MOVIE REVIEW: CLOVERFIELD

[MattBrady]

<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/movies/Cloverfield/onesheet.jpg" border="0" width="225" height="333" align=right hspace=5><i>by Steve Fritz</I>

By now just about everyone knows the trailer for <I>Cloverfield</I>.

Via a handheld digital camera, you see New Yorkers anxiously milling about a side street wondering just what in the world is going on. There’s an explosion, what looks like a meteor arcing across the steel towers of Gotham, and it crash landing on said street causing all kinds of damage as it tears a ton of prime real estate.

Then the last shot shows that the debris that was seen arcing across the sky is the head of the Statue of Liberty, or what’s left of it.

As one can imagine, when this clip was unleashed as a preview during <I>The Transformers</I> last year, it caused more than its share of buzz. As it turns out, that was purely intentional. After all, Paramount Pictures and creator JJ Abrams (<I>Lost, Alias, MI:3</I> and the upcoming <I>Star Trek</I>) have a lot of knowledge mining the fields of sci-fi, fantasy and horror fans. <i>Side note - yeah, the media machine has made Abrams the only name associated with Cloverfield (and this review isn't helping), but the film was directed by Matt Reeves and written by Drew Goddard - Abrams produced</i>.

But what’s important is what you didn’t see both before and after this clip. Before it, you have to endure a 20 minute, video taped party scene all shot from a true amateur’s video camera. It’s only in the last minute that the building the partiers are in starts to quake, forcing them all to run into the street.

What’s both incredibly pointed and wickedly evil, if you think about it, is what happens after Lady Liberty’s bust makes its run down a New York City avenue. After the dust settles, the first thing New Yorkers start doing is taking shots of the statue with their cel phones…and our personal cameraman is busy videotaping them taking and transmitting their shots.

At the end of that sequence is when we then get to see the Chrysler building implode on itself. It causes a sense of foreboding I personally hadn’t felt since I lived barely 20 miles away from the World Trade Center and on September 11 ran to my window to watch it collapse and a gigantic pillar of smoke rise up in its place. Believe me when I say it’s the most surreal and incredibly unnerving feeling you will ever have the misfortune to endure.

As pretty much everyone now knows, <I>Cloverfield</I> is Abrams reinterpretation of the Godzilla story.

“I began thinking, what if you were to see a monster the size of a skyscraper, but through the point of view of someone, relatively speaking, the size of a grain of sand?,” said Abrams. “To see it not from God’s eye or a director’s or from an omnipotent point of view.”

He also asked an interesting question to himself. If a giant monster attacked the city, wouldn’t people be documenting it (and then posting it on YouTube)?

<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/movies/Cloverfield/C-FX-00023.jpg" border="0" width="275" height="155" align=left hspace=5> What makes <I>Cloverfield</I> such a gut wrenching experience is he managed to pull it off. For the rest of this exceedingly short film (it clocks in at about 75 minutes) we follow six New Yorkers who must endure not only the Godzilla experience, but some of the nastier elements of <I>Alien</I> and <I>Escape From New York</I>. Abrams readily admits that he also borrows heavily from <I>Blair Witch</I>, as the film is shot exclusively from the point of view of one of the partiers and his video camera (he even admits that he’s doing it for “posterity”).

While the <I>Blair Witch</I> elements made my buddy hate the film in the end, I personally think <I>Cloverfield</I> has to be one of the most exciting and visually gripping films I’ve seen in ages. For the remaining near-hour of film footage, I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen. Yes, while it ran it made me feel like I did a couple of rounds with Muhammed Ali in his prime, but it also made me want to go back in the ring and endure it all again.

The genius behind Abrams’ madness is two-fold.

The first is the obvious. The camera techniques and special effects he uses end up feeling as dirty as watching <I>Saw</I>. Yes, Abrams employed an exceptionally talented crew of cameramen and FX gurus (some of whom are now working on the live action version of <I>Avatar</I>). He sets things up so that Hud, the cameraman who represents our point of view, never really gets a solid shot of the monster or its consequences. Abrams calls these shots “near misses” and in their own way do a lot to generate that gut level dread that is the core of the movie.

There’s also a subtext to the entire shooting process. It isn’t long before we realize Hud is shooting over a used tape. What’s underneath occasionally slips out, and it provides a subtext and eventually a second story that will end up nearly as important as the primary.

