A BIGGER, BETTER GLIMPSE OF SUPER 8

Looks like...well, looks like I'd expect a Spielberg/Abrams mashup to look like. I'm sold.

Most Abrams-y part about it (apart from the lens flares): The completely random and gratuitous ass shot at around 1:43. It's doing the whole "Epic epic of epicy epicness" shot buildup, and right in the middle: ASS SHOT. Even when the whole town's in danger and taking refuge in a gym, hot mom can still walk that walk!

ETA: Bet you $10 right now that the monster/alien/whatever is misunderstood. It's not taking the dogs, they're running away. Military thinks it's dangerous, but the kids know the truth! It's IRON GIANT, except live action!

I hope the ending is that the kid learns the magic secret to making hit movies.

Is that temp 'Cocoon'...or are my age and ears deceiving me?

Yup, it's Cocoon. If the jaguar shark or whatever it is turns out to be Steve Guttenberg, I'll adore this movie forever. Cause what says "The 80s" more than Steve Guttenberg?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greg Clark 

 

ETA: Bet you $10 right now that the monster/alien/whatever is misunderstood. It's not taking the dogs, they're running away. Military thinks it's dangerous, but the kids know the truth! It's IRON GIANT, except live action!

Bingo! I got a real Iron Giant vibe from the trailer too, which is both good and bad for this movie. Good, because I loves me some Iron Giant, but Bad, because Super 8 will probably suffer by comparison.

Yeah, the dogs are definitely just running away. Looks like a longer version of the super bowl ad, which is to say, it looks good.

Agreed, mainly because I don't see Abrams pulling off a scene like this:

Just chiming in to say I had the same vibe from the trailer - not one of "utter dread," but of a lot of people experiencing fear of the imagined and unknown, and that the alien(s) would be on the run, doing some defensive asskicking but not evil.

It'll be interesting to see if Abrams can make a better Spielberg movie than Spielberg these days, though.

You weren't the only one hoping for the alien to be friendly, Elizabeth. Not that the idea of the alien being hostile takes away my excitement for Super 8, and not that I'm likely to ever get tired of aliens wanting to kill us, but all the same I'd really like to see more filmmakers interpret the alien encounter as something other than a small-scope fight for survival or a planet-consuming war. And with the E.T. comparisons I'd heard hear and there, I felt kind of optimistic that that's the direction Super 8 would go. We're not curious, hopeful people anymore, though (so it seems)-- we're paranoid and we fear interactions with foreign entities that wish us harm. So our aliens are conquest-hungry or unknowable, amoral creatures that we just don't understand. That's fine with me.

Seems really, really solid, and could surprise everybody and be a truly magnificent piece of pop sci-fi. My interest in this just shot up ten fold.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greg Clark 

Yup, it's Cocoon. If the jaguar shark or whatever it is turns out to be Steve Guttenberg, I'll adore this movie forever. Cause what says "The 80s" more than Steve Guttenberg?

The opening notes over the logos sound like Jim's theme from EMPIRE OF THE SUN.

Kyle Chandler needs to be in more movies, of that I am certain. I'd be curious about a test....someone takes out the 'from Spielberg' and 'directed by J.J. Abrams' cards, runs the trailer for a bunch of people who aren't like us (that is to say, the entire population) and ask them, 'Who directed this?', would we get Spielberg? Granted that test can be fucked up because he's about the only director anyone knows, but still...

Dollars to donuts there's a misunderstood alien going on here. It just wants to get home, etc, etc. The theme will be the unfounded fear of the foreigners, anything different is automatically branded a threat from the all knowing US government and the kids get to teach the world its insane ways. I wonder what the developed (ha! they had to develop movies back then...) will reveal about our aliens.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greg Clark 

Most Abrams-y part about it (apart from the lens flares): The completely random and gratuitous ass shot at around 1:43. It's doing the whole "Epic epic of epicy epicness" shot buildup, and right in the middle: ASS SHOT. Even when the whole town's in danger and taking refuge in a gym, hot mom can still walk that walk!

Thanks Greg... a shot that probably would've just passed me by is now one I found impossible to ignore.  Though, what about that shot comes across as "Abrams-y'?  Has he done that in other movies/trailers?

This was a niiiiiice trailer; the kind that I feel we don't see much of anymore unless it comes from Nolan.  No manufactured 'epic' trailer music.  Just something moody, ominous, and even wondrous.  I really love that the trailer ends with the kid going "What the hell?"  Granted, it's not anywhere near the most offensive thing a kid can say... but it makes me hope for child performances that will be on the level of ET where kids got to be kids. 

PENIS-BREATH!

EDIT: The trailer's music actually reminds me of Don Davis' score for The Matrix.

Digging the hell out of this trailer. What had me at the Super Bowl commercial was the expectation that Abrams' sense for story and characters would put a fresh spin on the 80s Amblin Spielberg style. Nothing in this trailer has me further convinced the movie will succeed along those lines, but nothing has me thinking it will fail either. In other words-- I'm stoked but I'm not 100% sure why.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcnooj82 

Thanks Greg... a shot that probably would've just passed me by is now one I found impossible to ignore.  Though, what about that shot comes across as "Abrams-y'?  Has he done that in other movies/trailers?

