1. Title : Super 8
2. Release date : 10 June 2011 (United States), 9 June 2011 (Malaysia)
3. Director : J. J. Abrams
4. Starring :
5. Language : English
6. Genre : Sci-Fi/Drama
7. Official website : Super 8
The movie started with a group of teenagers making their own zombie film when a train suddenly crashed into a truck and the derailment unleashed something that is not human. The thing terrorized the small town of Lilian, Ohio as the townfolks tried to get themselves out of the danger.
I must say that the selling point of the movie should be Steven Spielberg and J.J. Abrams, not the movie itself. But as you watch Joe Lamb (Joel Courtney), Alice Dainard (Elle Fanning. Yes, she is Dakota Fanning's younger sister) and their friends having their little adventure running around town, trying to save their lives, you know that this is not just another sci-fi movie. In fact, as you watch the movie, you would realize it leans towards drama rather than sci-fi which is a feat itself as sci-fi is known to be a brainless genre and just mere actions.
You can see that this movie has many symbolisms that you would wonder whether it is a reflection of Steven Spielberg and J.J Abrams during their younger days. First, the act of those kids filming, making their own movie might give us some idea how they did it back then. Filming, I mean. I guess it was the enthusiasm that they had as teenagers are being portrayed in the movie as they try to have a look at themselves 30 or 40 years ago. Sheesh, talk about mid-life crisis. Haha. Not only that, a group of kids, dealing with the unknown is very 80s as many famous movies in the 80s have the same theme just like what one of Spielberg's most famous movie, "E.T - The Extra Terrestrial". You can instantly sense that they are paying a homage to all the old movies that were alike. The other symbolism can be seen from the characters' point of view. One of it is related to Joe Lamb. As he had just lost his mom in a freak accident, understandably, he was very devastated. Fortunately, he did not succumb to it but he managed to be resilient and tough it out. In one of the scene, the non-human entity was very angry as it was treated badly by the humans. In retaliation, it started to wreck havoc. As it catches Joe, Joe asked the entity not to be angry and not to blame innocent people. In a way, he was also giving an advice to himself. Apart from that, in one of the last scene, he let his precious item that was left by his mother go in order to help the entity. This scene can be seen as someone letting go of the past in helping other people getting a better future. The graphics, though not heavily promoted, might be a decent one. For one, I love the scene of the train wreck. The explosions and how the things were thrown everywhere were simply beautifully coordinated.
At a surface, it seems to be just like a normal sci-fi movie, but you can see that it is not just another simple movie. To say that it is a good movie is an utter understatement. Maybe it is not the best movie of all time. But a classic? Maybe. Just maybe.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
9:19 PM Syafiq