Looks alright, has a really good first act, but falls apart with the second and third
I liked the teaser in the Half Life 2 engine.
Posted by Jeff C. (Member # 12496) on :
Don't listen to those reviews. Wait and see it for yourself. I thought it was awesome, and it was what a summer movie should really be. Original and fun. Sure, it was in the spirit of those older films,but it wasn't a sequel, and that's kind of rare nowadays.
Posted by Raymond Arnold (Member # 11712) on :
The review didn't say it was BAD, Blayne. Just that it had some problems. If you go in understanding what kinds of good an bad things to expect out of it I'm sure you'll enjoy it just fine.
Posted by Aros (Member # 4873) on :
It didn't have problems. It was better than the old Spielburg. People just need to take off their nostalgia glasses.
I'd take Super 8 over Goonies any day.
Posted by Marlozhan (Member # 2422) on :
I saw it and I really liked it. I agree it was better than Goonies. I also enjoyed it better than E.T. for the most part, except for the fact that I felt E.T. had a stronger emotional ending than Super 8 did.
Posted by theCrowsWife (Member # 8302) on :
I'm looking forward to seeing it. Much of it was filmed in my husband's home town, and my brother-in-law was in it (don't know yet how much of his stuff made it into the final film, but still cool).
--Mel
Posted by Jeff C. (Member # 12496) on :
That's cool. What kind of stuff did your brother do in it?
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Absolutely excellent movie. Loved it.
Posted by theCrowsWife (Member # 8302) on :
quote:That's cool. What kind of stuff did your brother do in it?
He was one of the military people. I believe he got to yell something.
--Mel
Posted by Geraine (Member # 9913) on :
I loved the movie. So far this year I'd say it is my favorite. Thor and X-Men were good, but Super 8 took me back to my childhood.
What made Goonies and ET so special for me was the interaction between the kids. The story was ultimately about them and their relationships. In those movies I thought Spielberg did a great job showing how kids really talked to each other. Super 8 did a good job at this as well. Sure there was an alien running around, but that really wasn't the main focus. The focus of the story was the children and their relationships. I thought the scene when the two fathers find their kids was really touching. I also liked the symbolism when the kid let go of his mothers locket.
After this it almost makes me wish Steven Speilberg and JJ Abrams were given the opportunity to work on Ender's Game, as they did a really good job at directing the kids inthis movie.
And is it just me or is Elle Fanning more talented than her big sister?
Posted by Jeff C. (Member # 12496) on :
quote:Originally posted by Geraine: After this it almost makes me wish Steven Speilberg and JJ Abrams were given the opportunity to work on Ender's Game, as they did a really good job at directing the kids inthis movie.
And is it just me or is Elle Fanning more talented than her big sister?
OMG YES on the Ender's Game scenario! That would be MINT!
And I agree about Fanning's talent. She's pretty awesome in this.
Posted by Raymond Arnold (Member # 11712) on :
Haven't gotten to see Elle yet, but I thought Dakota was pretty good in Push.
Posted by AchillesHeel (Member # 11736) on :
I second Raymond, that little scene with her and the lollipop girl was particularly good.
Posted by Wingracer (Member # 12293) on :
quote:Originally posted by Raymond Arnold: Haven't gotten to see Elle yet, but I thought Dakota was pretty good in Push.
I thought I was the only one on the planet to see that movie. Yes she was very good in it.
Posted by rav (Member # 7595) on :
I enjoyed it. Took me back to my childhood around when E.T. came out. The setup was brilliant, and even surpassed by the rest of the film. Because it was mostly centered on the characters of the film, it almost felt as though the surrounding plot was a little weak. Don't get me wrong, it had more plot than most summer blockbusters.
Posted by Jeff C. (Member # 12496) on :
Anyone else see OSC's post about how he will never see this movie? It sounds like he essentially missed the point of the film. He thinks it's supposed to be a scary movie with no plot, which I think is a bit unfair.
Posted by Dogbreath (Member # 11879) on :
Huh. It's so unlike OSC to suddenly develop a really strong opinion about something he doesn't know much about.
