Super 8 - Blu-Ray

Film: As a film critic, I should actually maintain a certain distance from the films I review in order to provide you with an assessment that is as objective as possible - although every review is admittedly heavily colored by subjective feeling. From time to time, however, there are films where it is simply not possible for me, as an enthusiastic viewer, to maintain a professional distance. Then the fanboy in me just breaks through and I have to let my enthusiasm run free. That was the case with the Lord of the Rings films, the end of the Star Wars era, and now it's also the case with Super 8.

The goosebumps begin even before the actual film with the insertion of the logos of the producing studios. When the classic logo of Spielberg`s AMBLIN Entertainment is followed by that of Abrams` BAD ROBOT, it`s the gateway to geek heaven for fans of the two. And when that opens, it allows viewers to experience once again the kind of cinematic magic that made films like E.T., Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and The Goonies so special.

The story takes place in the summer of 1979 in a small town in Ohio: Joe (Joel Courtney) and his friends want to make a zombie movie to win a statewide contest. An abandoned train station provides the perfect location for a key scene in the work, which is shot on Super 8. And so the kids meet secretly at the station one evening and promptly witness a train crash, which they only survive with a lot of luck. That they have just escaped with a scare soon proves to be a fallacy. For the mysterious disappearance of dogs and some residents of the small town and other strange events suggest that the train accident was no accident. As Joe's father, Deputy Sheriff Jack Lamb (Kyle Chandler), desperately tries to deal with the ever-increasing chaos in his town, the kids' Super 8 footage shot at the scene of the accident reveals the grisly truth - and puts the up-and-coming filmmakers in real mortal danger.

At first glance, Super 8 might sound like Spielberg's E.T. meets the Abrams-produced Cloverfield. If that were the case, Super 8 would certainly be a good, but just not a special entertainment film. Rather, the alien invasion plot merely sets the stage for a wonderful story about friends growing up and a complicated father-son relationship after the tragic loss of their mother. Abrams, like Spielberg, places a lot of emphasis on his characters and doesn't allow them to be overshadowed by the admittedly great special effects. He takes the time to develop the characters so that the audience cares about them and their conflicts also have real meaning to the story.

It may be that younger viewers in particular, who are more used to non-stop action a la Transformers, won't realize that there's no weakness in this, that long dialogue sequences don't necessarily mean boredom. It's just nice that Abrams didn't bow to commercial pressure here and took his time with his characters. Because that's the only way he's managed to give his homage to the cinema he himself grew up with that very certain something that so many other films today sadly lack.

Abrams, who used to be passionate about Super 8 films himself and worked with future Cloverfield director Matt Reeves on the restoration of Steven Spielberg's old 8mm films when he was just 15, loves cinema - and it's evident in every minute of Super 8, even in the wonderful end credits (don't miss them!!!!). But it`s not just J.J. Abrams celebrating his love of late 70s and early 80s cinema in this film. The music by Abrams` regular composer Michael Giacchino is also full of nostalgia, reflecting the wonderful blend of old and new that is inherent in the entire production. Lost fans in particular are likely to recognise Giacchino`s signature quite clearly from the very first notes. But just as unmistakable are the moments when the Oscar winner cites the work of the great John Williams, bowing to his unforgettable work.

On the technical side, both the magnificently staged train crash and the fantastic sound design must be highlighted. Rarely has the crunch of crushed glass provided such goosebumps as it does here. But the wonderful 70's set design and lovely decor also ensure that the viewer is fully immersed in the world of Super 8. But without the right actors, the film wouldn't have worked, even despite the perfect technology and set design. Especially in the selection of the child actors Abrams and his team have done a great job.

Sure, the ending is filled with considerable pathos, which makes strongly reminiscent of the finale of E.T.. But it doesn't really bother you - because somehow a certain amount of pathos and kitsch is just part of this kind of movies. Especially since the story isn't drowned by it. The bottom line is that charm, suspense, fantasy and magic prevail - all the things that turn a simple popcorn movie into a cinematic experience with the makings of a classic. If you grew up with early Spielberg and loved that era of entertainment cinema, Super 8 is definitely not to be missed. A contemporary fantasy film that couldn't be more nostalgic and therefore: definitely worth seeing!!!

Image + Sound: The audiovisual realization of the film is simply great. The very clean image delivers great detail sharpness, which thanks to well-tuned contrasts and coherent black levels is also well accentuated in the night scenes. The artificially alienated color scheme makes for a perfect 70s feel. The sound is also worth listening to and shows its full potential especially during the train derailment, which booms out of the home theater system with full surround impact. The German soundtrack, unlike the excellent English 7.1 DTS HD Master Audio track, is only available in the Dolby Digital 5.1 mix and is therefore a little weaker and just lacks some of the nuances of the great sound effects, but is still more than satisfactory. Very good!

Extras: Also in terms of extras, the inclined viewer is offered here plenty. Things kick off with an (optionally subtitled) audio commentary by J.J. Abrams, co-producer Bryan Burk and cinematographer Larry Fong. After a somewhat sluggish start, the whole thing turns into a very lively conversation dominated by enthusiasm, revealing a great many interesting details about the making of the film. While there is overlap here and there with the rest of the bonus material, overall this is an excellent commentary that is just fun to listen to.

Continues with 8 short documentaries that can be viewed individually, or in one piece (about 90 mins), and which cover everything from the idea, casting, sets, music and shooting to information about Super 8 films (including clips of old Super 8 films by some of the crew), really. This is followed by a detailed breakdown of the train derailment sequence, which uses interviews, storyboards and the like to make the scale of this scene clear. However, the structure of this featurette is a bit unnecessarily complicated, which dulls the fun a bit.

Finally, there are 14 cut or alternate scenes with a total running time of just under 13 minutes. Although these are primarily very brief moments, there are some nice moments that, while not really lacking from the film, are very nice to watch. It's an all-around great bonus package that fans of the film shouldn't miss.

Conclusion: Super 8 is an exciting, lovingly directed and well-acted piece of nostalgia that should especially appeal to kids of the 80s Spielberg era. The Blu-ray is technically very well done, the bonus material is extensive and well worth watching throughout! One of the best films of 2011 and therefore also: definitely recommended!!!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp