.....and I enjoyed it.
The Link
SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!!
Remembering quite fondly the good (and bad) sci fi movies I saw back in the day, I don't think newer movies such as "Cloverfield" or "District 9" measure up well to most of them.
I've decided that I just wasn't in the target audience for these recent creature features or for such modern frightening film fare as "The Blair Witch Project," "The Cave" or the "Paranormal Activity" trilogy,
That must be the new wave and, unapologetic, I guess I'm more old school as far as horror flicks go.
Yeah, I flinched when I was supposed to flinch in all those newer flicks, but I left the theater unflinchingly wondering why did those movie makers or I bother?
I found Keanu Reeves portraying the "man from outer space who made the earth stand still" to be painfully accurate type-casting in that misguided redo and the last King Kong flick, despite all its exciting CGI action, slipped over too often (IMO) into Fantasyland from its rightful and proper place in Adventureland.
IMHO, "The Mist," with it's suspenseful story, attention to casting and character development, decent special effects and surprising twist at the end was, until now, the most satisfying scary movie that I'd seen in a while.
I enjoyed that Stephen King story adaptation.
But I thought that "Super 8" had more to offer and was even better entertainment, for me.
It's a mash up of classic, "so bad it's good," sci fi like 1953's "Invaders From Mars" or 1954's "Them!" with later sci fi excellence like "Alien," interspersed with sci fi humor a la "Mars Attacks," mixed with well-acted, poignant, coming of age plot points that recall "Stand By Me," but wherein a stranded alien is no longer curious, as was cute little "E.T.:The Extra-Terrestrial," but rather well-past the friendly phone home stage and is desperately wanting to slip the surly bonds of Earth.
I quickly became immersed in the vibe of this movie, jumped at all the scary parts, smiled at the humor, enjoyed the nostalgia, appreciated the cleverness, recognized the satire, liked the attention to detail and construction of this movie within a movie and dug all the homage given other films and to the sci fi genre, which has immensely interested and frighteningly pleasured me through the years.
So, this was a fast-moving, fun trip down Monster Movie Memory Lane for me and my freely given suspension of disbelief was as well-rewarded this time as back when I was a kid watching 1953's "The War of the Worlds," 1956's "Forbidden Planet" or "The Invasion of the Body Snatchers" and 1951's "The Thing from Another World" or it's remake in 1982, "The Thing."
Or 1951's understated, cogent "The Day the Earth Stood Still."
In fact, I believe the more experience you have watching sci fi, especially if you like the classic stuff, the more you'll enjoy this movie.
Your thoughts??
The Link
SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!!
Remembering quite fondly the good (and bad) sci fi movies I saw back in the day, I don't think newer movies such as "Cloverfield" or "District 9" measure up well to most of them.
I've decided that I just wasn't in the target audience for these recent creature features or for such modern frightening film fare as "The Blair Witch Project," "The Cave" or the "Paranormal Activity" trilogy,
That must be the new wave and, unapologetic, I guess I'm more old school as far as horror flicks go.
Yeah, I flinched when I was supposed to flinch in all those newer flicks, but I left the theater unflinchingly wondering why did those movie makers or I bother?
I found Keanu Reeves portraying the "man from outer space who made the earth stand still" to be painfully accurate type-casting in that misguided redo and the last King Kong flick, despite all its exciting CGI action, slipped over too often (IMO) into Fantasyland from its rightful and proper place in Adventureland.
IMHO, "The Mist," with it's suspenseful story, attention to casting and character development, decent special effects and surprising twist at the end was, until now, the most satisfying scary movie that I'd seen in a while.
I enjoyed that Stephen King story adaptation.
But I thought that "Super 8" had more to offer and was even better entertainment, for me.
It's a mash up of classic, "so bad it's good," sci fi like 1953's "Invaders From Mars" or 1954's "Them!" with later sci fi excellence like "Alien," interspersed with sci fi humor a la "Mars Attacks," mixed with well-acted, poignant, coming of age plot points that recall "Stand By Me," but wherein a stranded alien is no longer curious, as was cute little "E.T.:The Extra-Terrestrial," but rather well-past the friendly phone home stage and is desperately wanting to slip the surly bonds of Earth.
I quickly became immersed in the vibe of this movie, jumped at all the scary parts, smiled at the humor, enjoyed the nostalgia, appreciated the cleverness, recognized the satire, liked the attention to detail and construction of this movie within a movie and dug all the homage given other films and to the sci fi genre, which has immensely interested and frighteningly pleasured me through the years.
So, this was a fast-moving, fun trip down Monster Movie Memory Lane for me and my freely given suspension of disbelief was as well-rewarded this time as back when I was a kid watching 1953's "The War of the Worlds," 1956's "Forbidden Planet" or "The Invasion of the Body Snatchers" and 1951's "The Thing from Another World" or it's remake in 1982, "The Thing."
Or 1951's understated, cogent "The Day the Earth Stood Still."
In fact, I believe the more experience you have watching sci fi, especially if you like the classic stuff, the more you'll enjoy this movie.
Your thoughts??
