Super 8

[Dragonfire]

I went to see Super 8 Sunday evening.  I had seen trailers, but I still didn't feel like I knew a whole lot about the movie..and I think that is best.  The movie is very well done and entertaining and definitely worth seeing.  It is one of the best movies of the year.

Basically, a group of friends in 1979 are making a zombie movie to enter in a super 8 contest.  The friends - who are around 14 or so - are shooting at a train station one night when a train goes by.  Charles, the one directing the movie, thinks the train will add to his movie.  They end up witnessing a horrible train derailment before running back home.  The Air Force moves in to take control of the accident site and doesn't tell the local law enforcement much.  Strange things start happening around town and the friends end up trying to figure out what is going on.

There is some mystery and suspense to what is going on as well as a few horror movie elements without being gory.  A few things that happen are a bit upsetting or disturbing.  The movie really isn't one that is family friendly even though certain things about it remind me of The Goonies. 

The characters are interesting and developed decently.  Most of the characters are teenagers which could have been a problem, but the cast is really talented.  I was really impressed by Elle Fanning. 

This is a wonderful movie that definitely deserves to be seen.

[mr]5[/mr]

I did get a review - without spoilers - posted on Epinions if anyone wants to take a look.

Super 8

[Achim]

I want to see this, and probably will latest by Saturday.

The movie really isn't one that is family friendly even though certain things about it remind me of The Goonies.

The Goonies is less family friendly than many will remember. There is at least quite some swearing going on...

But anyway, that is good news to me, I don't need the film to be family friendly myself.


EDIT:
Just came back from seeing it. ....so that's the kind of family friendly you meant. I agree, the film is really intense

I really enjoyed the film. It felt very much like a good movie from the 70s or early 80s and very obviously owes a great debt to Close Encounter of the Third Kind and Steven Spielberg in general (I'd go as far and say it's the best Spielberg movie Spielberg never made). The acting from the kids is really good and I liked how they chose "real" kids rather than teenage models.

I have three gripes with the film.
1) what's with the lens flares again? I kind of got them in Star Trek and found them to be fairly naturally sourced. Here they show up rather uninspired and I also don't get why they are blue
2) The train crash was ridiculous. In my mind there is no way this crash would have played out the way it did, with some of the train cars literally flying around. This scene had me laugh in all the wrong ways.
3) I can't really put this in words. But that is probably good, as it's about the ending, so I shouldn't write it anyway

I'll be sure to catch this on Blu-ray when it comes out.

[Dragonfire]

Yup...that kind of family friendly.  Not the swearing so much..but some of the other...things that happen.

I noticed the lense flair stuff too.  In some scenes, it sort of seemed to fit more since there were lights in the shot..but other times, there was no reason for it.  It got distracting.

The train wreck was a little over the top...what bothered me about it the most was
[spoiler]how the kids are running around there with all the train cars falling all around them..and some fireballs.  Yet none of them were hurt.  Also..how the heck did the car Alice drove not get damaged when it sitting right by the train station?[/spoiler]

Even with the train wreck issues, I still think it was a really well done movie..definitely worth seeing.

[Achim]

[spoiler]how the kids are running around there with all the train cars falling all around them..and some fireballs.  Yet none of them were hurt.  Also..how the heck did the car Alice drove not get damaged when it sitting right by the train station?[/spoiler]

[spoiler=train wreck in opening ten minutes]I wasn't as much worried about her car, assuming it was simlpy parked on the opposite side of the station,but I agree, it was a bit stupid toput the kids smackin the middle of the mayhem and noe of them got hurt.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=THE END]The part about the ending I didn't like was actually two things. For once the cave, which the monster apperantly dug out in what, two or three days tops...? Did you also think that the people hanging there were meant as food? Secondly, the scene where the space ship is reassembled whad a tad too much patrhos for me, somehow. I can't quite put my finger on it, but somehow it didn't quite grab me. This is not referring to the reunion with the fathers, which I felt was quite o.k.

How did you like the alien...? I thought it looked really great. And I thought it was refreshing that the alien arrived earth as a friendly visitior and then changed through "our" behaviour, not something you see often.[/spoiler]

But yes, despite my few gripes, this film was well made, provides loads of excitement and has solid characters and cast.

