#2 best movie? Super 8!

#2 ‘Super 8’

At a point in his career, Abrams took a step away from franchises to create his own original film — that film was 2011’s ‘Super 8’. Inspired by Steven Spielberg’s‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’, even having Spielberg produce, ‘Super 8’ is the most emotionally resonant film Abrams has ever made. While the film performed fairly well with critics and at the box office, it did not nearly achieve the heights I thought it would, leaving ‘Super 8’ as Abrams’ most-underrated film. Based on two film concepts Abrams was attracted to, an alien invasion film and a film about children in the 80s trying to make a movie. Abrams combined the two ideas to create what we know now as ‘Super 8’.

The action sequences are intense and spectacular, the dialogue is quick and clever, and the visual and special effects are exceptional. The train crash scene is one of the most memorable and intense sequences I’ve seen. The backbone of the film is not the spectacle however, the film is elevated by the characters and performances. ‘Super 8’ has some of the best child performances of any film — Joel Courtney, of ‘The Kissing Booth’ as our lead Joe captivates the audiences more than many adult actors do. His relationship with his father, played by Kyle Chandler, will pull on your heartstrings in ways you weren’t expecting. 

Elle Fanning, of ‘The Neon Demon’, is heartbreaking in the role of Alice and launched her career to new heights after the release of ‘Super 8’. Each featured character in the film is handled with care and given an emotional journey that satisfies. The final scene of the film has one of my favorite instances of visual storytelling in Cinema — I cannot say enough about how incredible ‘Super 8’ is.