I usually try and read up on a movie before I make the decision to go see it or not. Trailers as often as not misrepresent the movie. The trailer for the recent "The Rite", for example, makes it look like a corny horror film when it's actually a deep philosophical film about a rather mild (by Hollywood standards) demonic possession and how it affects the faith of the priest involved. It has almost no scary moments.
Ebert's usually a great source. Even when he's being crazy and likes an awful movie or hates a good movie, I can *what* he liked or hated about a movie, and I almost always know after reading his review if I want to see it or not.
Posted by MrSquicky (Member # 1802) on :
quote:It's so unlike OSC to suddenly develop a really strong opinion about something he doesn't know much about.
I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not.
Posted by Jeff C. (Member # 12496) on :
Yeah, that's a coin toss, but I'm assuming he is joking. It's funnier that way.
Posted by Geraine (Member # 9913) on :
I was puzzled by this as well. I thought Super 8 was as scary as The Goonies, meaning not much. Sure there are two or three spots that make you jump, but they are expected and you see it coming. The cues are all there. (Music gets louder or changes, the camera shot shows nothing in back of the character, etc)
The film isn't a horror movie. Just like The Goonies, the plot is there to drive home the point of the movie. Goonies wasn't about a booby trapped pirate cave, it was about a group of kids and their friendships. It was the same for Super 8.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Judging from OSC's review of his decision not to review, I can only conclude that he has no idea what the movie is actually about. And judging from his brief description of the sort of movies he does like, I conclude that when he DOES watch Super 8, he's going to love it, and hopefully write a new, better review in a few months. It's not even close to being a scary movie. It doesn't try to be, and it doesn't want to be. It's purely about the characters and their interactions. The "scary" part is purely backdrop.
But then, after reading his bizarre tirade against recycling in the first section of that article, I'm hardly surprised. Missing the point seems to be his main job these days.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
I got the impression his problem with the movie is that it's going to cheat in order to scare the audience. He actually did a very good job of explaining why I can't watch most scary movies. I resent having the movie take advantage of the forced perspective, and having things explode out where I can't see.
I'll still go see Super 8, as a general rule I chose not to see scary movies that egregiously cheat. If I happen on a movie with those kinds of scenes, I just look away.
edit: When I was younger though, it was absolutely horrible for me watching certain movies. The scene in ET where Elliot happens on ET in the corn field, I still hate that scene. I used to hide behind the couch until it was over.
double edit: Sorry for the severe edits after posting.
Posted by T_Smith (Member # 3734) on :
I went and saw the movie. I enjoyed it. The scenes with the monster in it were watchable but definitely not my favorite part. Biggest gripe is the overuse of the blue lens flare during night scenes. Heck, they even ended the movie with one. Otherwise, it's a movie I will definitely buy when it comes out on DVD and recommend to others.
Posted by Jeff C. (Member # 12496) on :
Lol lense flair is JJ's trademark!
Posted by Dogbreath (Member # 11879) on :
quote:Originally posted by MrSquicky: I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not.
I've been reading his Uncle Orson reviews (and reading posts on this forum) for about 8 years now. I'm being sarcastic.
He has a sliding scale of opinions, though. When reviewing books, even if he does occasionally rant about the intellectual elite, he's still is very fair and honest in his opinions of the book, and almost never dismisses a book out of hand, even when it's written by the most vile liberal artsy fartsy gays.
He's less gracious with movies. Half the time he'll be really fair, the other half he's just dismiss a movie out of hand for being a "dark and edgy art movie" or finding some small, trivial 15 second aspect of the movie he feels either redeems or condemns the entire work.
Political and social issues are a total crap shoot. And he changes his mind at the drop of a hat. He was very supportive and defensive of Barack Obama in 2008 up until he made a somewhat stupid reply to a foreign policy question concerning Pakistan. OSC took that response to be indicative of his entire administration and wrote a tirade about how it changed his entire opinion of Obama (though he still preferred him over either Clintons), and from that point on has been a pretty steady detractor of the Obama administration. In reality, Mr Obama was probably just tired and pressed for time, misjudged a situation and wrote a hasty reply to a question.
I don't know where the quote is from, but my mom always told me "don't be quick to pass judgement." I think too often OSC judges an entire book/movie/person/political movement on some small tangential piece of information.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
quote:From BlackBlade: I got the impression his problem with the movie is that it's going to cheat in order to scare the audience. He actually did a very good job of explaining why I can't watch most scary movies. I resent having the movie take advantage of the forced perspective, and having things explode out where I can't see.