I was reminded of the intro shot of Uhura in Star Trek, mainly. It's just such an obviously "SEXY SHOT" that only Abrams would have put it there. Man can't turn down a sexy shot.

If the alien is malicious and not misunderstood, SUPER 8 might satisfy the 30 year "What if..." story of Spielberg's original idea for ET- NIGHT SKIES [if SIGNS didn't do that already].

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greg Clark 

I was reminded of the intro shot of Uhura in Star Trek, mainly. It's just such an obviously "SEXY SHOT" that only Abrams would have put it there. Man can't turn down a sexy shot.

That is indeed a sexy shot that would fit right in with a space-age Boogie Nights!  I love how it starts with us seeing her in reflections.

I don't have much love for Abrams, and Spielberg holds a relatively nominal position in the halcyon days of my youth, so I'm trying to find an "in" here in terms of the aesthetic and mood the film is attempting to evoke. So far in this little ad campaign, the central mystery isn't framed by anything that's of interest to me. 

I really loved that trailer.  Verye xcited for this one.  Especially glad that they got a bunch of kids who I don't recognize, save for Dakota's lil sis.

This looks awesome to me. 

Seeing how it's one of the few "original/nonadaptations" coming out this summer, I'm looking forward to it.  It's got the whole 80's Spielberg and/or Dante sheen to it, which I like. 

I dunno, maybe I am overly cynical.  Considering it's obviously not trying to hide its attempt to recapture the magic of mid 70's/early 80's Spielberg, that's not what takes it over the top for me.  As dumb as it sounds, what takes it over the top for me is the super 8 aspect.  I imagine Abrams straining so hard to evoke this kind of Spielbergian mythos, that the only thing he could imagine for his child protagonist was his image of the young Spielberg himself.  Although the kid could be him, or any budding filmmaker, the point is the meta aspect of it highlights, to my mind, why this feels overly calculated.  I feel like the Steven Spielbergs of the world watched the spectacle of old Hollywood, and it inspired them to imagine new worlds; worlds that they would create out of cloth and cardboard, if necessary.  I feel like the JJ Abrams of the world grew up watching the spectacle of Steven Spielberg, and it inspired them to try to become the next Steven Spielberg.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bailey 
  I feel like the Steven Spielbergs of the world watched the spectacle of old Hollywood, and it inspired them to imagine new worlds; worlds that they would create out of cloth and cardboard, if necessary.  I feel like the JJ Abrams of the world grew up watching the spectacle of Steven Spielberg, and it inspired them to try to become the next Steven Spielberg.

That's a criticism that has been made of this recent generation of younger filmmakers.  I'm looking forward to the film, but I definitely think your feelings above are valid.

I really hope it's an actual bloodthirsty monster and the kids decide to go after it, Monster Squad style. 

I like the look and feel of this a lot. It seems like a massive throwback, but of the good kind.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ratty 

Seeing how it's one of the few "original/nonadaptations" coming out this summer, I'm looking forward to it.  It's got the whole 80's Spielberg and/or Dante sheen to it, which I like. 

This is pretty much the way I feel about it.  I'll go see it.

Im in. But I'm almost praying they go the misunderstood alien visitor route. I love destruction much as the next guy, but goddamn do we need a new statement on that matter that doesn't treat the unknown as something to fear.

The thing I'm most looking forward to is the return of the "fat kid in the group" troupe. Every movies needs a Chunk / Horace / etc... 

God I miss 80's Spielberg

They're missing a Data/Short Round.  Where's the token minority friend?
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by AtomTastic 

The thing I'm most looking forward to is the return of the "fat kid in the group" troupe. Every movies needs a Chunk / Horace / etc... 

BTW, not to give Abrams credit where he doesn't deserve it, but given how much this movie is obviously going to be about childhood, was I the only one whose reaction to the "gratuitous" ass shot was that it was from the viewpoint of the kid, or at least meant to evoke something we all did as young boys when watching a woman walk away from us?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bailey 

BTW, not to give Abrams credit where he doesn't deserve it, but given how much this movie is obviously going to be about childhood, was I the only one whose reaction to the "gratuitous" ass shot was that it was from the viewpoint of the kid, or at least meant to evoke something we all did as young boys when watching a woman walk away from us?

As young boys?
 

Happened in Monster Squad with the kids and the picture of that one girl.

Quote:

Originally Posted by joeypants 

 

As young boys?
 

 

I'm confused by your confusion.  I was fascinated by the tight skirts of my third grade teacher.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Justin Clark 

Im in. But I'm almost praying they go the misunderstood alien visitor route. I love destruction much as the next guy, but goddamn do we need a new statement on that matter that doesn't treat the unknown as something to fear.

Yeah but im not so sure I need another government is evil and is hiding aliens from us retread. I might be more into the whole nice alien thing if we got more good "bad aliens" films. Really the last good "evil aliens" film I saw was War of the Worlds. Since then the only other good aliens film was District 9 and I guess Monsters technically qualifies. Both from the misunderstood camp. However it turns out though im prettty sure im going to be there.