‘Super 8’ Pays Homage to Spielberg

There’s a debate being waged in theaters across America about J.J. Abrams’ new sci-fi thriller, Super 8. Some claim it to be the umpteenth cheesy knock-off of Steven Spielberg’s 1982 classic, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, complete with an excessive dose of treacle during its final act. Others have embraced it as an affectionate and rather brilliant homage. I am among the latter.

Though countless summer blockbusters have attempted to rip off the blueprint of Spielberg’s timeless masterpiece, few have been able to recapture its endearing innocence and nostalgic warmth. For the most part, Super 8 succeeds splendidly.

As the one-man hype machine behind “Lost,” Abrams has made a career out of building lofty audience expectations. His stories are just enticing enough to keep the viewer hooked throughout. Even if the payoff doesn’t satisfy, the journey has often been worth taking.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case with Abrams’ 2008 production, Cloverfield, an ambitious yet increasingly silly oddity that melded the plot of a Godzilla-like monster movie with handheld camerawork reminiscent of The Blair Witch Project. Though the film’s teaser trailer was spectacularly intriguing, director Matt Reeves took the Blair Witch formula to laughable lengths by having his characters continue to film their terrifying predicament even while attempting to outrun a creature the size of a skyscraper. An even bigger problem was the oft-obscured creature itself, which looked like an amalgam of spare monster parts regurgitated out of a cinematic garbage disposal.

In some ways, the “threat” in Super 8 is no more scary than the creature in Cloverfield, but the good news is that it’s not supposed to be. Abrams has not only breathed new life into the tropes and themes once mastered by Spielberg (who serves as producer), but he also has recaptured the legendary director’s spirit of the late ’70s and early ’80s.

At its best, the last weekend's release is a poignant celebration of a more innocent time in Hollywood cinema, when professions of awe and emotion didn’t have to be layered in irony. It can also be read as a playful love letter to the creative drive that exists in all aspiring filmmakers, however youthful and inexperienced they may be. Both Abrams and Spielberg grew up making super 8 pictures not unlike the ones crafted by this film’s ensemble of movie-loving friends in archetypal suburbia, circa 1979.

While mega-budget franchises like Transformers quickly numb the viewer with wall-to-wall action, Super 8 takes its time in true Spielberg fashion. Abrams spends the first 20 minutes or so developing the dynamics between a group of youngsters who might remind a few viewers of The Goonies.

Joe (Joel Courtney) has recently lost his mother in a steel mill accident, leaving him to contend with the tough love of his father (Kyle Chandler of Friday Night Lights). Their troubled relationship is evocative of the father-son conflicts that emerge in nearly every Spielberg feature (which are all inspired by filmmakers’ difficult relationship with his own father). Charles (Riley Griffiths) recruits Joe to help him complete a homemade zombie movie that he plans to enter into a local film contest. When a passing train enters the frame during a take, it ends up adding a lot more than mere “production value.”

As all the trailers have revealed, the train derails after slamming into a truck parked on the tracks. It’s the most thrilling action sequence of the year thus far, primarily because Abrams actually took the time to build tangible characters before hurling them in front of explosions. The derailment is immediately followed by the sinister flashlight beams of military types, as Michael Giacchino’s score evokes instant memories of the scientists’ brooding theme in E.T.

The children escape, and in the days that follow, they gradually morph into amateur sleuths, as a series of unexplained occurrences befall the town. There are moments when the film does threaten to become a standard monster movie, though Abrams wisely keeps his jolting scares and blatant effects work in check.

Some of the funniest and spookiest moments in the film are contained in seemingly throwaway bits of business that cinematographer Larry Fong frames in the foreground and background.

Abrams’ direction is actually most effective in the quieter scenes involving key interactions between characters. His sense of dramatic rhythm and nuance is absolutely impeccable, thus providing an ideal showcase for his cast comprised largely of fresh-faced newcomers.

Courtney is a real discovery, exuding both the earnestness of Fred Savage and the vulnerability of Scout in To Kill A Mockingbird. His scenes opposite Chandler and Elle Fanning (as his secret crush) are the best in the picture.

On the heels of her superb work in Sofia Coppola’s Somewhere, Fanning turns in a magnificent performance that deserves to make her a full-fledged star. The 13-year-old actress has even more poise and assurance than her older sister Dakota did at her age. It’s clear that she grew up with an innate comfortability in front of the lens, considering there isn’t a trace of self-consciousness in her acting. When Elle channels her character’s pent-up pain into one of Charles’ scripted monologues, the moment is utterly riveting.

My only major gripe with the film centers on its use of digital effects during pivotal horror sequences. It would’ve been especially pleasing to see Abrams utilize the sort of animatronics and optical effects that make sci-fi films of the period so effective. For all of their photorealism, computerized characters still move with the fluidity of a cartoon. Sure, E.T.’s face had limited movement, but its features were so expressive and believable that audiences could read a wealth of emotion into them. That made Spielberg’s decision to digitally enhance his beloved creation in E.T.’s 20th anniversary special edition all the more wrongheaded. 

What I don’t understand are some critics’ dislike of the ending, which is entirely in keeping with Spielberg’s crowd-pleasing sentiment and preference for hope over bleakness. I found it immensely moving, not just because of the sensitive performances, masterful direction and elegant score, but because it marked the first time in ages that I felt that sense of Spielbergian warmth in a theater.

If half of the season’s mainstream blockbusters are as good as Super 8, we’re in for a great summer at the movies.

Super 8, which is rated PG-13, opened June 10 at the AMC Showplace Village Crossing 18, Regal Gardens 1-6 and Regal Gardens 7-13 in Skokie. It topped the box office charts on its debut weekend with an estimated $37 million in ticket sales, according to Box Office Mojo.

This is part of our weekly 'Dinner And a Movie' series which runs every Monday. To check out our review of 'Sweety Pies' in downtown Skokie,

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