[Dragonfire]

[spoiler]It was just a bit too...over the top for the wreck to be that bad, yet all of them are unharmed..not that I wanted any of them to get squashed by a falling train car or anything.  But the wreck and devastation was so severe, that it was just not believable that they all didn't get hurt.[/spoiler]

[spoiler]I was really shocked with the main Air Force guy - I can't think of his name at the moment - had the teacher killed.  Though when they showed the other guy filling up the syringe, I got a bad feeling.[/spoiler]


[spoiler]I think the alien was supposed to made that cave..tunnel system..whatever in just a few days.  I can't remember exactly how much time is supposed to have past.  I'm thinking they were supposed to be food.  I think with Joe and ..umm...let me think a minute here...  Cary I think it was.  The one that liked to blow stuff up.  I think when they found the alien down in the cave/tunnel, Cary says something about it eating someone.  It isn't shown clearly, but the alien is holding at least a leg...  So I think it is hinting that the alien was eating someone. 

I liked the look of the alien too.  Different from what I thought it would be.  And I also loved how long it too to really see what it looked like.  I think it made the movie stronger just hinting at it earlier in the movie..showing stuff happening and just little glimpses of it.  That's true...having an alien turn violent because of how it is treated hasn't been done too much.  Most of the time the alien is already evil or bent on killing when they arrive, so that was a nice difference.[/spoiler]

[Achim]

[spoiler]I was really shocked with the main Air Force guy - I can't think of his name at the moment - had the teacher killed.  Though when they showed the other guy filling up the syringe, I got a bad feeling.[/spoiler]

[spoiler]He was quite creepy indeed. Nelic or so was his name, played by Noah Emmerich. I guess they made him so cold in that scene so that the scene when he's got the kids would be more threatening.[/spoiler]

[spoiler]I liked the look of the alien too.  Different from what I thought it would be.  And I also loved how long it too to really see what it looked like.  I think it made the movie stronger just hinting at it earlier in the movie..showing stuff happening and just little glimpses of it.  That's true...having an alien turn violent because of how it is treated hasn't been done too much.  Most of the time the alien is already evil or bent on killing when they arrive, so that was a nice difference.[/spoiler]

[spoiler]This is an old proven technique. I love those glimpse moments, almost never fails to make my jaw drop. Like when the thing appears behind Alice, out of focus but we know it's really close. And if we saw it early on, there would be nothing to anticipate for later.

It looked a bit like the monster from Cloverfield (and the thing on the ice planet in Star Trek). I guess it's a basic design Abrams likes. Only this time it had more arms [/spoiler]

[Dragonfire]

[spoiler]He was quite creepy indeed. Nelic or so was his name, played by Noah Emmerich. I guess they made him so cold in that scene so that the scene when he's got the kids would be more threatening.[/spoiler]

[spoiler]You're probably right about that.  It did seem more threatening when he and his men found them.[/spoiler]

[spoiler]This is an old proven technique. I love those glimpse moments, almost never fails to make my jaw drop. Like when the thing appears behind Alice, out of focus but we know it's really close. And if we saw it early on, there would be nothing to anticipate for later.

It looked a bit like the monster from Cloverfield (and the thing on the ice planet in Star Trek). I guess it's a basic design Abrams likes. Only this time it had more arms [/spoiler]

[spoiler]That is true.  The suspense would have been gone if we had seen the alien right way.  With the way it is done, it works so much better.  The unknown is so much creepier and scarier.  I did see a review - maybe on Epinions - where someone was actually complaining because it too so long to see the alien.  They so missed the point.

I did think that it sort of looked like the thing from Cloverfield.  I forgot about the thing on the ice planet in Star Wars.  I'm just glad the movie didn't have the same jerky camera work as Cloverfield.  I did have some concerns about that happening before I saw the movie.  [/spoiler]

Ohhh...I forgot to ask before.  Did you stay through the credits to see the movie the kids made?

[Achim]

[spoiler]I forgot about the thing on the ice planet in Star Wars.[/spoiler]

Star Trek, not Star Wars Typo, I suppose...

Ohhh...I forgot to ask before.  Did you stay through the credits to see the movie the kids made?

Yes I did and I had fun watching it.

[Dragonfire]

I did mean Star Trek.     And yes, I know the difference between the two series. 

I liked the little movie too.  Considering it was supposed to be made by a group of kids, it wasn't bad.

[Achim]

They make a few fair points, but not enough to change my mind:

[Dragonfire]

The video isn't showing up for me.

[Achim]

The video isn't showing up for me.

There was an extranous space in the tag. Fixed it now.