Super 8 (Abrams, 2011) — The Reviews Thread
 

Please continue pre-release discussion here.

Movie:
"Super 8" (Starring: Joel Courtney, Kyle Chandler, Ron Eldard, Elle Fanning, Noah Emmerich)

Release Date:
6/10/2011

Rating:
PG-13 (for intense sequences of sci-fi action, children in peril, eschatological terms are used sometimes, the mere mention of beer and unfair comparisons to ‘M.A.C. and Me’ throughout)

Running Time:
112min. (1h. 52m.)

IMDb Synopsis:


IMDb Info and Rating:
8.0 (12,199 votes as of 6/18/11)

Rotten Tomatoes:
Fresh:167 Rotten:35 (83% as of 6/18/11)

Metacritic:
72 metascore ('Generally favorable reviews' as of 6/18/11)

Trailer:
<object width="720" height="349"><param name="movie" value="http://www.traileraddict.com/emd/37065"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.traileraddict.com/emd/37065" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" wmode="transparent" allowfullscreen="true" width="720" height="349"></embed></object>

Poster Art:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...movie-wide.jpg

Re: Super 8 (Abrams, 2011) — The Reviews Thread
 

actually, reviews slowly increasing on RT and meta.

Re: Super 8 (Abrams, 2011) — The Reviews Thread
 

It was 81% yesterday so not a big surprise.

Re: Super 8 (Abrams, 2011) — The Reviews Thread
 

There are sneak previews running all day tomorrow:

http://www.super8-movie.com/sneak/

I might check it out tomorrow instead of Friday.

Re: Super 8 (Abrams, 2011) — The Reviews Thread
 

I know I am. The Harkins IMAX theater at Arizona Mills is probably the best theater I've ever been to. Well worth the $15 price tag to see a movie (As long as the movie is worth it of course, like this one should be).

Re: Super 8 (Abrams, 2011) — The Reviews Thread
 

I saw it today. I mostly liked it but it is very derivative, some of that having more of a Goonies (ugh) feel than an ET feel.

I liked the first third and second third much more than the last. It is very predictable and cliched and much of that last third seems rather awkward.

3.5.

Re: Super 8 (Abrams, 2011) — The Reviews Thread
 

I liked it - a lot. Kudos to JJ for reminding us of what summer films are SUPPOSED to be like. Easily the best summer movie so far.

Re: Super 8 (Abrams, 2011) — The Reviews Thread
 

:up: I like Goonies way more than E.T. so that's good to hear.

Re: Super 8 (Abrams, 2011) — The Reviews Thread
 

Haven't seen it yet, but there is one thing I know. Over the years, I have found that I agree with Leonard Maltin more than most other film critics. Here is his review. After reading this review, I am completely stoked to see this!

Re: Super 8 (Abrams, 2011) — The Reviews Thread
 

I hated the Goonies as a kid and dislike it now, it's a good movie..I just don't jive w/ it.

I'm pretty sure I'll like it much more than I liked The Goonies.

Re: Super 8 (Abrams, 2011) — The Reviews Thread
 

this is the best movie you'll see all summer folks. the third act is a little wonky but overall i loved it and think abrams did a wonderful job hitting all the spielberg touchstones while still delivering something original. the kid actors were all stellar and had a great dynamic and got a good number of laughs out of me. i thought the pacing was great; shifting between the kids and the monster attacks - really didn't get boring for even a second. essentially it's THE GOONIES meets ET if ET was the CLOVERFIELD monster. just overall a great time and it needs to be seen on the big screen without a doubt. go see it 4 times in the theater.

Re: Super 8 (Abrams, 2011) — The Reviews Thread
 

This movie felt really meh to me. It was more Spielberg than Abrams, which I wouldn't mind except Abrams is a good enough filmmaker in his own right that he doesn't have to imitate anyone else. You know something is wrong when your first original movie feels less like your work than the two franchise sequels you directed before it.

I'll give Abrams props for focusing on characters before action, but other than the main kid, the girl, and the guy with all the fireworks, I didn't like any of the kids. Most of them are ill-defined, and the guy directing the super eight movie is just a dick.

