 | MOVIE DETAILS • Name: Summer of 84 • Year: 2018 • Country: USA, Canada • Director: François Simard, Anouk Whissell, Yoann-Karl Whissell • Main cast: Graham Verchere, Judah Lewis, Caleb Emery, Cory Grüter-Andrew • Runtime: 105 minutes • Production company: Brightlight Pictures, Gunpowder & Sky • TRAILER
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I must admit I’m starting to get a little bit tired of all this retro 1980s revival the fantasy and horror genres is having. TV series like Stranger Things (2016– ), instant cult classic Kung Fury (2015,) or J.J. Abrams’ Super 8 (2011) opened a door that brought some nice benefits that seem pretty hard to close right now. Many not so decent ideas are mistaken as innovative plots only because they remind a big portion of the audience of their young ages. And the big movie bosses know that the current time’s potential targets are the 80s teenagers. But some of us never was too keen on this retro revival, plus I think it’s already a little bit dead by overuse.
After a good bunch of low budget short films and collaborations, the first movie by the tandem formed by filmmakers François Simard, Anouk Whissell and Yoann-Karl Whissell, who call themselves Roadkill Superstar (RKSS), was that successful underground retro horror fantasy flick called Turbo Kid (2015). Yep, I bet you heard about it. Many people love Turbo Kid (2015) but it was pretty meh to me. I expected much more. The characters were powerful and some action gory sequences were interesting, but for me, the movie was closer to an amateurish experiment. Now, with Summer of 84 (2018), the RKSS guys have become serious filmmakers. I think this new title might disappoint some of the Turbo Kid (2015) fans, but on the other side, it can win the sector of the audience that didn’t bite for their debut film. Summer of 84 (2018) is a serious serial killer thriller. It has its comedy side, and it’s fresh, but it’s not a game. Placed in the summer of 1984, in a middle class American little town, the story is carried by a group of 15 years old kids. But although the situations and actions are done by immature people, the movie is not childish or silly.
Besides the soundtrack, made by the same people who composed the score for Turbo Kid (2015), and some of the items the characters use, this is not a movie based on waking up the 1980s nostalgia of the audience. In a technical way, cinematography, editing and storytelling are way far from the RKSS earlier works, being this a very mature film. In my opinion, the story was lacking some surprises, a little bit of spice, but the good hand of the filmmakers to carry on with the movie and the very good performances or the actors, especially the teenage ones, make this movie an entertaining piece.
I can understand Turbo Kid (2015) has a stronger personality, but in all the ways Summer of 84 (2018) is a much better movie.
RATE: 6/10
IMDB URL: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5774450
