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Super 8 - 28/7/2011 12:55:21 PM   
Empire Admin

 

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- 28/7/2011 12:55:21 PM   
evildave69

 

Posts: 388
Joined: 12/11/2005
What a beautifully written review. Thanks for that. But why isn't it on your website's front page yet?

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Post #: 2
That was annoying (and dull) - 28/7/2011 1:00:23 PM   
Davros

 

Posts: 1
Joined: 3/10/2005
Couldn't the reviewer think of any words for a collection of children rather than saying "boys (and girl)" 3 times?

As for the film, nice to see something not a sequel/reboot/plan for Marvel world domination this summer. Hope it's good enough to get a Super 9 next year (kidding).

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Post #: 3
RE: That was annoying (and dull) - 28/7/2011 1:07:39 PM   
shool


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From: In The Pipe, Five by Five.
 Cant wait for this. It sounds like everything i love about movies.

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Post #: 4
RE: Super 8 - 28/7/2011 1:14:21 PM   
captainrentboy

 

Posts: 679
Joined: 16/3/2008
From: South Wales
 Glad to see that it got 4 stars.
Skimmed through the review but it seemed a tad spoilery, (I'm trying to see this knowing as little as possible, which isn't easy considering how bloody long it's been out in the U.S) so I'll read it after the I've seen it.
Can't wait to Imax it up next Friday.

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Post #: 5
RE: Super 8 - 28/7/2011 1:46:21 PM   
szoni

 

Posts: 32
Joined: 22/7/2011
the film is slightly above the average, actually it's recycling of E.T.

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Post #: 6
Brilliant Read. - 28/7/2011 11:05:39 PM   
G Sanders

 

Posts: 15
Joined: 29/4/2006
Really classy review, looking forward to this. Summer has been not too shabby. Highlights: X-Men, Bridesmaids, Senna and (in parts) The Tree of Life. Looking forward to the next couple of months.


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Post #: 7
RE: Brilliant Read. - 29/7/2011 2:04:08 PM   
vernieboy


Posts: 873
Joined: 10/10/2005
Had the pleasure of seeing this last month in the States on an IMAX screen. Probably my favourite film of the summer too far. The interplay between the characters reminded me a bit of the Goonies.
Make sure you stay in the cinema until the end as there is a great bit with the credits

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- 30/7/2011 5:21:01 AM   
tinribs27

 

Posts: 11
Joined: 30/7/2011
From: Wellington, New Zealand
 In 2010, amidst the flood of adaptations that filled the blockbuster season, Christopher Nolan’s Inception stood out for being not only an effective thriller, but more importantly for being one of the few original concept tent-pole releases of the year. This year you may hear similar things about JJ Abrams’ Super 8, but please do not be fooled. Super 8 is in fact arguably the most derivative film of the year, but for people of a certain generation who grew up on 80s family adventure films, it really is a rare treat. Working from the template perfected by executive producer Steven Spielberg in films such as Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and E.T., Abrams delivers a sweet, nostalgic, and often frightening film unlike anything seen in cinemas for many years.

While there is a lot to enjoy in many contemporary blockbusters, it takes a film like Super 8 to highlight the absence of a crucial ingredient in modern movies: heart. Most summer films released over the past decade have certainly been big on action set-pieces and visual effects, but everything else about them seems distressingly interchangeable. There’s a lone male hero. A love interest. A problem to be solved. And in many cases a kiss at the end. There’s no denying that it’s a successful formula (the box office numbers speak for themselves), but it is somewhat fleeting success. It really is a great shame that what people will remember about the films of the early 21st century is the style rather than the substance. In Jaws, it’s not the shark itself we remember so much as the pursuit of the shark and interactions between Brody, Hooper and Quint. In E.T., it’s the relationship between Elliott and the titular alien. Super 8 is Abrams’ love-letter to that period in cinema, and keen eyed viewers will undoubtedly spot many homages to films such as Stand By Me, The Goonies, and most obviously the early work of his mentor Spielberg. The film is rich with sent

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Post #: 9
Flawed Goodness - 1/8/2011 9:46:26 AM   
pete_traynor


Posts: 2935
Joined: 28/11/2006
From: Balboa Towers, Balboa Island, CA
 Saw it in San Diego last month. It is indeed good but perhaps slightly tempered expectations going in would be a good idea. A lot of nice ideas in here but the sci fi elements, rather oddly, let this down a little. The human drama aspect of it is so well played out and acted (by all, not just the wonderful kids!) that I really found myself caring for these characters and anytime I was away from them with ‘it’ I just wanted to get back to their company. The third act also feels rather rushed and seems to just spring out and kick you in the face a bit.

