I love movies filled with wonder. I believe the master of wonder has always been Steven Spielberg. Three of my all time favorite movies are from his catalogue. They are: JAWS, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, and E.T. The awesome thing about each of these movies is that they're about more than monsters, and they're about more than aliens, these movies are about people. All three of these movies are about people put in wonderful, or terrifying, situations. You follow these people and you feel their fear and excitement. You feel their hurt and their pleasure. You fall to the bottom with them, and you rise to the top with these characters.
One of my favorite moments from JAWS is when Chief Brody, Sam Quint, and Matt Hooper set out on Quint's boat to finally get rid of the shark. One night out at sea they're sitting together at a table, they've had a few shots, and Quint and Hooper begin to trade stories. They recollect every scar on their bodies and how they came to bear that badge. There is so much humanity in that situation and is a perfect build up for the final show down with the Great White. Super 8 has a moment like that, but I'll talk about that later.
It's been a long time where a Science-Fiction movie has taken kids and thrust them into the main roll of the movie. It's also been a long time since a Science-Fiction movie has filled me with awe. Joe Hill tweeted Friday night,
"No, but seriously: SUPER 8 is the happiest I've been in a movie since I was 9 and saw E.T. for the first time."And he's right! I don't know if SUPER 8 will stand the test of time in the same way E.T. has. They're different movies. Super 8 is more about the characters than it is about the alien. I can already tell you there are going to be people complaining that the alien didn't get enough screen time, or J.J. Abrams didn't reveal it early enough. I don't get that. It annoys me that people feel like the thing needs to be flaunted, and put out front. One of the scariest things about JAWS is that you hardly ever saw the damn shark. There were startling moments during Super 8, where I nearly jumped out of my seat, and you never saw the alien. You caught short glimpses of him, maybe an arm, or maybe a quick shot of the face, but there was never a drawing back of the curtain. It thrilled me and captivated me. I watched in anticipation waiting for the next encounter, and I never gave a flip about whether or not there was a full frontal of the alien.
The movie is a love story. It's J.J. Abrams love story to Spielberg. It's about a boy and a girl discovering what love feels like for the very first time. It's about a man who's lost his love. It's about a father and a son, a daughter and her daddy, finding love that they've been without. It's about a kid's love for movies and his desire to make it his best. Super 8 is exciting and will cause you to fall in love with each of its characters.
Finally, the movie is a mystery. It angers me that so many people have told me they won't see this movie because they don't know enough about it. Critics have predicted the movie's financial failure because the trailers didn't contain enough spoilers. At what point did we lose our sense of mystery and wonder? Why do we feel like we need to know how a movie is going to end before we decide if we see it? Why does Hollywood feel the need to spoil the climax of every movie with each new trailer? Even books nowadays are spoiled because the complete story is told in the synopsis. Not too long ago I was at the bookstore and was interested in reading a book. I picked it up, glanced at the back, as I was reading what it was about the ending was revealed in the short synopsis. I put the book down and refuse to read it. A girl once told me that she doesn't read a book until she reads the last chapter first. Have people lost all desire for adventure? Is there no desire to go on a journey without knowing the road blocks you may encounter?
Super 8 is my favorite movie I've seen so far this summer. I'm excited for the day it comes out on DVD. I haven't bought a movie released to DVD since INCEPTION. It'll be nice to add this to my collection. This is a movie you'll want to see.
Next week I'm debating on whether or not I should see Green Lantern. I'm afraid for this movie.
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