So I just finished watching "Super 8", a supposed monster thriller directed by J J Abrams and produced by none other than Steven Spielberg. I admit that I found it near-nauseating, but not because of any monster!
Judging by Wikipedia´s all-knowing entry, "Super 8" is intended for adults. That is, adults are supposed to watch it and nostalgically think back at their childhood and early teen years. Perhaps they are also supposed to remember "E.T.", who can tell? I haven´t watched "E.T." since about the Copper Stone Age, and my understanding of and identification with a certain kind of American geek culture is about zero, so I can´t say I felt any nostalgia factor coming my way.
Quite the contrary, I´m frankly sick and tired of "US suburbia", "the small town in Ohio", "the brave police officer" and similar Hollywood tropes. The film´s attempt to be "socially conscious" (the working class guy with a drinking problem) is downright cringey, and Joe´s quasi-tragic quasi-relationship to Alice almost bored me to death. The "zombie film" shown during the end credits is actually much better than the real flick!
The only light in the tunnel (pun almost intended) is the monster, which (or is it a who) turns out to be an intelligent alien on the run from evil military operatives, trying to find a way to reassemble its space ship. (I suppose I did see some hidden references to "It" and "Alien" in this part of the story. Thank you.) I also wonder about the cool church (or is it a Mormon temple) in the little West Virginian town where "Super 8" was filmed...
Cryptids and Mormons, OK, maybe that tells us something about *my* geeky interests, LOL.
No comments:
Post a Comment