By Dan Little
It has been said more than once and by more than one person that J. J. Abrams is as close to a new Steven Spielberg as we have had in awhile. Hell, they even look similar. Upon seeing the trailer for Super 8 the deal was sealed that even Abrams knows he is the new Spielberg, and frankly this excited me. Super 8 was easily my second most anticipated film of the summer, number 1 belonging to another film in this list, and so my friend and I giggled like little school girls all the way to our seats in the the theatre where we watched this marvel play out.
Super 8 follows a group of youngsters who witness a spectacular train crash while out filming a silly low budget zombie film. What escapes from the wreckage you will have to find out, but it draws military presence to the town and pushes these kids into a very Spielbergian journey of self-discovery and familial reconciliation populated with great set pieces, beautiful writing, and some superb performances especially by the kids.
The film works on so many levels that I loved, one being its homage aspect, but the other being that it is a damn good film. The reason Spielberg's films have been some of the greatest in American cinema have to do with his deft combination of heart and thought, his ability to make a film that was timeless, provocative, sweet, beautiful, and often thrilling all at once...the ultimate entertainment. Abrams does that here with aplomb. Abrams film, at its core, tells the tale of a boy and his father learning how to live after the death of the young boys mother. This plotline becomes the emotional crux of the film, and, due to its reliance on a strong performance from a unknown child actor, could have been murky waters. Joel Courtney, however, plays Joe Lamb with the presence of a seasoned actor, his chemistry with Elle Fanning finds grounding and we sometimes forget these are youths until someone like Joe's father, played by Kyle Chandler, step onto the screen. It is in these details that Super 8 rises above homage and becomes a great film about moving on and growing up and learning to love. It didn't take much learning for me, however, to know this is one of the years best.
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