A really enjoyable film. Not as mad as I thought it was going to be. I went in thinking it would just be an indulgant piece, just for the eight year old boys in us all, full of gunfights and laser rays and stuff (yes I’m looking at you Transformers…) but it wasn’t…
It had a story that made sense given the genre, and had some great characterisation and performances. To be honest, with the likes of Craig and Ford, I should have expected it to have a bit of meaning. Both give good performances, along with Wilde and The Last Airbender's Noah Ringer.
At times, the sense of reservement held back the film a bit too much- the pacing was slow in some places, especially for a sci-fi film. Not as good as Super 8 but all in all, it was an enjoyable film, with more heart than you’d expect…
I feel the marketing for this film only gave you half of what the film is about. Yes, it is a sci-fi thriller, with plenty of intrique, but there's another side to it too...
And that side is called the Goonies...
And you know what? It works like a charm.
A group of kids in 70s America are trying to film a zombie movie on their Super 8 camera. Whilst out, the witness a horrific train crash- and one of them knows it wasn't an accident. When the army show up, and strange occurances start happening in the town, the kids know something more is going on...
Those 80s kids adventure movies like the Goonies have developed a cult following. But among todays cynical modern audiences, their in-your-face cheesiness just wouldn't cut it.
But Abrams combines all that we love about those adventure flicks with a suspenseful sci-fi thriller. The result is wonderful, both a flashback to childhood innocence and wonder and a geninuely intense plot...
There are some great jumps in the film, none that I was expecting. And the action sequences are incredible. The train crash at the start is intense, and wondefully filmed, and the final run through the army-controlled town is stunning... A lot of the shots of the monster just happen in the edge of your vision- sometimes, even you won't notice it's there until it's right on top of the camera...
The film relies heavily on the child actors. The film wouldn't have worked if they hadn't been able to pull it off. Luckily, they were all brilliant but major shout-outs to the two leads- Newcomer Joel Courtney and Elle Fanning. Both show a subtlety in their performance that was really needed here.
While the first and third acts excel -making you just comfortable enough before hitting you with a scare again- the second act suffers slightly. The pace drops, while the subplot is explained. Granted, said subplot creates another level in the film, and gives the actors a chance to showcase a heartwrenching performance, but the intensity of the first act is lost, and it takes a while to find it again.
One of the best things about this film though, is it's ability to pay homage to the 80s films of people like Spielberg and Lucas, without falling into cliched territory. In essence, it's a wonderfully simple film, that's perfect for anyone wanting to return to childhood innocence, but with a modern sci-fi twist...
Oh and make sure you watch the credits for the actual Super 8 movie...
