7.7 | / 10 |
Users | 4.2 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.4 |
During the summer of 1979, a group of friends witness a train crash and investigate subsequent unexplained events in their small town.
Starring: Kyle Chandler, Elle Fanning, Joel Courtney, Gabriel Basso, Noah EmmerichAdventure | 100% |
Sci-Fi | 95% |
Period | 41% |
Thriller | 38% |
Teen | 31% |
Mystery | 26% |
Coming of age | 26% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy (on disc)
DVD copy
BD-Live
D-Box
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Bad things happen, but you can still live.
J.J. Abrams has moved on from "flavor of the week," has excelled far beyond "flash in the pan," and has proven to be every bit the "next big thing"
and
that he's definitely here to stay. And there couldn't be better news for fans of original thinking and great vision in a modern day Hollywood
that's almost otherwise devoid of both. His storytelling ability, creativity, and naturally keen sense of filmmaking authenticity have turned him into
one of
Tinseltown's elite. His "Lost" is the very definition of sensational television. It was arguably the best,
most complex, most comprehensive, most enthralling, and best-conceived program ever made. His Mission: Impossible III positively defines the summer Action movie
spectacle. His Star Trek did the seemingly impossible, revitalizing and at the same
time
both re-imagining and staying true to the roots of a longstanding and unequivocally adored franchise. His latest, Super 8, is a movie that
brings childhood fantasy to life. It's a movie born of a youthful imagination, a throwback picture that's modern-slick but classic fun. It's the
fantastic
personified, a picture that embodies everything that's good about the connection between filmed entertainment and the human imagination. Isn't
that what moviemaking is really all about?
Let's make a movie.
Super 8's 1080p Blu-ray transfer is typical of Paramount new releases. It's gorgeous. This is a beautifully filmic transfer that retains a very light and balanced layer of grain that accentuates all the positives and gives it that fresh-from-theaters veneer. Colors are many, vibrant, and balanced. The palette is extremely well balanced, even if the movie favors a very slight warmth, which carries over to what are sometimes slightly rosy or bronze flesh tones. Black levels are exceptional, appearing deep and accurate but never crushing out fine foreground details. Clarity is superb, which in turn aids in the transfer's ability to yield balanced details and textures throughout. Clothing and faces take on natural, almost tactile textures, while general objects around the frame -- brick façades, weathered wear and tear on painted surfaces, clumps of trees and other outdoor vegetation -- are all wonderfully complex and realistic. The image also yields fine natural depth, which is evident even in the film's many dark, nighttime segments. It's a rather basic image, but that doesn't take away from the sheer beauty of it. This is one of those transfers that so wonderfully captures the essence of the theatrical presentation for home viewing, which is part of what Blu-ray is all about and everything a modern release should be.
Super 8's Dolby TrueHD 7.1 lossless soundtrack is the stuff of Blu-ray legend. This is one stout, enveloping, energized, satisfying, and dare
say
perfect listen. The track handles both extremes and everything in between with equal flair, vigor, and authenticity. The track yields
phenomenal ambience throughout. The light background clatter and chatter at the funeral home as heard at film's start practically transports the
listener to the somber locale. Light background music in a diner plays with a realistic authenticity that might have listeners believing the jukebox is in
the house, not on the disc. Outdoor ambience is wonderful, too, whether the din of a small town floating on by in the background or the most delicate
trace of a chilly wind blowing through the soundstage. On the other end, the track delivers a wonderfully robust low end that will test the limits of the
subwoofer, wake the neighbors, and plaster a smile across the faces of every listener. Whether heavy footsteps on an old rickety wooden platform at
the
train station or the sounds of destruction and chaos that define the film's climactic action scene, there's no shortage of crisp, accurate, and deep bass.
The surround channels are extensively used in support of the film's action, ambience, and satisfyingly spacious and crisp music, both score and
popular alike.
Indeed, sounds maneuver through the listening area with such ease and natural flow that the listener will be pulled into every scene, whether in
Charles'
bustling and loud house or in the streets of Lillian that have transformed into a war zone. The track amazingly excels no matter the scene, even
when it
goes practically silent save for the ever-so-slight buzzing of an electric sign outside of a gas station in chapter six.
But for all the wonderful moments in Paramount's champion lossless soundtrack, there's one that stands above the rest: the train derailment
sequence. It's not only the highlight of this track, it's a sonic marvel and a perfectly engineered moment that's frighteningly authentic, devastatingly
potent, and chillingly enveloping, all of which make it, arguably, the finest demo-worthy scene ever. The scene yields incredibly tight
and heavy bass. It offers a terrifyingly immersive structure that takes full advantage of all seven speakers, sending everything from debris to
complete
train cars, from whooshing fire to screaming children, all over the listening area. Both the bass and the seamless directional effects come together in
perfect harmony to create a sonic marvel, a naturally high-energy, eardrum-devastating, and infinitely enjoyable moment, a powerhouse scene that
should be the reference audio clip for some time. But what's perhaps best about this track is that, for as wonderful a moment as this is, it
doesn't feel detached from the rest of the presentation. The track is so well-engineered and the movie so well-constructed that the entire thing just
works together seamlessly, from this moment all the way down to that flickering sign in an otherwise silent environment. Supported by perfect
center-focused dialogue
that's never garbled or lost under the heavy effects, Paramount's track is an unequivocal winner and is well on its way to being the year's finest.
Super 8 arrives on Blu-ray packed with extras, including a good audio commentary track, several high quality featurettes, and plenty of
deleted scenes.
Super 8 may represent the very essence of cinema. It's thrillingly escapist but grounded in real human drama and emotion. It has characterization to spare, wonderful acting, and perfect chemistry between its child leads. It boasts fantastic visual effects and all those glorious production values! that make a movie complete. It's basically a movie that embodies all of those simple elements that Charles wants to incorporate into his own Super 8 movie, and one can't help but wonder how much of J.J. Abrams' own childhood has found its way into Charles and his filmmaking buddies. Super 8 shows just how simple a formula it really is to make a good movie. It's all about heart, plot, and characters, with its supporting elements just that, supporting the bigger picture that's superficially dominated by the film's scope and special effects but thematically overwhelmed by the core story. Indeed, Super 8 is the embodiment of that one-word definition -- balance -- and is also positively a joy to watch and a modern marvel of real, genuine filmmaking. Paramount's Blu-ray release of Super 8 is every bit as excellent as the movie. Perfect video, perfect audio, and a nice assortment of extras round this into one of the year's finest must-own releases. Super 8 earns my highest recommendation.
2016
1984
40th Anniversary Edition
1977
2023
2018
2017
2012
45th Anniversary
1979
1991
2014
Includes "Silent Space" version
2013
The Remastered Collection
1978-1980
2014
45th Anniversary Edition
1978
20th Anniversary Edition
1996
2007
2009
2012
50th Anniversary Special
2013
2005