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This is probably not going to be my most popular selection, as it's a film that people seem to either love or not really care for. I loved it. It definitely got me invested in it from the beginning in the premise of kids making a little super 8 short film stumbling onto this train crash that ends up being more than just that. I've already made my schpiel about how much I like JJ Abrams, and this film, very much an homage to Steven Spielberg's work, is no different. I'm a big fan of his style so it shouldn't surprise that I love pretty much all of his work (I haven't seen MI:3, but everything else he's directed appears on this list, not all the stuff he's produced though obviously).
The story, taking place in a 1979 Ohio suburb, follows a group of kids who were working on a zombie movie on a super 8 camera, when they witness a trainwreck and, after luckily escaping unscathed, discover that the derailment was not an accident, and stumble into a mystery as supernatural events begin to occur around the town.
The acting from the kids in this film is also really on point, better than you'd expect from child actors. The film does save the final reveal until the very end which is something Abrams is known for and it pays off as even though the design for the monster in the film itself wasn't terribly amazing, the circumstances definitely made it pay off. The set design was very good as it definitely has an old feel to it and captures the feeling of the late 70s well, and the dialogue of the kids also helps to add to the setting as they speak with some of the slang from that time period.
It's not a movie that everyone loves, but it's definitely one that I do and I think it's a lot better than some people give it credit for. If you're not a fan, that's cool I get it, it's definitely a derivative film in many respects, but for me it was less what the film was than how it executed it, and I think it's very well executed and was able to hook me.
28. Super 8
This is probably not going to be my most popular selection, as it's a film that people seem to either love or not really care for. I loved it. It definitely got me invested in it from the beginning in the premise of kids making a little super 8 short film stumbling onto this train crash that ends up being more than just that. I've already made my schpiel about how much I like JJ Abrams, and this film, very much an homage to Steven Spielberg's work, is no different. I'm a big fan of his style so it shouldn't surprise that I love pretty much all of his work (I haven't seen MI:3, but everything else he's directed appears on this list, not all the stuff he's produced though obviously).
The story, taking place in a 1979 Ohio suburb, follows a group of kids who were working on a zombie movie on a super 8 camera, when they witness a trainwreck and, after luckily escaping unscathed, discover that the derailment was not an accident, and stumble into a mystery as supernatural events begin to occur around the town.
The acting from the kids in this film is also really on point, better than you'd expect from child actors. The film does save the final reveal until the very end which is something Abrams is known for and it pays off as even though the design for the monster in the film itself wasn't terribly amazing, the circumstances definitely made it pay off. The set design was very good as it definitely has an old feel to it and captures the feeling of the late 70s well, and the dialogue of the kids also helps to add to the setting as they speak with some of the slang from that time period.
It's not a movie that everyone loves, but it's definitely one that I do and I think it's a lot better than some people give it credit for. If you're not a fan, that's cool I get it, it's definitely a derivative film in many respects, but for me it was less what the film was than how it executed it, and I think it's very well executed and was able to hook me.