8 dollars to see "Super 8" at 8 o'clock...

I have known about "Super 8" for a while now, thanks to my extensive facebook friends list, consisting of too many film nerds. The problem was that I knew about this film a long time ago because it was marketed so well, and then the craze seemed to drop off. I didn't even know it was out until my uncle mentioned in a phone call, my uncle that doesn't even watch movies. Then my roommate was going to go see it with some family, and I decided it sounded like a good way to spend a Saturday night. All of this information is completely useless to you, but I feel compelled to share it for my own sake. I also feel it necessary to let you know there is rather loud party growing in my living room, so I may be a little distracted in writing this post.

"Super 8" was a good, solid movie, as I expected it to be. There weren't any huge flaws, or experiments gone awry (which I say in regards to technique, not plot). It delivered an array of emotions including love, grief, jealousy, anger, and ambition, all mostly through the eyes of children, which was very cool. It was a safe movie though. Even in a group of kids, there was the leader, the hero, the explosives technician, and the comic relief. The story was pretty by the book. It was suspensful in the fact that it waited almost too long to reveal the actual monster, and there was backstory among characters that, while not needed for the plot, was hinted at but not completely revealed until the end to create more suspense for the audience. All of this I am glad for. I went to the movie wanting to see a well made movie with a solid story, and that's exactly what I got. It was funny, it was sad, it was like the Sandlot with a much more dangerous monster. Hollywood needs to stop playing with 3D, stop trying to create something more and more complicated than what they already have, and go back to the basics, the things that make movies great.

One thing that I have to point out is the Abrams loves his lens flare, almost to the point that it makes me hate his films. It was worse in "Super 8" than in Star Trek, and at times took away from the film. I can appreciate a good flare here and there, but to overuse it is to bored and insult your audience. We see it, whether you use it once or five hundred times, and as long as we acknowledge it, we accept your creative vision. That being said, I really enjoy the style of this film. I like the simplicity of the film. It wasn't an overstated period piece, but it was obvious it was not set in modern times. The cinematography was classic but beautiful (you have no idea how happy I was when I knew it wouldn't be shaky camera work), and the sound design had depth. It did occasionally seem like the monster sounds were recycled from Transformers, but I'm not willing to make that accusation. I also wish that I had seen this film at the drive-in because that would be the perfect venue, it would have provided the perfect echo to the sound and a nostalgia that would have completed the throw-back simplicity of the film. If anyone out there has the opportunity to see it in a drive-in, please do it and let me know how it is.

This is completely unrelated to the film for the most part, but it was one of the most magical moments I have experienced in cinema. There was a point during the film when I happened to tilt my head down slightly and shift my eyes to where I could see the audience in front of the screen. It is important now to share with you the fact that this was one of the largest movie theaters I have ever seen, and despite the fact that I was sitting approximately in the center of the theater, I could still see an entire theater worth of seats in front of me. Anyways, I look at the audience, and even looking at the back of their heads it was obvious they were enthralled. They're heads were tilted back, and I could sense the unblinking stares accompanied by drool as the movie hit it's climax. That my friends is the magic of the movies. It is possible to get that reaction.