Film Review: Super 8 (2011)

Star Trek (2009) director J.J. Abrams’s long-awaited monster flick has arrived and it hardly disappoints.  Meant to be a tribute to Steven Spielberg’s early Amblin movies and some of his other productions, the film evokes child-like wonder and excitement that summer blockbusters hope to elicit in audiences but often fail to achieve nowadays.  Abrams’s latest directorial effort not only is imaginative entertainment but also has a heart to it.  While the dramatic climax may underwhelm or miss the target somewhat, the film has more emotional depth than most summer fare and features great performances from its leading young, mostly unknown actors.  Besides, it isn’t a sequel, prequel, reboot, or spin-off; it is a largely original science-fiction flick mixed with a sweet coming-of-age tale.  In short, Super 8 (2011) is spectacular entertainment that should please all audiences, especially the credits scene; it is one of the best summer blockbusters 2011 has to offer given its sense of nostalgia, wonder, suspense, and emotion – they simply don’t make many movies like this anymore.