Toooootally brings back memories of the tv show Weirder Objects starring Bobby Brown's daughter Millie
Hmmm.. So the story is pretty cliched, which maybe can be excused because it’s already an 80’s throwback film anyway, but..
It’s taking a pretty long time to get to the finale when there is a pretty big tonal shift which just doesn’t feel right. I think this sours the whole experience (horror or not) for most people.
Summer of 84 is another addition in this (tiresome) 80’s retro-wave, so if you are feeling nostalgic, this wouldn’t be my first choice.
Nails the 80's vibe, has a decent story, and has a good cast of kids. Very enjoyable, and while the ending will prove divisive amongst many, I give full kudos to the director's for taking such an unexpected and dark turn . Thoroughly recommended.
This movie was fucking awesome! Ending blew me away! Solid addition to this genre!
Well it was not a perfect movie. Something between Disturbia and Stranger Things. Second half of this movie I really enjoyed. Yes, sometimes it was boring and not that funny as supposed to be, but I liked it. Awesome music!
I enjoyed the heck out of this! Yes the idea has been done before but that doesn't mean it can't be a good film. The relationships between the group of teens was great and by towards the end i was hooked. If you like 80's throwbacks (like i do) this one is definitely worth a watch.
This movie would have been infinitely better if it wasn't for the really gross talk of porn, sex, and masturbation among the main group of kids in almost every conversation they had. I almost quit it for this reason, some of the ways they spoke about women was disgusting. Why was this a necessary part of the dialogue? It was so overbearing, what did it add to the story? Not to mention the romance sideplot between Davey and his ex-babysitter. How old is he meant to be 14? 15? and she is 18 heading to college, confiding in him, kissing him.. truly bizarre and uncomfortable. Not to mention there is 7 years difference between the two actors..when they shot this Graham Verchere (Davey) would have been 15 and Tiera Skovbye (Nikki) would have been 22? Their difference in age is obvious on screen. I'm pretty grossed out about it and it ruined what could have been an enjoyable thriller.
It was also trying way too hard to be Stranger Things / The Goonies / It and it just came across as very cliche: identical tropes, music, dress, dialogue. Expected more from this. I'm a vintage horror lover and the cool movie cover was what drew me in. A shame
What started as another tired 80's throwback movie, thanks to the success of Stranger Things. So, most of the time I was numb to it.
But then the ending happened...damn. It's dark and unexpected. It's the only part of the movie that stuck with me after it was over.
A good film that doesn't try to be anything unique. It's your cliche 80's setting film with a straightforward plot. If you're a fan of the 80s theme, then you'll enjoy this film. The ending was much better than I anticipated.
Not a "Stranger Things" imitation as so many comments are saying.
The film is about a group of young teenagers in a small town investigating the recent disappearances of children in their town, and search for evidence of a possible serial killer in their own neighborhood. The film is a more grounded, less nostalgic take on the 80s, when the fear and awareness of serial killers was at an all-time high. Summer of 84 pays tribute to tropes of film at the time in subtle-satisfying ways that do not detract from the overall experience.
A thoroughly enjoyable and thrilling ride from beginning to end. The synthwave soundtrack is especially effective at elevating tense scenes. Looking forward to seeing more from this group of directors in the future.
This movie takes advantage of the pull and success of the Stranger Things series. In fact, even music and credits seem too much
Good has the stranger things vipe :)
It was interesting. There were some things that didn't work that good in this movie though. The entire Nikki character was not needed (I mean what was her entire point???). The ending was brutal, but I think it can leave people wanting more, because it was not a closed end, which isn't that bad, but after spending that much time in this movie I would atleast have happy ending for atleast 1 character.
Summer of '84 is almost a good film but then it tries too hard to be likeable and winds up on the wrong side of annoying.
When Summer of '84 follows its heart, it's at its best. The way it maintains the mystery throughout most of the film is as well executed as a criminal in Texas, and the non-traditional ending is a wager that pays off against all odds.