The whole back story and revelation of the aggressive entity involved is also a little disappointing after that wonderful teaser trailer. But this movie has heart and great intentions to spare and even though all the various elements don’t quite gel at times, I still walked out of the cinema rather misty eyed.

I’m a half star man myself! ***1/2

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Post #: 10
Flawed Goodness - 1/8/2011 9:46:29 AM   
pete_traynor


Posts: 2935
Joined: 28/11/2006
From: Balboa Towers, Balboa Island, CA
 Saw it in San Diego last month. It is indeed good but perhaps slightly tempered expectations going in would be a good idea. A lot of nice ideas in here but the sci fi elements, rather oddly, let this down a little. The human drama aspect of it is so well played out and acted (by all, not just the wonderful kids!) that I really found myself caring for these characters and anytime I was away from them with ‘it’ I just wanted to get back to their company. The third act also feels rather rushed and seems to just spring out and kick you in the face a bit.

The whole back story and revelation of the aggressive entity involved is also a little disappointing after that wonderful teaser trailer. But this movie has heart and great intentions to spare and even though all the various elements don’t quite gel at times, I still walked out of the cinema rather misty eyed.

I’m a half star man myself! ***1/2

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Post #: 11
RE: Flawed Goodness - 1/8/2011 10:32:08 AM   
BelfastBoy

 

Posts: 459
Joined: 30/11/2005
Given the vitriol often directed towards Empire's staffers for the quality of their reviews' contents and style (much of it misguided and unnecessary), I'd like to remark on how well crafted and incisive this Super 8 review is. It strikes the right balance between revelation and commentary, although am I alone in thinking that it reads more like 3* rather than 4* opinion? I think that the 4* is more for the kids / coming of age storyline, rather than the alien / military side - fair assumption?

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Post #: 12
Wrong reviewer methinks - 1/8/2011 12:56:40 PM   
The Voice of Fate


Posts: 113
Joined: 11/10/2005
To sum up the review - it was all pretty good until it became a science fiction movie...

Well, Ian, if you hadn't figured out it was a sci-fi film from the trailer - perhaps you should just go see worthy films about gritty urban problems in future, and leave the inventive and the creative ones to others.

I look forward to the film - but based on the trailer - not on this grudgingly and qualified good review...

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Post #: 13
Empire aren't wrong often, but sadly, given the calibre... - 1/8/2011 2:07:34 PM   
Cameron1975Williams

 

Posts: 203
Joined: 5/12/2005
From: Cardiff
 ...Super 8 is not great. I found it to be an unengaging story and an unsympathetic creature.

< Message edited by Cameron1975Williams -- 1/8/2011 2:10:48 PM >

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Post #: 14
Great review, wrong rating... - 1/8/2011 2:21:13 PM   
Cameron1975Williams

 

Posts: 203
Joined: 5/12/2005
From: Cardiff
 ...sadly, this is a three star movie at best.

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Post #: 15
RE: Super 8 - 1/8/2011 3:49:14 PM   
spamandham

 

Posts: 481
Joined: 27/11/2008
Like all of his other films, the problem with super 8 is that jj is still stuck in a series of inferior spielberg 'homages' (i.e. rip-offs). Avoid.

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Post #: 16
Monster squad- hell yeah! - 1/8/2011 7:11:50 PM   
shazam


Posts: 47
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: Northampton
 Great film, actors are great considering a couple of them haven't been in anything before. Definitely reminiscent of the Monster Squad. One of my fave films.

