Super 8
Netflix | Amazon | Epix
DVD | Blu-ray
Directed by J.J. Abrams
Starring Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, Kyle Chandler, Riley Griffiths, Ryan Lee, Ron Eldard, Noah Emmerich, Glynn Turman
Paramount Pictures
Originally Released: June 9, 2011

After dealing with the tragic decision of viewing the should-have-been-an-abortion movie called Skyline, I really needed something to wash the remnants of shit out of my mouth. That film in the last streaming review was so terrible, I have been stuck in an almost catatonic state for the duration of week, rocking back and forth, weeping for my teddy bear and soiling my pants.

Cheers to the wonder that is J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg, for it was the epic science fiction movie Super 8, evoking a potent injection of nostalgia, which came to my rescue. From the opening sequence, I began feeling the haze of depression leave my tortured brain, in a manner that was akin to the pins-and-needles sensation of circulation returning to an appendage that was numbed.

The digital rental deal of the day over at Amazon today is Super 8 for only $.99.

This deal is valid only for today, Thursday, January 5, 2012, until 11:59pm PST. Once you activate the rental through Amazon’s Instant Video on demand service, you’ll have access to the movie for 24 hours. If you’re interested in purchasing the digital version, the cost is $14.99.

Also, if you’d like to own a physical copy of Super 8, the Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack is available for $22.99 while the DVD is $17.09. The Blu-ray edition is part of Amazon’s “Buy This DVD and Watch it Instantly” program “” you get the film as a FREE digital rental you can watch immediately when your purchase the physical copy.

Super 8
Directed by J.J. Abrams
Starring: Kyle Chandler, Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, Riley Griffiths, Gabriel Basso, Ryan Lee, Zach Mills, Ron Eldard
Release Date: June 10, 2011
 
In the general dismay of cinema during these hot summer months there is a movie hopeful enough to fly upon the road toward originality. It despises most stupidity and harbors and displays a profound contempt for the immense reluctance directors and screenwriters exhibit when trying to craft a “refreshing” summer film. Super 8 swerves sharply in its walk, detaching itself from the summer films that find it a necessity to stir its audience into a panic via overwhelming action scenes, and passes other uninspiring films because it never shows a reluctance to engage with the consciousness, sensibilities, and behaviors found evident in all children. By engaging itself in this childhood realm the film approaches an innocence unrealized in mainstream cinema and doesn’t hesitate in grasping it. The results are penetrating, illuminating, and ultimately moving.
 
Director and screenwriter J.J. Abrams is working in rarefied air for the bulk of his third feature (Mission Impossible III and Star Trek his other features), exclusively occupying Super 8 in a space where only Mr. Steven Spielberg, this film’s producer, successfully prevailed in films such as E.T. and The Goonies. Embarking on a journey to capture the essential emotions found thriving in children is a task that is difficult to exactly pinpoint and to make it engaging for an adult crowd is even more difficult.