Okay, so it’s been over a month since I last
posted.
Apologies.
As well as moving
house and being busy with lots of work, I haven’t allowed myself much time to
write – but I have, of course, been watching lots of films…
But enough with
the excuses – I’m getting back on to this writing
ting!
So a while ago I watched Super 8 – directed by J.J. Abrams and produced by Stephen
Spielberg. It’s about aliens kept secretly by the military discovered by a
group of children in small town America yadda
yadda…
So far, so
familiar – it’s basically E.T. but
with more of a bland Cloverfield type
monster instead of the cuddly little brown one we all know and love.
First the good stuff - the child actors, mostly
unknowns and quite rightly what the film mostly focuses on, are on the whole
very effective in their roles - capturing the essence of childhood camaraderie
and innocent adventure. Elle Fanning is a particular standout, following on the
family tradition of being able to act with a wisdom that belies her young age.
The train crash at the beginning of the film is
another highlight – one of the most visceral ever committed to film – it needs
to be seen to be believed.
Now unfortunately, the bad stuff - my main
gripe with this film is that it tries to be
too much. Although Abrams is usually competent at juggling multiple themes across
various genres, it seems this film is trying to be too many types of film at
once. Is it a science fiction/monster movie mashup? Is it a nostalgic coming of
age period piece drama? Is it about the magic of cinema and how the film making
process bonds and inspires?
The truth is, it’s all of these things, but at the same time not enough focus is given
to each, resulting in something that feels distinctly half-baked in its
presentation. The lack of story focus casts doubt onto who the audience for
this film is. There is too much violence and swearing for young kids, not
substantial enough for adults (too many of the monster kills happen off screen
for example).
The greatest potential of this film is in its Stand By Me focus of the kids’ group
dynamic – just coupling this with the amateur filmmaking strand of the story (and
as a period piece) would have made for a good enough movie – in fact, the
argument can be made that taking away the whole ‘alien’ element of the story
would have made the whole thing a much more focused and worthwhile film.
Because lets face it – Spielberg did that
infinitely better with E.T and Close Encounters of the Third Kind,
which this film is clearly wants to be.
A couple of technical things that bothered me
too – Abrams! Enough with the lens flare!
Although people complained about its overuse in Star Trek, at least it fitted
in with the otherworldly future-tech aesthetic of the shiny new rebooted Enterprise deck. But a film set in 1979?
It just seems way out of place and jarring.
The sound mixing was also a bit haphazard –
really quiet speaking parts followed by deafeningly loud action scenes will
have you constantly reaching to adjust the volume control on the remote.
Coupled with the occasional bout of unconvincing CGI the film is sometimes hard
to lose yourself in.
What this all contributes to is a very so-so
film. Not terrible by any means but just kind of bland. It’s kind of a disappointment when the amateur movie the kids make (which
is shown in full during the end credits) displays more charm than the entire
film can muster.
5 July 2012
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