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Post #: 17
RE: Monster squad- hell yeah! - 1/8/2011 9:31:36 PM   
szoni

 

Posts: 32
Joined: 22/7/2011
I don't mind if there is some nostalgia-factor in a film, although this is not the only old-style piece in the last two years. I think in this respect the response is excessive. Also does not bother me a little homage for Spielberg and Super 8 as the popular film format, though it's rather for Spielberg. I must confess for me it felt like rather self-polishing than homage.
Star Trek from JJ much more enjoyable. Kids in The Goonies much more charming.

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Post #: 18
beckettEve - 2/8/2011 2:07:18 PM   
becketteve

 

Posts: 6
Joined: 2/11/2005
Saw this in Montreal 5 weeks ago and it was very good. Very well acted by the young cast.

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Post #: 19
RE: Super 8 - 3/8/2011 9:24:47 AM   
jmebaby25

 

Posts: 246
Joined: 28/6/2006
From: Manchester
quote:

ORIGINAL: spamandham

Like all of his other films, the problem with super 8 is that jj is still stuck in a series of inferior spielberg 'homages' (i.e. rip-offs). Avoid.



I'm confused, in what way were Mission Impossible 3 and Star Trek Spielberg rip-offs?

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Post #: 20
Film! - 5/8/2011 4:54:29 PM   
Bighousewill

 

Posts: 244
Joined: 5/12/2009
Really worth a watch very good indeed very well made. Abrams loves that lens flare. Great acting all round and great characters.

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Post #: 21
Excellent - 5/8/2011 6:24:53 PM   
cerebusboy


Posts: 1552
Joined: 1/5/2006
All the fear and fun and childhood, great leads, and a brilliant alien. JJ Abrams, as well as excelling in his usual twisty-plot beats manages to pull off some Spielbergien wonder too. Not five stars because a superb pastiche is, still, a pastiche.

After people, madly, called Ian Nathan's excellent Tree of Life review "pretentious" five stars for the piece of writing above, too. "Gummy with youth" is a great line.


< Message edited by cerebusboy -- 5/8/2011 8:02:31 PM >

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Post #: 22
RE: Super 8 - 5/8/2011 6:26:55 PM   
cerebusboy


Posts: 1552
Joined: 1/5/2006

quote:

ORIGINAL: jmebaby25


quote:

ORIGINAL: spamandham

Like all of his other films, the problem with super 8 is that jj is still stuck in a series of inferior spielberg 'homages' (i.e. rip-offs). Avoid.



I'm confused, in what way were Mission Impossible 3 and Star Trek Spielberg rip-offs?


Duh, Spielberg is famous for aliens, and Star Trek is full of 'em! And Tom Cruise was in Spielberg's Minority Report before JJ's MI:III too!




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Post #: 23
RE: That was annoying (and dull) - 5/8/2011 6:29:16 PM   
cerebusboy


Posts: 1552
Joined: 1/5/2006

quote:

ORIGINAL: Davros

Couldn't the reviewer think of any words for a collection of children rather than saying "boys (and girl)" 3 times?




Is not obvious that he did so because the gender dynamics of the group (with the fat kid fancying Alice too) is an important dynamic, aptly reflected in his review? I disagree with lots of Ian Nathan's opinions, but he's easily one of the best writers Empire's ever had.


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Post #: 24
RE: Excellent - 5/8/2011 7:57:01 PM   
Dirk Miggler


Posts: 836
Joined: 14/1/2009
quote:

ORIGINAL: cerebusboy

All the fear and fun and childhood, great leads, and a brilliant alien. JJ Abrams, as well as excelling in his usual twisty-plot beats ( like the white rubiks cubes being a space ship, or the backstory of the teacher) manages to pull off some Spielbergien wonder too. Not five stars because a superb pastiche is, still, a pastiche.

After people, madly, called Ian Nathan's excellent Tree of Life review "pretentious" five stars for the piece of writing above, too. "Gummy with youth" is a great line.



Come on dude, I know jack about this film and wanted some peoples reactions as I'm off to see it tonight, spoiler alert would be nice !

