Consinema Summer Movie Review

Rating: 5 Popcorn Bags

Title: Super 8

Director: J.J.Abrams (Lost, Cloverfield)   Producer: Stephen Spielberg (dunno, never heard of him).

The Pitch: Abrams' love letter to the zombie genre, coming of age films, and ET.

Plot Summary: Late 70's. Five kids making a zombie movie for submission to a local film festival (on Super 8 mm film, oddly enough). They witness a train wreck which unleashes a mysterious entity upon an idyllic and (of course) unsuspecting town.

The Verdict: Great "coming of age-finding first love-carving a place for yourself in the world" movie. Sure, other reviewers are calling it a little schlocky, but what do you expect from a summer movie? It's all here; monsters, zombies, first loves and things blowing up real good! Great suspense. Can't tell you too much about the monster, but there are fond echoes of ET and Close Encounters  that make you wonder: is the monster the malevolent force, or is it the US Military who shows up to deal with it? (In a summer with more than it's share of cinematic military cheerleading, this is a welcome swing of the the pendulum in the opposite direction).

What Shines? Kids who look and act like kids, not glamazons and little borscht-belt comedians. Kids who endure terror and keep their humour, and make the audience laugh along - that unmistakable Spielberg stamp. What's not to love?

What Sucks? The flip side of the Spielberg stamp is annoyingly clueless adults. But of course, from a kid's perspective, we are. 


Watch Out For: The BEST train wreck in a movie, EVER! AND this time, stay for the credits (I keep telling you and telling you!) to see the final zombie movie submission.