I also didn't like how by the numbers this was. If you've seen ET and Close Encounters, you've seen this movie. Scenes were taken from those films whole cloth. I knew everything that was going to happen before it happened. No surprises at all.

Also, Abrams needs to fire every one of his creature designers, because the creatures in Cloverfield, Star Trek, and now Super 8 all fucking suck. They've got a million appendages and have no memorable characteristics. You wait the whole movie to see the monster and once you do you can barely remember what it looked like. When you see the Predator, you don't forget what that looks like, or a Xenomorph, or even ET (or hell, even Mac from Mac and Me). Not so with Super 8.

That being said, there are some good things about it. The main kid was good, as was the girl. There are two big action set pieces that were masterfully done and showed the kind of vision Abrams can have. My favorite shot was when the kid put up the lost dog poster on a bulletin board and then realized the whole board was full of missing dog posters. That was nicely done.

If you're looking for something that reminds you of those Spielberg 80's flicks, this will get the job done. If you're looking for something that will surprise you or feel original, steer clear of Super 8.

Re: Super 8 (Abrams, 2011) — The Reviews Thread
 

Saw the first show at 1:00 at Arizona Mills and found the film completely astounding! As of now, I can't wait to see it again! This is the kind of film that the summer was meant for. And to top it all off, unlike other summer tent-pole flicks (I'm looking at you, Transformers franchise!), this one remembers that the story is the most important element of the movie, and what the dramatic impact is heading for. I loved these characters, and their dramatic backstories behind them. And there are about 4-5 moments of tension throughout this film that had me on the edge of my seat (I was actually scared!). And unlike many others, I liked the monster. His face is still stuck in my mind. Despite one continuity error toward the end (You''ll know it when you see it), I loved every moment of this spectacularly terrific movie, and it is still resting prominanetly in my mind. I hope to go back and see it at midnight tonight. I loved it from beginning to end!

Rating: ***** out of *****

Re: Super 8 (Abrams, 2011) — The Reviews Thread
 

Oh, I may be off my rocker, but is the actor who played Old Man Woodward the same guy who played the science teacher in Gremlins who Billy gives a Mogwai to?

Re: Super 8 (Abrams, 2011) — The Reviews Thread
 

IMDB says you're correct.

Re: Super 8 (Abrams, 2011) — The Reviews Thread
 

I can't say who he played in Gremlins, but he was indeed in the film.

ETA: ^Beaten to the punch.

Re: Super 8 (Abrams, 2011) — The Reviews Thread
 

I thought he looked familiar. God I love Gremlins.

Re: Super 8 (Abrams, 2011) — The Reviews Thread
 

Special effects aside, this felt like an old school summer movie. I thought the end was a bit weak, as it felt sort of like ET and Close Encounters mixed together, but the first half of the movie was 4 star material.

The kids all did a great job, the train sequence was breath taking, and there was a couple really good scares here and there. Still, I thought the monster looked like a baby version of the Cloverfield monster.

I might be alone, but I didn't like that shot too much. Brought back flashbacks of 9/11, with the endless boards of missing people.

Re: Super 8 (Abrams, 2011) — The Reviews Thread
 

That connection didn't occur to me at all, probably because it was dogs in a small town and we knew it was some monster chasing them away.

Re: Super 8 (Abrams, 2011) — The Reviews Thread
 

Re: Super 8 (Abrams, 2011) — The Reviews Thread
 

^ this.

P.S. no need for spoiler tags in this thread...

Re: Super 8 (Abrams, 2011) — The Reviews Thread
 

anyone get a MONSTER SQUAD vibe when the kids went to ask the older sister to hit on the stoner dude for his car?

speaking of the older sister...was the ass shot from the trailer in the actual film?

Re: Super 8 (Abrams, 2011) — The Reviews Thread
 

Do what? I figured a thread like this was the prime reason spoiler tags existed. For you know, getting peoples opinions on if a movie is worth $14 or not without actually reading a summary of the movie.

Re: Super 8 (Abrams, 2011) — The Reviews Thread
 

i always thought these reviews threads were so we could freely discuss the movie AFTER seeing it...

Re: Super 8 (Abrams, 2011) — The Reviews Thread
 

No, no people always use spoiler tags in the review threads.
Your post should be like any other review: with a minimum of spoilers.