Director J. J. Abrams
Where have all these likeable children come from? Before recent flicks such as True Grit, Cowboys & Aliens, The Guard and J.J. Abrams latest offering, Super 8, the role of children in contemporary cinema seemed largely to be to bring out our most murderous tendencies. Long gone were the days of Steven Spielberg, when the enchanted little sprogs he paraded before us were simply representations of our own awe and wonder and occasional terror at what was taking place. But Abrams lives up to his moniker of “the new Spielberg” not only in presenting a young leading cast who you don’t mind spending two hours of your life with, but in the general sense of wonderment and spectacle he has conjured.
Super 8 takes place in the ordinary little town of Lillian, Ohio way back in 1979, as a group of friends set about filming a scene from their zombie movie at a local train station. Things take an unexpected turn when a train is derailed right before them, releasing a dangerous presence into their town.
The child actors in Abrams Science-Fiction adventure are superb. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but there really can be no denying it. The presence of Spielberg looms large within the central youngster, Joe Lamb (an excellent Joel Courtney), a boy who displays all the giddy enthusiasm of Joseph Mazzello’s Tim from Jurassic Park, as well as the unusual quiet estrangement of Elliot from E.T. He is very easy to root for. His chums all shine too, though in more limited, comical roles admittedly. Elle Fanning is suitably mysterious as the object of Joe’s affection, Alice, sometimes sweet, sometimes prickly, because, hey, guess what? The Spielberg influences don’t stop there. Alice has father issues. Joe has father issues too. It really does feel as though we have gone back in time.
But the similarities don’t stop with E.T. They may be the most obvious comparisons to make, given the presence of a group of children, sinister soldiers, and, of course, and extraterrestrial; but there are other, non-Spielberg films that deserve a nod also. Rob Reiner’s Stand By Me is a similar ‘coming-of-age’ tale featuring four young, male protagonists; whilst the Abrams produced Cloverfield from 2008 had the same kind of mystery and aura, not to mention the similarity - apart from the size obviously - between their monsters.
But the alien in Super 8 isn’t important. By the time we meet the creature properly in the green flesh towards the end, so invested in these characters we have become that their issues are the primary focus. Abrams’ script does sometimes stray into areas whiffing of cheese, with predictable character arcs and resolutions, and the ‘daddy issues’ can be a little overbearing, but, call it nostalgia if you want, this is the kind of cinema a now adult generation grew up worshipping. Spielberg has the ability to turn us all into children again, to make us watch what is unfolding before our eyes in a hushed awe. Jaws, E.T., Jurassic Park, and even his more recent effort with War of the Worlds, are prime examples of this cinematic mastery.
And J.J. Abrams has it too. He got off to a creaky start with Mission Impossible III, but since then he has been on a roll, bringing some semblance of credibility back to Science-Fiction Fantasy, whether by directing (Star Trek) or producing (Cloverfield). In a time when Michael Bay is hollowing out the Science-Fiction genre with a great truck-sized wedge and waving bikinis in our faces, Super 8 is like ice cold rain on a sweaty, blisteringly hot day. The “new Spielberg”, you say? I’ll drink to that.
**** / *****
This lot don't stand a chance on The X-Factor.
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