Paramount Pictures delivers a MINT! 4K version of J.J. Abrams’ nostalgia drenched, Spielberg homage, Super 8, and while I know some people take issue with his visual style, especially those lens flares, and aren’t always keen on his storytelling, this film delighted me, and spoke to me, as I could see myself up there on the screen in the form of the young protaganists of the film.

Against a tragic backdrop, a group of kids who are spending the summer working on making a super 8 movie to enter in a competition are drawn into a mystery in their home town when an Air Force train crashes and something escapes…

Coming along before Stranger Things, which would also tap into the nostalgia of early Spielberg (and King) and the 80s, Super 8 is very much a love letter to the Spielbergian films of the 70s and 80s. It takes its cues from Close Encounters, E.T., The Goonies and more, its a big budget adventure that never loses its heart. The young characters appealed to me because this is who I was as a kid, movie fans, slightly misunderstood by parents, and big dreams.

The kids were brought to life by a group of young actors; Elle Fanning, Joel Courtney, Ryan Lee, Zach Mills, Riley Griffiths and Gabriel Basso – they have a great chemistry, share some great banter which feels authentic, and react just as I imagine my friends and I would have should we have found ourselves in similar circumstances.

The adult suporting cast includes Kyle Chandler, Ron Eldard, Joel McKinnon Miller, and Noah Emmerich. But it’s very much the kids’ show, and its so much fun to lose myself in it, once again.

This is very much a throwback film, very much in the vein of the 80s adventure films that Spielberg and his company, Amblin were famous for. Having Spielberg and Amblin involved in this one just makes it all the more enjoyable, and poignant.

Super 8 was a real joy for me, and the 4K upgrade was completely worth it, I love how the picture looks, and the sound coming from this production is immense (Production Value!). The disc also comes loaded up with all the extras that were included in the original blu-ray release, which includes a commentary by Abrams.

It’s funny to think that a couple of years ago I wasn’t keen on the idea of 4K, I didn’t like the idea of a picture so cleaned up that you lost the texture of the film, or that a picture was so crystal clear that it was just too sharp. Having seen the way some classic films have been cleaned up (and preserved because of it), well, let’s just say I’ve been won over, and Super 8, a modern classic looks simply stunning, and will be one I watch again, and again.

Super 8 is available now from Paramount Canada!