Someone's got a man-crush.....

Super 8

Warning: This is going to be less about the story, and more about the movie's  impact. Or lack thereof.
 
     It's pretty obvious from the start that this is a nice homage to Spielberg movies that a lot of us grew up watching. And I liked the style, but you could also tell the difference between an imitation and the real thing. I wanted this to be as fun as Stranger Things, and I had a good feeling till the overly obnoxious train wreck scene near the start. For a minute there, I thought I was watching a Michael Bay movie. It was just so over the top and distracting from the story.  Through out the rest of the movie, there was some pretty cool visuals, but could you PLEASE stop with the damn lens flare?!? We get it! You really like Spielberg! Get your own trademark, fanboy

     You could make the argument that the only reason Stranger Things exists is because of Super 8. And more than likely, you're right.  But Super 8 came and went with little fanfare, despite the great box office numbers.  Is there any scene really memorable? Aside from the train wreck, not really. And the cast? Two of the kids annoyed the fuck out of me. First one: The Filmmaker. He needs to shut up. Second one: The puker. He was a damn crybaby and I hated him in every scene. Everyone else, really forgettable.

In contrast, Stranger things had a great cast filled with awkward boys creeping  through early puberty, a creepy and confused older brother, a mother going out of her mind, and a damaged and flawed cop that was believable. The story was far more strange, with a much less comical view of the era. It didn't focus on the time period  nearly as hard as Super 8 did. Though it had much more time for set up, the amount of memorable scenes blows away anything S-8 had to offer, so as far as I'm concerned, Stranger Things wins this battle easily.

     I think it's because Abrams tries too hard to make it identical to the past, whereas the Duffer Brothers worked on the adding just enough weird to make you think about it long after the the final credits. Super 8 was actually a very good film and I do recommend it, but it's also fan service with a very shallow plot. We've all seen this before and nobody's got the balls to put something out there that blows our minds.

Wednes.....oh damn it, this asshole again? What was I thinking?!?