It’s interesting to see that two of the movies we viewed last month are, quite fortuitously, veritable Siamese twins in the sci-fi spirit they share, particularly the inspiration they both derive from Steven Spielberg’s seminal film about humans and aliens from outer space, “E.T.”
Violent visitor
The first of the two to be shown here, “Paul,” was a loving spoof showing the stranded extraterrestrial in middle age, while the second, “Super 8,” which is still showing, is about a group of film-crazy teens who are assaulted by a much more violent visitor from outer space.
“Super 8” is made even more trendily appealing by the fact that it’s about the adventures of a group of young filmmakers. It’s a sort of fond reference or even “homage” to the fact that Steven Spielberg himself started making movies while still very young, and that his first “garage” production was a “homemade” sci-fi caper.
It’s no accident that, in all three films, the characters with the most admirably open-minded attitude and outlook are the children. Thus do they caution adult viewers that “maturity” can be a liability instead of an asset, if it leads to calcification of attitudes and a fear of “others,” instead of genuine liberation.
To be sure, “Super 8” is too heavily canted in favor of its young characters who appear incapable of doing anything wrong.
Also overly facile is the fiction that kids can get themselves out of the stickiest jams and other tight situations simply because they have the angels on their side.
Despite these facile and downright fantastic sleights of film, however, “Super 8” still connects even with adult viewers, because the young characters are depicted in an endearingly empathetic way.
The actors who play them have a lot to do in effecting this all-important personal connection, and they should be lauded for focusing on believability rather than excessive cuteness and overly precieuse precocity in their portrayals.
After viewing or recalling these three “conjoined” productions, it’s impressive to see that “E.T.” was so deftly and organically conceived and executed that it not only has remained viewable after several decades, but has also had such a strong seminal influence on subsequent movies and their makers!