Movie Review: Super 8

Every generation or so, we tend to have a film maker (writer, director, producer) that stands out and speaks directly to that generation. Now imagine a director of the modern generation working with a producer who directed some of the best movies of the previous generation, and you can get what is probably the best mixture of both retro films and modern films. That movie, for me, is Super 8.

The title comes from the type of camera and film that is used in the plot, but that is not the main focus. The reason I picked to talk about Super 8 is not because it is the combined effort of J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg, but because it is my favorite Science Fiction Thriller movie and a movie that is in my top 3 favorite films of all time.

Pros- The film tells of one major plot, with many others that are a part of it as well. This style of story telling gives depth and backstory to these characters that you wouldn't get in a straightforward story. Just like in real life, more than one thing tends to be going on with someone's life. That is part of how great this film is in terms of storytelling. It feels like a realistic story, even if it is technically Scifi.
This film also has some of the best actors I have ever seen. Even the children do a fantastic job capturing moments that even some adult actors struggle with. The film does less dialogue and more facial expressions and actions that help pace and tell the story. Just look at facial expressions and personal interactions. It is astounding. Even when they do talk and interact, it feels realistic. The language style fits what the characters are feeling, and it fits the time period the film takes place in, 1980.
I'm not going to spoil the ending, but it fits the movie perfectly and brings things together in a realistic ending. Not everything becomes perfect for the characters, but it is a realistic ending because of that.
The actual Alien in the movie is only shown completely in the last scene of the movie, leaving a mystery as to what it looks like and keeps the tension high. If we were shown everything at once, the mystery wouldn't be there and we would know what to be scared of. By not showing the entire monster, it lets our imagination run around a bit and we get to feel what the characters feel and actually get scared.

Cons- I have to mention this as a con, because I don't want to get in trouble. This movie can be scary and people who jump easy will have a hard time watching it.

Final Thoughts: This movie captures everything I love about films today. It is a great balance of emotion and has the best of retro films and modern films. I can't recommend it enough. See this movie. If I had the ability to mentally project a movie into people's brains, it would be this one.

Now that we have seen both Supernatural Monsters and Extraterrestrial Monsters, now we need to look at a Real Monster... 'Til Next Time!!