After an interesting first quarter of film and a spectacular train “accident,” Super 8 marches into its own malaise. Director J.J. Abrams uses two specific Steven Spielberg signatures, small town isolation (or think of the remoteness of the boat in Jaws, directed by Spielberg) and characters in abundance (a ragtag group of misfits, think Twister, executively produced by Spielberg) that each will seize their own special “moment” or “ability” at a conveniently determined time (think, The Goonies, written by Spielberg). As much as it is a visceral throwback (it takes place in 1979, think 1977’s Close Encounters of The Third Kind- yes, Spielberg again) to superior Spielberg films, it lacks the spirit, the wittiness or the punch that would make it a genuine crowd pleaser. The humor and the style are present and the acting, especially from Elle Fanning (as Alice) and Kyle Chandler (as Jackson), are appealing but boredom ensues when either is not on screen. The “secret” part of the film (which I will not spoil) rehashes elements from other films and is used as another plot device for characters to witness or experience a series of vicious attacks. J.J. Abram’s lackluster summer valentine to Spielberg (think Spielberg’s 1941), yawn.
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