Super 8 is not a remake nor is it based on a comic book. That alone sets this film apart from most summer movies. However, it still feels very familiar. It tastes like a hearty goulash consisting of various films from the late 70s and early 80s. There's a generous helping of Close Encounters, a pinch of Jaws, a dash of ET, and even a hint of The Goonies. So it should come as no surprise that Steven Spielberg served as the producer of this JJ Abrams film. Set in 1979, the movie follows a small group of young adolescents struggling to put the finishing touches on their epic zombie movie. One night while shooting a scene, the kids witness a horrific train derailment; this sequence alone is worth the price of admission! The sudden arrival of the military is only the beginning of several strange events following the aftermath of the accident. Dogs run away, items go missing, and the town is plagued by unexplained power outages. Conspiracy theories run rampant despite the military's attempt to control the situation. Of course, having witnessed and filmed the crash, the kids have more pieces to the puzzle. What follows is an exciting, well-paced, but ultimately predictable story. The young actors really carry the film led primarily by newcomer Joel Courtney and Elle Fanning. I almost wish the train derailment never happened because a film about these kids making a zombie movie would have been good enough for me.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Super 8
Super 8 is not a remake nor is it based on a comic book. That alone sets this film apart from most summer movies. However, it still feels very familiar. It tastes like a hearty goulash consisting of various films from the late 70s and early 80s. There's a generous helping of Close Encounters, a pinch of Jaws, a dash of ET, and even a hint of The Goonies. So it should come as no surprise that Steven Spielberg served as the producer of this JJ Abrams film. Set in 1979, the movie follows a small group of young adolescents struggling to put the finishing touches on their epic zombie movie. One night while shooting a scene, the kids witness a horrific train derailment; this sequence alone is worth the price of admission! The sudden arrival of the military is only the beginning of several strange events following the aftermath of the accident. Dogs run away, items go missing, and the town is plagued by unexplained power outages. Conspiracy theories run rampant despite the military's attempt to control the situation. Of course, having witnessed and filmed the crash, the kids have more pieces to the puzzle. What follows is an exciting, well-paced, but ultimately predictable story. The young actors really carry the film led primarily by newcomer Joel Courtney and Elle Fanning. I almost wish the train derailment never happened because a film about these kids making a zombie movie would have been good enough for me.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
X-Men: First Class
This just might be the best X-Men movie yet. After feeling letdown by last two films in the franchise, I wasn’t really looking forward to this one. But to my surprise, X-Men: First Class crackles with life thanks to a smart (yet fun) script and some wonderful casting. The Cold War setting is absolutely brilliant as the script carefully weaves the history of the X-Men with the real-world events leading up to the 1962 Cuban missile crisis. Here Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Eric Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender) work with the CIA to stop an evil mutant attempting to trigger a nuclear exchange between the United States and Soviet Union. McAvoy and Fassbender absolutely own these lead roles the same way Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan did in the first three films. But even as they work together, it’s clear that Charles and Eric have divergent views of humanity, setting the stage for the inevitable X-Men vs. Brotherhood conflicts. Unfortunately, the future of X-Men movies are uncertain, largely hinging on the success of this film. Will an X-Men without Wolverine resonate with mainstream audiences? Or is this the decade of The Avengers? It’s too early to tell how this will play out. But I feel X-Men: First Class has successfully revitalized a troubled franchise and I can’t wait to see more from this cast.
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