick childish humor that's so common these days. Rango could possibly break new ground in humorous animation. Then again, it could also be boring and bland. My money's on the former. I'm always up for something fresh and creative.

Family Friendly? Most likely. It's rated PG so it may push the limits a little.

Will It Be Good? I'll say it's a 75% chance. The look and the feel of the trailers is one of high quality animation, good writing, and that old time western charm.

April 2011 - HOP

I'm including Hop in my picks for only one reason; it's made by the same people that made Despicable Me. I loved the humor and the style of that movie and I'm hoping it carries on into their newest release. The story is about a man who injures the Easter Bunny and brings him home while it recovers. The rabbit turns out to be a terrible house guest. In the process, the rabbit and the man learn to grow up. Honestly, that doesn't sound incredibly exciting, but I'm hoping it surprises me like Despicable Me did.

Family Friendly? As far as I can tell. There's no rating yet.

Will It Be Good? 50% chance is the best I can do at this point.

STAY TUNED FOR PART 2 OF THIS BLOG FOR MORE MOVIES I'M EXCITED ABOUT IN 2011. I promise they won't all be animated.

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