Last night, Paramount and director J.J. Abrams presented a 20-minute sneak peek at two scenes from Super 8 to a small audience in New York. They were centered around moments we’ve all seen in the trailer: A group of 14-year-olds (including Elle Fanning and newcomer Joel Courtney, pictured) shooting their own Super 8 movie by the railroad tracks when a train derails and an unseen “thing” escapes, and that “thing” starts terrorizing a gas station attendant. Abrams asked writers not to spoil anything, so we won’t talk specifics. But I think it’s fair to discuss the conversations being had as we all filed out of the theater. Even if you didn’t know Steven Spielberg was a producer on the ’70s-set picture, you would have felt it watching the scene of the kids. There’s such… affection for them. That’s really the best way I can describe it. They’re smart, funny, passionate, and real. They’re at the age when they still care about things other than girls, but, of course, there’s that longing for one. It also makes sense for Abrams, too, who married two of his ideas for the movie — one he had about kids making Super 8 movies like he and Spielberg did when they were young, and one he had already pitched to Paramount about some “thing” escaping its cross-country train transport from Area 51 to Ohio.
Watching the unfinished footage, it made me wonder what Goonies and E.T. would’ve been like if Sloth and E.T. hadn’t been nice. It also reminded me that there are live-action movies starring kids that I can relate to. Maybe it helps when movies have a supernatural slant to them — we’re all green when it comes to dealing with that stuff. What was the last film centered on that age group that truly captivated you? (Son of Rambow, anyone?)
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Super 8: Full trailer offers more hints, more confusion
I was surprised at how excited I am to see this movie. Watching the latest trailer I just got a very good vibe from everything…from the music to the way they shot the film to the child actors…it has that classic Speilburg magic. I’m not sure how the unseen, for lack of a better word, creature will fit in with regards to the tone the trailer gives off, but I’m pumped to see this.
I am way too excited for this film. It kind of looks like ET meets The Goonies meets Close Encounters (all three are some of my favorite films). Plus, Coach Taylor!
this movie looks so amazing. I just pray that it can live up to the trailer.
I am a JJ fan so I have been looking forward to this (and hoping for a Cloverfield sequel) for some time now- because the concept that he would combine his talents with a genius visionary like Spielberg is just too good to be true!
I’m glad lots of other people are getting a ‘classic’ Spielberg vibe from the trailers.
He produces a lot of stuff and most of the time I feel it’s just for his name. But this actually feels like he produced it. At least from the trailer.
I love Son of Rambow.
I’m not sure what your problem with kids in movies is? It’s the same as any other movie. If it’s good and the actors perform then you should like it.
I’m probably missing some that will mean I’ll be back later saying ‘oh yeah…..’, but the last one that comes to mind is last year’s Karate Kid. Very good film, outstanding stunt work and fight choreography, great interaction and chemistry from Chan and Smith, and I liked the other children too. In a lot of ways they were all relatable. Being different and trying to fit it. Being picked on, having a scary adult figure who suggests you do things that you think may not be right, but they’re the adult so… I found a lot to relate to in that film, as did my wife and kids
Of course it may have helped that I’ve studied various martial arts for years and that I’ve been “teaching” my girls (5 & 10 at the time) Long fist and Wing Chun Kung Fu for a while too.
As for Super 8, I’ve been looking forward to this ever since j read JJ was making a Spielberg Homage; a homage produced by the Godfather himself. The film looks like it’ll be a good one andale JJ 3 for 3 I’n movies.
It’s JJ, plus IMAX, plus an homage to Spielberg classics like ET and a bit of CLose Encounters, and Spielberg is producing, and Kyle ‘Coach Taylor’ Chandler is in it. I can’t wait!
Your atrlice was excellent and erudite.