I'll still go see Super 8, as a general rule I chose not to see scary movies that egregiously cheat. If I happen on a movie with those kinds of scenes, I just look away.
My problem isn't his issues with scary movies. I tend to share his feelings. Actually, I like scary movies (that aren't slasher flicks) because they're hilarious. Paranormal Activity was the funniest movie I saw last year.
My problem is that Super 8 isn't scary movie. It's funny, perhaps, because the kids in the movie are trying to make a scary movie, but this movie isn't about that at all. It's about the kids, it's about their relationships, and yes, there is an overarching plot, and that plot has been done a lot, but frankly it's not really all that important. Some parts of it are pretty intense, but it's not the movie he thinks it is. I guess based on the filmmaker, and some of the previews, I can kind of see how he'd guess so wrong. But I went into it expecting something closer to the Goonies, and I got a lot of what I expected.
Posted by docmagik (Member # 1131) on :
The closing credits were worth the full ticket price of the movie.
Posted by C3PO the Dragon Slayer (Member # 10416) on :
I saw this movie yesterday with a friend, knowing nothing about the movie beforehand besides that it was about a bunch of twelve-year-olds who discover an alien invading their town. And that it was directed by J.J. Abrams. So I wasn't surprised by the excessive lens flare.
I mostly liked it. It really captured a sense of sincerity and warmth in the child talent, and the story remained interesting throughout. The direction was very strong: the opening scene, the lost dog reverse zoom, and the moment shared between Joe and Alice involving the family home videos are all very powerful. Reading OSC's diatribe about how he refuses to see scary movies, I can only say that the real charm of the movie is the character relationships, and while the movie does sometimes try to be scary, it's always very telegraphed, and I knew every time when it was necessary to cover my ears (the theater speakers were abnormally loud, and I have sensitive hearing, so the action/shock segments required it).
There were a few things that bothered me, though. For instance, what was with the missing dogs? I don't think that was ever properly explained. And why was the alien kidnapping and eating people? Was it to just show the humans who's boss or was it because they actually provided it nutritional value? And what was keeping the alien from rebuilding its ship all that time it was free, if it was able to assemble the craft spontaneously in midair by telekinetically summoning random scraps at the end? There are a few abrupt scene/tone changes that felt jarring, such as when the aforementioned Joe/Alice bonding time segues into a what-the-heck-is-that-cosmic-cube-doing scene, which seemed to me like the director couldn't figure out any other way to get the plot moving forward at that point.
Also, regarding the train crash... physics DON'T work like that.
I fully agree with docmagik about the ending credits. Best use of credits since WALL-E.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
I saw it a few days ago and I was very pleased with it. I wouldn't categorize the movie as very scary, there were certainly some tense moments, but overall the movie didn't do what I was worried it would do.
I really like the boys and their relationship, and the directing was well done. I expected lens flare, so that didn't bug me, what *did* bug me is that it ended so suddenly.
SPOILERS***
I honestly thought it was going to be something along the lines of the boys helping the alien with its ship, and perhaps coming up with some creative way to stave off the military while it got the finishing touches done.
When the main protagonist and the antagonist finally meet, the line, "Sometimes bad things happen" repeated a few times is really going to solve everything? Really? And they didn't even speak to each other, they made a big deal about the alien speaking into your mind but it says nothing to this boy who just convinced it to stop with the angry behavior and go home?
As for kidnapping people and eating them, I don't think it was eating them. They get to the girl and suddenly the body we thought was eaten is on the floor and the lady wakes up? What is going on?
This movie isn't really a homage to Spielberg, it's a homage to ET. It owes more to that movie than any other.
Overall though, it's just what a summer movie should be, a fun romp around cinema land. Since I'm a bit sick of sequels, reboots, and remakes, I suppose I'll refrain from complaining that Super 8 is basically an intentional imitation of Spielberg movies.
Who needs a truly original movie anyway?
Posted by T:man (Member # 11614) on :
I really enjoyed it, but did anyone else think is was a bit loud?
