SUPER 8
Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, language and some drug use.
Running Time: 112 Minutes
Studio: Paramount Home Entertainment
Release Date: November 22, 2011
Director: J.J. Abrams
Stars: Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, Riley Griffiths, Ryan Lee, Gabriel Basso, Zach Mills
Technical Details:
Visual: Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC; Video resolution: 1080p; Aspect ratio: 2.40:1; Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Audio: English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1; French: Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1; Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese
Studio Synopsis:
In the summer of 1979, a group of friends in a small Ohio town witness a catastrophic train crash while making a super 8 movie and soon suspect that it was not an accident. Shortly after, unusual disappearances and inexplicable events begin to take place in town, and the local Deputy tries to uncover the truth – something more terrifying than any of them could have imagined.
My Theatrical Review of June 10, 2011 (4 stars out of 5)
“Super 8″ will make you smile, laugh, and move you to the edge of your seat as easily as it will make you cower behind your popcorn bucket or turn into your jacket. And even if the underbaked subplot storylines are obvious and limiting, and the ending (why J.J….why that ending?!?!) is so frustratingly hokey, it is simply hard to not be welcoming of the enthusiastic and endearing effort that J.J. Abrams and his tremendous cast of young actors have put forth here.
The Extra Content:
Commentary: with director J.J. Abrams, co-producer Bryan Burk, and Director of Photography Larry Fong.
The Dream Behind Super 8 (16:28): Director J.J. Abrams discusses his Super 8 filmmaking past as a kid, the incorporating of film school friends Larry Fong, Matt Reeves, and Bryan Burk into his productions, as well as an interview with Steven Spielberg who discloses that at the ages of 14, Abrams and Reeves cut and edited his old 8MM home movies together.
The Search For New Faces (17:46): The casting directors and J.J. Abrams discuss the process in selecting the ensemble of young actors who comprise the main cast of the film. Interviews are also included with the cast discussing their experiences from audition to callback to notification that they were cast in the film.
Meet Joel Courtney (14:35): Largely as described, a stylish look at the film’s lead actor and his experiences on the set and getting to know and become friends with his co-stars.
Rediscovering Steel Town (18:24): A look into the production design and selecting of the shooting locations.
The Visitor Lives (12:22): From storyboard to computer design, an in depth look at how the subject creature was conceived and created by the visual effects team.
Scoring Super 8 (5:29): Emmy, Grammy, and Oscar-winning composer Michael Giacchino details his process in composing the film’s score.
Do You Believe In Magic? (4:29): D.P. Larry Fong amazes and confounds cast, crew, and even Tom Cruise with his magic tricks.
The 8MM Revolution (8:15): A summary of sorts with Spielberg, Abrams, and crew members talking about the legacy, importance, and influence of making, shooting, editing, and creating Super 8 and 8MM films.
Deconstructing the Train Crash: More than 70 different clips, stills, storyboards, and behind-the-scenes vignettes breakdown the impressive and memorable train crash sequence which unleashes the creature into the film and lives of the young aspiring small town filmmakers.
Deleted Scenes (~13:00): 14 in total, running approximately 45 minutes, and featured in HD.
Overall Thoughts:
“Super 8″ is a tremendously entertaining movie, which is a throwback to the youthful exuberance that proved as the catalyst in making J.J. Abrams the filmmaker he is today. With the fatherly oversight of Steven Spielberg, “Super 8″ is well-made, intense in all the right places, and made engaging by and through the talented youth ensemble, led by Joel Courtney and Elle Fanning. There are flaws right below the surface that only become more and more distracting on repeated viewings, mostly with the heavy-handed Spielberg replication efforts found in the screenplay, but “Super 8″ will never be a bad decision, when it comes to throwing a little round disc into the home movie machine and expecting to be entertained.
The film looks spectacular on Blu-Ray and is stuffed with more behind-the-scenes Special Features than you could ever imagine. For a lover of the film, this is a wonderful Blu-Ray and one which you will undoubtedly revisit numerous times over the next several years.
SHOULD I RENT IT?!?! – Yes.
SHOULD I BUY IT?!?! – Yes.