But the over reliance on jump scares and the way the film feels like a Stranger Things tribute band keep the movie from becoming its best self. Not an unpleasant watch, but definitely a missed opportunity.
1 / 2 directing & technical aspect
1 / 1 story
1 / 1 act I
1 / 1 act II
1 / 1 act III
1 / 1 acting
1 / 1 writing
-1 / 1 originality
0 / 1 stays with you
0 / 1 misc
6 out of 10
one of the best movies I have seen in a long time.
Very exciting movie in the 80s setting. The soundtrack is great ... The end of the movie was unexpected and shocked me a little bit. 9 points.
decent movie kind of has a feel of stranger things tv show
RKSS Films, the three person team of Anouk Whissell, François Simard and Yoann-Karl Whissell, follow up 2015's Turbo Kid with another piece of 80s nostalgia, though this time with a heavy touch more realism, and a couple of debut writers in Matt Leslie and Stephen J. Smith. I enjoyed Turbo Kid a ton, so I was pretty hopeful for this film at announcement, though I was aware of it catching a lot of flak for how people perceived it as "ripping off" the success stories of Stranger Things and IT. And it's hard to deny the resemblance, particularly when you can't turn around without running into another 80s throwback flick these days. I can't say that it's worn its welcome out completely just yet, considering that plenty of good things have come from this retro resurgence so far, but I am curious how much more steam the movement has in it.
But let's step away from that and look at the matter at hand. Summer of '84 feels familiar in both good an bad ways. The slick, synth score is as enjoyable as one could hope for, and the camerawork makes use of a few movements that would feel at home in a movie from the time it portrays. In fact the film looks really nice in general; well captured, well lit, pretty nice set design that captures the era without feeling overblown. But it also feels cliché and derivative throughout the majority of the first two acts. The characters and scenarios are archetypes and tropes that could've been plucked straight out of any other 80s flick with ease, making much of the tale feel tired and forgettable in the shadow of films that have already done this, but better. It's rarely especially bad, but as rarely especially good. The cast of kids give alright performances, hampered more by a script that is trapped in a loop of immaturity and shallow references than any shortcomings of their own. There are some standout moments of character building for some of the side kids, focusing on difficult home lives and failing marriages, that give some welcome depth to the feature, though most of it is sort of "one and done", never bearing any impact on the greater plot. The story only really turns things around in the third act, which I simultaneously found refreshing for subverting expectations by going to some dark places, and frustrating for false ending multiple times, and ultimately not addressing the impact of the conclusion in any meaningful way. Instead it opts to just replay the hokey voice over that started the film before rolling right into the title card and credits, the adventurous synth theme accompaniment clashing blatantly with what should have been an absolutely somber ending.
I found the movie easy enough to keep my attention on; I was interested in the outcome and happy with the general craftsmanship of the film. Honestly, I think the responsibility for my problems all sit with the script, which was lacking in both in the dialogue and the scenario for me. It really feels like a surface level take on replicating someone's favorite 80s films, with a dark twist slapped onto the ending to give it some edge. The pieces are there that could have given it some emotional weight, but they're rushed over or simply forgotten. Combine this with some painfully expected but unrealistic character decisions, and the mysterious absence of any sense of urgency by most characters near the end of the film, just to allow for the set up of that one big scene...it's just so transparent, and it annoys me. Luckily for the film, it has competent directors in the chair and a cast that, while maybe not amazing, is plenty capable of playing their part. In that regard, you could do far worse than this for sure. I was hoping for a bit more than that though.
totally uninspired "Stranger Things" imitation without aliens. The story is boring.
