Super 8

Abrams is a trendsetter, not a plagiarist, and this split between the creator's founding and the essence of his project can be seen in Super 8. But that's not the only schism: consider that Super 8 is supposed to be a children's movie, but it's actually much more for the "dad" generation. The current "youth with headphones on" (to paraphrase one of the film's characters) has little chance of applauding the precision of the compliments J.J. pays to the great master, and I, as a generational target suckled by Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T., was wrong about the ending, which was clearly directed at greedy audiences suckled by rather modern blockbusters. Abrams should have just made a choice - either totally consistent retro or updated modernity. I can't say I didn't enjoy Super 8 on the contrary. The first half in particular is luxurious, and when I remembered in one ultra-Spielberg scene that I was sitting in the same movie theatre where I had once breathlessly watched E.T. in the days of normalization, if felt pleasant goosebumps go over my body. Unfortunately, the goosebumps did not last through the finale, where the mysterious originator of all the phenomenon unmasks himself and looks too forgettable. And the kids are right when they say to themselves so often: "Shut up, already!" They should indeed have shut up. The version with dubbing is a clear ***, aware of the atrocious one-liners spoken by the little Czech bastards, I conditionally give to the fairly questionable project of J.J. Abrams one extra star. (08/25/2011)

The first half was definitely a lot stronger, because by the second half I was having trouble keeping my attention at times. In fact, I started to get slightly lost in the fight scenes and I wasn’t really feeling any suspense. I'm definitely not disappointed though. You can smell good old Spielberg and it maintains its grandeur. The child cast in particular was excellent. Elle Fanning has grown up and is already a great actress. A weaker 4 stars. (12/08/2011)

What the heck, disposable action deities may hark back to the glory days, but do we no longer like to take a nostalgic look back at adventure sci-fi movies that were family friendly in the sense that there was something for everyone? I don't really understand. In my opinion, Super 8 is really cool. Technically, it is incredibly perfect, and plot-wise, it is a cinematic treat in the spirit of the films of Steven Spielberg, Joe Dante and Robert Zemeckis. J.J. Abrams pays the same homage to Spielberg that Michael Giacchino pays to John Williams (again) with his amazing soundtrack, the child actors perform flawlessly, the atmosphere is properly magical, suspenseful and often quite sweetly (intentionally, of course) funny, and I don't even need to mention the ILM special effects. No, I really have nothing to complain about regarding this film. (11/24/2012)

It is evident that nostalgia does a lot because Abrams made his film as a clear tribute to Spielberg's 80s family sci-fi films E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Not only does he keep up with them, but at least when it comes to effects, cinema has advanced a bit, making it a more enticing spectacle for today's audience. Such a train derailment and subsequent catastrophe full of explosions and flying wagons must bring excitement to every fan of flashy blockbusters. Nevertheless, Abrams received considerably weaker reception and significant doubts. After all, in terms of subject matter and directorial style, today's cinema has moved somewhere else, more toward comic book and video game adaptations. As for Abrams' direction, I can't fault anything, he has a good eye for casting child actors and Elle Fanning is so adorable to the point that praising her to express my sympathies toward this young actress would risk accusations of pedophilia. Abrams knows how to work well with child actors and has a sense for careful tension-building. But what can I say, I have also outgrown this production, and when I recently revisited Spielberg's filmography, films like Jaws, Duel, etc., despite being old, they still worked on me just as they did before, but Close Encounters and E.T. really disappointed me. It's just not the same anymore. Overall impression: 55%. (06/23/2014)

J.J. Abrams uses exactly the trick that Steven Spielberg used thirty years ago to captivate audiences in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. What the children do and how they explore the circumstances surrounding the unknown phenomenon makes sense. What all the various parents do, however, feels less genuine, and suddenly, the majority of adult characters seem very unfamiliar, and the viewer must root for the children's efforts to succeed down to the last detail. This may explain why a wider range of viewers were disappointed. But after a minute, I understood that I would love the main group and had a clear view. A nostalgic sci-fi in the most positive sense. (09/01/2011)