< Message edited by Dirk Miggler -- 5/8/2011 7:58:15 PM >

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Post #: 25
RE: Excellent - 5/8/2011 7:59:15 PM   
cerebusboy


Posts: 1552
Joined: 1/5/2006

quote:

ORIGINAL: Dirk Miggler


quote:

ORIGINAL: cerebusboy

All the fear and fun and childhood, great leads, and a brilliant alien. JJ Abrams, as well as excelling in his usual twisty-plot beats ( like the white rubiks cubes being a space ship, or the backstory of the teacher) manages to pull off some Spielbergien wonder too. Not five stars because a superb pastiche is, still, a pastiche.

After people, madly, called Ian Nathan's excellent Tree of Life review "pretentious" five stars for the piece of writing above, too. "Gummy with youth" is a great line.



Come on dude, I know jack about this film and wanted some reaction as I'm off to see it tonight, spoiler alert would be nice !



My apologies!! Assumed that thread was by/for people who'd seen film but I apologise unreservedly - will use spoilers in future!

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Post #: 26
RE: Excellent - 5/8/2011 8:03:28 PM   
cerebusboy


Posts: 1552
Joined: 1/5/2006

quote:

ORIGINAL: Dirk Miggler

quote:

ORIGINAL: cerebusboy





Come on dude, I know jack about this film and wanted some peoples reactions as I'm off to see it tonight, spoiler alert would be nice !



Just edited and removed the offending lines - again, sorry.

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Post #: 27
RE: Excellent - 5/8/2011 8:06:43 PM   
Dirk Miggler


Posts: 836
Joined: 14/1/2009

quote:

ORIGINAL: cerebusboy


quote:

ORIGINAL: Dirk Miggler


quote:

ORIGINAL: cerebusboy

All the fear and fun and childhood, great leads, and a brilliant alien. JJ Abrams, as well as excelling in his usual twisty-plot beats ( like the white rubiks cubes being a space ship, or the backstory of the teacher) manages to pull off some Spielbergien wonder too. Not five stars because a superb pastiche is, still, a pastiche.

After people, madly, called Ian Nathan's excellent Tree of Life review "pretentious" five stars for the piece of writing above, too. "Gummy with youth" is a great line.



Come on dude, I know jack about this film and wanted some reaction as I'm off to see it tonight, spoiler alert would be nice !



My apologies!! Assumed that thread was by/for people who'd seen film but I apologise unreservedly - will use spoilers in future!


No probs, I prob should've stayed out of the thread TBH. Definately liking the general positive vibes regarding the film though. I've been excited for this one !

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Post #: 28
RE: Excellent - 5/8/2011 8:28:16 PM   
cerebusboy


Posts: 1552
Joined: 1/5/2006

quote:

ORIGINAL: Dirk Miggler


quote:

ORIGINAL: cerebusboy


quote:

ORIGINAL: Dirk Miggler


quote:

ORIGINAL: cerebusboy

All the fear and fun and childhood, great leads, and a brilliant alien. JJ Abrams, as well as excelling in his usual twisty-plot beats ( like the white rubiks cubes being a space ship, or the backstory of the teacher) manages to pull off some Spielbergien wonder too. Not five stars because a superb pastiche is, still, a pastiche.

After people, madly, called Ian Nathan's excellent Tree of Life review "pretentious" five stars for the piece of writing above, too. "Gummy with youth" is a great line.



Come on dude, I know jack about this film and wanted some reaction as I'm off to see it tonight, spoiler alert would be nice !



My apologies!! Assumed that thread was by/for people who'd seen film but I apologise unreservedly - will use spoilers in future!


No probs, I prob should've stayed out of the thread TBH. Definately liking the general positive vibes regarding the film though. I've been excited for this one !


Yeah, it's really great, and Cloverfield is the only JJ thing that I really liked previously.

Although one of the boys impresses the girl despite being into painting models, which doesn't accord with my misspent Games Workshop laden youth

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Post #: 29
RE: Excellent - 5/8/2011 11:45:29 PM   
NicCagesEyes

 

Posts: 4
Joined: 19/6/2011
It's really good, the train wreckage is a sight to behold, but the ending is far too saccharine from when they descend into that crater onwards. And there is no way this is a 12A, if I was a child, I would be terrified

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Post #: 30
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