Decent riff on what would happen if you combined "Stranger Things" with "Distrubia." Nothing ground breaking here, but well acted and entertaining. 8/10
“Fear street/ Stranger Things” ah movie
Loved the '80s setting, fun little movie resembling Disturbia. Nothing too groundbreaking but the ending was more brutal than expected.
i thought it was a slasher/murder thing. Thank God it wasn't so i was surprised from the beginning with the plot. Very nice vibes of 80s, common story, i will not spoil the ending but yes i was expecting a twist.
I really enjoy it, yes i could deal with a sequel. Make more movies like this, don't care are not prototype and are common just no more multiverse!
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Summer of 84’:
It was as if The ‘Burbs, Fright Night, and Stranger Things melded together. Which sounds awesome… until a little Goosebumps is thrown into the mix. Much of this film felt like amateur hour.
Basically, I was fairly bored and unimpressed by the first half, and gradually became more invested in the second. The ending was actually pretty damn strong and almost felt like it was connected to a different movie. The one and only kill of the film was quite a shocker. If the entire film had these vibes and stakes, it would’ve been so much stronger.
The brief glimpses we got into the kids’ lives and backstory barely offered us any depth. More fleshed-out main characters would’ve made them (and the movie) more memorable.
The movie was going into the right direction, but that ending was atrocious.
As of what I make of this movie is that,the makers of the film were trying to keep it up as a film which was unlike most horror flicks(turning out to be as expected).
On my account I would like to share the good vs bad about this could have been one of the greatest films(horror/mystery) of all time.
Let me start with the good as the bad part of the film was the only thing that kept it from being a cult classic
Good- 1)All characters were moulded in such a way that they were convincing and likeable as of what the story desired.
2) Performances by all the characters were on point.
3) The film was set under a perfect backdrop and the protagonist's alibi in the very beginning proves it watchable.
4) Background score was also robust.
5)Perfect length for a horror film with great pacing.
Now the bad aspects which led to the downfall
1) There were many plotholes for a movie which is deals with mystery as it's contemporary genre.
2) The makers of the film were so engrossed in making this film as a noteworthy filmography persona by not being a cliche film that they left the focus on unwinding the gritty truth.
3)The finale of the film directly jumps to a bloody conclusion which could have been more sadistically elaborated considering the genre it being in.
4) Character of Nikki was though her performance being respectable was not needed.
5)The major flaw this film carried was in its insight incidents which for most part of the film never provided as a film being categorised in a mystery thriller should have engrossed in.
6)Considering the main plot and idea of the story if the director had just had patience with the above details and had he dragged the film to be in the time period of 2 hours and 15 minutes it would have been a impeccable gem.
Long Story short this was the biggest opportunity missed by the makers to make this film quite possibly the best of its time or maybe best of all time and that is serious from my humble opinion.
bad choice of voices in Italian. between The Goonies and It, but superficial. only one good thing: the suspended ending. really not very credible actors (but I think dubbing has a lot of influence on this aspect).
Somehow I wasn't able to identify with the characters alot. Most of the movie is super predictable while the end is pretty weird.any actions annoyed me as they were not logical, additionally the movie seemed to skip important parts or keep them too short.
It had a good atmosphere but way more potential to be a very good movie, but it didn't use it.
See for yourself, maybe you think different...
With a development too close to the young audience during the first part of the film, it does not correctly make the final turn, so you do not end up believing the characters or the end
The final act took too long to play out, but otherwise it was a pretty middle of the road, predictable 80s nostalgia piece.
Schöner Abstecher in die 80er Jahre mit großartiger Spannungskurve!
It's well done and fairly effective. I especially dug the ending and the atmosphere. But how many times do we REALLY have to riff on Stranger Things...? And while we're at it how many versions of Rear Window can we really do?
this one begin's very slowly :) let's see the picture :) see you later :) look's cool :)
Shout by MarinkaBlockedParent2020-06-17T08:14:18Z
Good movie with an eerie ending. It reminded me of IT and Stranger Things with that eighties vibe and a group of kids at the center of it all. Surprised me with that unsettling ending and I certainly didn't think Woody was going to die!