There is little doubt that Super 8 generated a surprisingly strong amount of buzz prior to the start of the 2011 Summer Movie Season, but other than film-buffs getting giddy over the fact that Steven Spielberg and J.J. Abrams were working together, there was little reason to rush to the theater, as no one knew what kind of story this potential summer blockbuster was going to tell. Leading up to its release, the plot of Super 8 remained shrouded in mystery, and even though Christopher Nolan used a similar strategy last summer with impressive results (more than a few people saw Inception), I didn’t have quite as much faith this time around. Despite having award-winning, record-breaking Hollywood heavyweight Steven Spielberg in his corner and a few summer blockbusters attached to his name (Mission Impossible: III and 2009’s Star Trek), the bulk of J.J. Abrams’ previous work has been restricted to television (Alias and Lost). Christopher Nolan may not have let too many details of Inception slip prior to release, but he had the combined fan-base of Memento, The Prestige, and the Batman film franchise to fall back on, not to mention the fact that his cast included leading man Leonardo DiCaprio…Abrams, on the other hand, would be working with a group of unknown adolescents and banking almost exclusively on Spielberg’s reputation. I can appreciate the appeal of the talent that Super 8 was boasting behind the camera, but I still wasn’t terribly excited for this newest and increasingly mysterious summer adventure.
Before I got a chance to see Super 8 its opening weekend, promotions were focusing on the raving reviews of other critics; for the life of me, I cannot fathom how they had such a positive reaction to what is largely a mediocre film. The mystery surrounding the train crash and the escaped creature does keep the level of interest high for a while, but Abrams leaves the audience hanging for so long that it is really easy to lose interest. Brief instances of suspense and wonder are warmly reminiscent of Spielberg’s glory days, but by-and-large; the story is just derivative, predictable, and altogether a bit of a letdown. The sole standout element is the funny and entertaining young cast, which wonderfully evokes nostalgic memories of lost youth and the idealistic American summer we all tried to create at one point or another. If you are a fan of either Abrams or Spielberg, I’m sure you will enjoy Super 8, but be warned: there is nothing here that is groundbreaking, innovative, or terribly memorable.
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Overall Recommendation: Low
