Miscellaneous Movie Musings the Sequel

[innerSpaceman]

I've heard a bit about the Rubik's Cube mistake, but where in the film does it say the action takes place in 1979? Not there. Sorry, but if it's in the production materials, but not in the movie - then the time period is not nailed down at all.

The movie takes place in a general time period of late '70's, early '80's - and Abrams nailed the cinematographic look and the pacing of the Speilberg films this movie so plainly salutes. It's been noted, quite correctly, to be a mashup of elements from Close Encounters, Jaws, E.T. and The Goonies.


Um, The Goonies?? Yeah, it's got a lot in common with that movie - which, um folks, is not a Spielberg film any more than Super 8 is (he was executive producer on Goonies, and had a story credit; he's a producer on Super 8).

Super 8 is about a thousand times better than The Goonies, imo, but doesn't nearly reach the glory of any of those Steven Spielberg movies named. No matter ... it's a charming and entertaining film. Well-paced, well-acted (the two lead kids are great), mushy in all the right places, thrilling in many others.

I've heard complaints the ending is a bit of a let-down, but I thought the whole thing was by-the-book from start to finish. The sci-fi plot is the barest of McGuffins and so what? I was not disappointed with the obvious finale in such an obvious homage to films of 30 years ago.

I'm with Alex in that Super 8 likely won't be staying with me in anything remotely the way the early Spielberg films did. But I thoroughly enjoyed it ... and the train wreck was ultra rad.

[Alex]

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

I've heard a bit about the Rubik's Cube mistake, but where in the film does it say the action takes place in 1979? Not there. Sorry, but if it's in the production materials, but not in the movie - then the time period is not nailed down at all.

It's there in the movie. On the head stone mom's date of death is given as February 1979 and the events of the movie take place (per the title after the funeral scene) four months later. Also, during another scene Walter Cronkite is on the TV reporting on Three Mile Island (which was April 1979 though this is less conclusive since you could always say he was doing some type of follow up).

The movie definitely sets itself in June 1979. Further support (though again not at all conclusive on its own), "My Sharona" was released in June 1979.


Not that the Rubik's Cube thing is that big of a deal. It was just something that caught my attention because I thought by then the movie, though still date uncertain at that point was definitely more '70s feeling and I was wondering if I was wrong about when Rubik's Cubes first hit.