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
quote:From C3PO: There were a few things that bothered me, though. For instance, what was with the missing dogs? I don't think that was ever properly explained. And why was the alien kidnapping and eating people? Was it to just show the humans who's boss or was it because they actually provided it nutritional value? And what was keeping the alien from rebuilding its ship all that time it was free, if it was able to assemble the craft spontaneously in midair by telekinetically summoning random scraps at the end? There are a few abrupt scene/tone changes that felt jarring, such as when the aforementioned Joe/Alice bonding time segues into a what-the-heck-is-that-cosmic-cube-doing scene, which seemed to me like the director couldn't figure out any other way to get the plot moving forward at that point.
I think you missed a couple things.
1. Animals always just know when crap is going down. They knew there was a predator in town and ran in all directions. That was really just a plot device to warn the characters that something was happening.
2. They explained that he was a caver dweller/underground dwelling carnivore, so yes, I suspect he actually was eating some of the people. It wasn't to show them who's boss, but to survive. Remember they were feeding him giant hunks of meat earlier when he was captive.
3. What do you think he was doing with all that machinery in the hole below the water tower? He was building a giant electromagnet to summon all the pieces to him at once. That's why all the other metal was floating up towards the tower, including the locket.
Posted by Raymond Arnold (Member # 11712) on :
Last week, I went to a drive in to see Transformers 3 and Super 8.
Transformers 3 came first.
Afterwards my sister and I were so pissed we just left the drive-in. We needed at least an hour to rant about how bad Transformers 3 was before we could settle in and watch something else, and it was already late. (What's weird is that I think, of the Transformers movies, Dark of the Moon actually has the best plot when it comes to robot-characters. Optimus Prime has a little character arc rather than just being the stoic, awesome leader. But that plot takes up maybe 20 minutes of movie and the rest is about useless humans running around screaming)
Anyways, I finally went by myself to see Super 8 today, and it was definitely great. Wish we had just gone to see that last week. I think I actually would have preferred a movie that was straight up about the kids making a zombie movie. The army stuff and action scenes were okay, but the whole I was wishing I was hearing more awesome banter from the kids.
I'd say Elle and Dakota are about tied. I was genuinely moved by her first "don't go, I love you!" scene. I wonder if they casted that part specifically based on how well they could do that line - the whole scene was great, especially the guy on the pay-phone's reaction.
A little disappointed that she ended up just being a damsel in distress. I wish they had shown a bit of her own interactions with the alien and that she played a role in its escape somehow. That feels a bit nitpicky, mostly I just wanted more scenes with her and the main character.
Posted by Dogbreath (Member # 11879) on :
I saw it recently, thought it was delightful.
They really nailed the intricities of the relationships between the characters nicely without ever emphasizing it. Too many quirky movies like this tend to beat you over the head with any characterization, this one manages to do it mostly implicitly.
Absolutely loved the little girl, she's a truly gifted actress. Very subtle and powerful and deep, which is rare in children her age. (only 12 when the film was shot)
I still think OSC would enjoy the movie if he'd only give it a chance. There's nothing in it very startling, and it's only borderline scary - anyone over 12 or 13 shouldn't have a problem with it.
Posted by odouls268 (Member # 2145) on :
Sorry, the guys responsible for the 90 minutes of dreck dubbed Cloverfield made Super 8, thereby guaranteeing I'll not be wasting my cones and rods on it.
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
Isn't a bit odd to drag up a month old thread just to say you wont see the movie? Personally I hated Cloverfield and loved Super 8. It's right behind Win-Win for the best movie I've seen this year in theaters. Like others, it was the dialogue between the kids that made it for me. I didn't really like the ending but it wasn't terrible and didn't ruin what had come before: just a bit too hokey and impersonal. The actors were all good (though honestly, I thought Fanning was the worst of the kids outside of her acting in the movie within the movie). The way the kids, and to some extent the parents interacted rang true and spoke honestly about less than ideal home life without martyring or crucifying anyone. Everyone was likable and fun, the movie kept its pace up without turning into a non-stop action brawl and we grew to care about those involved.
Hobbes Posted by odouls268 (Member # 2145) on :
quote:Originally posted by Hobbes: Isn't a bit odd to drag up a month old thread just to say you wont see the movie?
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