Worth a read

From The Observer this weekend: Mark Kermode's take on what's wrong with blockbusters

Super 8 - a Spielberg fan reviews

At a time where remakes, sequels, adaptations and re-imaginings have pretty much cornered the market in summer ‘blockbusters’ it’s ironic that one of the most “original” stories to arrive at the local multiplex in the past couple of months is a quite blatant homage to another director. JJ Abrams’ Super 8 is scattered with nods to Spielberg, particularly to Close Encounters and of course, ET – if you’re geek enough you can mentally count them: small town setting? Check. Absent parent? Check. Mysterious alien visitation involving shady authority figures? Check. John Williams-esque score? You know the answer by now. Joel Courtney even bears more than a passing resemblance to ET’s Henry Thomas, and there’s a retro-bike chase scene, for crying out loud. Cynics might say that this is all hardly a surprise with the man himself sitting in the producer’s chair, but then fully enjoying a Spielberg movie often involves getting your inner cynic to shut up for an hour or two. And, for all the parallels, the film never feels derivative, even if it’s doesn’t entirely live up to the movies it fondly recalls. The emphasis is also more on action (the train crash that sparks events is an impressive set piece) and mystery than on bonding with a cuddly alien. JJ Abrams has also put his own stamp firmly on it – the brief glimpses of the ‘visitor’ until the final reveal are similar to the technique he used in Cloverfield, and the “film within the film” over the end credits is a great touch. You can tell Abrams has a great deal of affection for the period and the Super 8 medium. While it’s true that the story could feasibly have been set in the present day, given the ubiquity of camera phones and accessible digital technology, the 70s setting adds to the nostalgia and mystery. While it might not quite recreate that (movie cliché alert!) “Spielberg magic”, the government cover-up story is a little undercooked and the final-act confrontation with the extraterrestrial was, in my opinion, a real let down, it’s still a highly enjoyable film on its own merits.