Super 8 is a big fat…

I am always filled with amazement when things in the world are actually kept secret!  It’s like a trust that doesn’t seem to exist anymore.  Whoever J.J. Abrams collaborates with are a very rare breed.  I finally got myself to the theaters to see Super 8 today with the Bestie and the Munster.

I have heard nothing but vague good things about this film, so I went in with my own preconceived ideas about what I was about to witness. So many people said it was good, but they mentioned that they couldn’t describe why.

I had the expectations that the acting in this film would be so so.  I haven’t seen too many kids that excel at making me believe wholeheartedly in what they are going through.  Call me a harsh critic, if you want.  I mean the first Harry Potter flicks were only about the story and the effects, not so big on the acting was Mr. Radcliffe.  Although, he has certainly come into his own.  I do respect him especially now after seeing his performances on the Tonys and Jay Leno.  So I was expecting the adults to handle most of the heavy acting and the kids to do most of the running and screaming.  I was happily proven wrong when the movie began to take off after the opening scene of the movie.

Elle Fanning is incredible in the scene with Joel Courtney when they watch the film featuring his mother and she tells her confession.  That entire scene was so heartfelt and honest that you have to have a heart of coal to not be moved by it.  I don’t mean you have to cry like a baby, but to feel something.  All the younger cast in the film were incredible.  They really held their own against film veterans Kyle Chandler and Ron Eldard.  I loved the scene with the kids in the restaurant and the back and forth that ensues.

But the acting wasn’t the only thing that made Super 8 super.  Abrams is a master storyteller.  There were so many unexpected moments that got a reaction from me that I felt like I’d been on a very long roller coaster ride when I left the theater.  The story had such a powerful message about how our government would go through great lengths to cover up anything they deem classified.  Not that we didn’t know this already, but it’s always nice to be reminded every once in a while.  The other theme that I loved was how our species always tries to destroy things that it fears.

The misunderstood “creature” is a big confusing mass, though.  I still can’t figure out what all of it’s parts were exactly.  It had tentacles, and I think 8 legs, but I thought I saw claws when it first gets out of the train.

I did find one thing that was weird though.  At the end, when Deputy Lamb and Joe were brought back together, Joe’s necklace is a focal point.  While I can clearly see that Joe is looking at it, I thought that the Deputy would be looking at it also.  But he is obviously looking at something else completely.  I wonder if it’s the monster or what, but it’s not the necklace.

All in all, Super 8 is a big fat 10!!  Now, I know what my friends meant when they say it’s hard to explain why it’s so good.  Just know that on every level, Abrams and team have crafted a solid story that is nearly perfect in all facets of movie making magic.