Super 8

I had the amazing opportunity to check out the love child of a Hollywood legend and current Hollywood powerhouse earlier today, courtesy of a good friend of mine. Super 8 is the summer blockbuster collaboration of J.J. Abrams (he of Star Trek, Lost and Cloverfield fame) and Steven Spielberg (he of if-you're-reading-this-and-really-need-to-be-told-about-Spielberg-i'll-slap-you fame). If you haven't seen any trailers for this movie, you can check it out here http://youtu.be/tCRQQCKS7go. Set at the end of the 70's, Super 8 is about a group of kids trying to complete a short film for a film festival. Late one night while filming a scene at the nearby train station, the kids witness a train derailment with cataclysmic results. Soon after, the kids start to notice an increased military presence in their town, along with strange things happening. The kids take it upon themselves to investigate the mysterious circumstances behind the train wreck, and while they're at it, get some great footage for their film.

This film, as one would expect, is visually stunning. Along with some amazing cinematography, the ever present lens flares remind you that you're watching an Abrams' flick. The visual effects in this movie are so sharp and seamless that you forget that some of these things don't actually exist. They add a realism to the film that can only be described as intense. All of this is hardly surprising though, when you consider that it is helmed by the man behind Star Trek, and backed by the genius that gave us Jurassic Park

What did surprise me was the quality of the acting. Where I normally find that child actors can really fall short of the mark, the ensemble cast of kids in this film really captivate the audience. Abrams doesn't exploit the "cutesiness" of having a bunch of children on screen and give them dialogue beyond their years, his cast are real group of children just trying to deal with a horrifying situation. Joel Courtney (some kid) and Elle Fanning (Dakota's little sister) lead the pack as the main protagonists of the film, and they do a fantastic job. The kids are backed by the strong performance of Kyle Chandler, who plays Deputy Jackson Lamb, the father of Joel's character Joe Lamb. For a cast of relative unknowns (besides Fanning), Super 8 is an excellent vehicle for their trip away from obscurity.

However, even given the strong perfomances, the excellent visuals and overall story, I felt like this was two movies that I had seen before (one from each director), mashed into one with a shiny new label slapped over it. Overall though, still a very solid movie, and I would recommend it just to see a master craftsman work at his trade.

Final Score: 8/10 (look, now you can quantify my incoherent ramblings!)

How was that for spoiler free, Brad?