It was. Box Office Mojo was pretty snarky about it:
Abrams and company act like people want to see movies that they don't know much about, when it's actually story that drives moviegoing, helping people to make decisions with their hard-earned money. Given how pedestrian Super 8 has turned out in its ads, the mystery angle seems like a ruse to disguise that there's no there there. Note to Abrams: Though people didn't literally see the shark in Jaws until near the end of the movie, they still knew it was a shark before buying tickets.
I might be anticipating some schadenfreude.
It looks kind of like Abrams playing follow-the-leader with M. Night Shayamalan's approach to filmmaking/marketing to me. But I figure the train wreck ought to look pretty impressive on a big screen, and Kyle Chandler can always be counted on for an enjoyable performance.
I thought the reviews for Super 8 had been very positive.
Also, I would like J. J. Abrams to keep making Star Trek movies.
They're more positive than negative, but there's a pretty wide range. The positive reviews say it's a fun tribute to Spielberg movies, and the characters are more interesting than the story. The negative reviews say it's a calculated imitation of Spielberg movies, and the characters are more interesting than the story.
I suppose it depends on how much you like Spielberg. And lens flare.
I suppose it depends on how much you like Spielberg. And lens flare.
My coworker was excited about seeing it and said to me, "It's supposed to be very much like a Speilberg movie." I was all, "That's supposed to make me want to go?"
Owen Gleiberman loved it, and I agree with him more often than not, so I'm looking forward to it. If Lisa Schwarzbaum had reviewed it I'd be much more wary.
Edit: Damn! Never mind, it was Schwarzbaum. Consider me wary.
Aw. I love a lot of love for
Close Encounters
and
Raiders
and
Jaws.
I think
Schindler's List
is an excellent movie, too, even if I don't particularly want to see it again.
And I love
Jurassic Park
with an unholy love.
Yeah, I'm a Spielberg fan. And a J.J. Abrams fan. And a Kyle Chandler fan.
Jurassic Park is a really good movie, and I don't generally lke Speilberg. And the book is really good, and I don't generally like Michael Crichton. I have watched and read multiple times, and it is weird.