The other thing Abrams did is put together an extremely talented cast of future superstars. While all these actors have some serious chops, they are only now just starting to make names for themselves. Here’s the list of the six primary characters: Rob (Michael Stahl-David, who appeared in <I>The Black Donnellys</I>), Hud (TJ Miller, who apparently is a veteran standup), Lily (Jessica Lucas, who just joined <I>CSI</I>), Beth (Odette Yustman), Marlena (Lizzy Caplan, <I>Mean Girls</I>) and Jason (Mike Vogel (http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=143141), <I>Felicity</I>). How many of these names do you honestly recognize?

Because there is no one doing a star turn in the film, you end up believing them to be much more ordinary folk. Yes, they make some decisions that make you wonder. Still, I don’t think the film would have been any better if you had readily recognized name in the midst. Any dumb point in the plotting is quickly forgiven by the power of the acting of these six.

What is assured is when all is said and done, <I>Cloverfield</I> is going to go even further in establishing Abrams’ name. While there’s nothing in the film you haven’t seen before, per se, the way he and his people have managed to mix recognized ingredients and come up with something startlingly powerful bodes well for his future. If he manages to put this kind of innovation with well-used ingredients and successful experimentation in <I>Star Trek</I> as he does with this film, don’t be surprised if the Hollywood community starts talking about him in the same reverent tones as Lucas, Spielberg or Cameron.

Then again, there are many who canonized Abrams merely after seeing the advance clip. The big difference is after seeing <I>Cloverfield</I>, you realize that it just might be the case, and Abrams is the real deal.

[statnut]

I am so psyched for this!

[Blackbeard]

This reminds me... I need to ask my mom to watch the kids so I can go see this flick. :D

Can't wait.

[Spy_Smasher]

A very positive review. MIGHT make me rethink my decision to pass on the movie I have been dismissing as "Godzilla meets Blair Witch , duh."

[Kane Romita]

you are aware that Abrams didn't direct aren't you?

[sfritz]

I am so psyched for this!

Glad to jazz up the day of a fellow Mets fan. -s

[KingPagla]

The guy's name is Hud? Genius!

[Chris Noeth]

The movie will start on 31. January here in Germany... which really sucks because as soon as this thing is out in the states every board will have threads with information about the story and the look of the monster. It will be hard to miss this things before seeing the movie in the theater I think.

[sfritz]

you are aware that Abrams didn't direct aren't you?

Yep...but based on the material I was supplied, this still pretty much IS his movie. -s

[KingPagla]

Glad to jazz up the day of a fellow Mets fan. -s And where is this mysterious 6th burrough?
Yonkers?
PR?
DR?
Clearwater?

Edit: Just realized you're the Steve Fritz that wrote the review, so it's gotta be somewher in Jersey or LI.

[Simon DelMonte]

You've just saved me the time and money by telling me that we get to see another NYC building destroyed. It was hard enough sitting through some of I Am Legend, Two films with my town in ruins in two months? No thanks. It's hard enough not remembering 9/11 all the time as it is.

[Kevin T. Brown]

For the rest of this exceedingly short film (it clocks in at about 75 minutes)

Well, that's damn disappointing. I refuse to pay nearly $10 for a "short film". I'll either hit the VERY early show, or wait until it hits the cheap theatre.

[KoozyK]

abrams has a long way to go until i can feel comfortable putting his name in the same sentence as spielberg or cameron. this movie does nothing to push that.

[New Warrior]

I am pumped for this. I think it is going to be a great movie. It looks incredibly well done. I love the shots I have seen so far. Seeing it tomorrow. Thanks for the great review. I am even more excited about it now!!!

[Binker]

I wanted everyone to kow that the pics that Marius665 pposted is what the monster kinda looks like, but not 100%. What the monster truly looks like has been leaked online from one f the screenings via videocam. I have a freeze frame shot and a gif, so it moves, shot.

If you want to see 'em, and get yourself spoiled, let me know if you want me to post them here or PM'ed.

[KingPagla]

You've just saved me the time and money by telling me that we get to see another NYC building destroyed. It was hard enough sitting through some of I Am Legend, Two films with my town in ruins in two months? No thanks. It's hard enough not remembering 9/11 all the time as it is.
Understandable.
Watching some footage of the movie released last month or so, I got a little queasy.
There're shots of people running for shelter in a deli as white dust clouds roll by outside.
It was almost identical to some actual 9/11 footage I'd seen.
Clearly done on purpose, just like scenes in the original Godzilla must have freaked out the Japanese only 9 years after the nuclear bombings.

[transmetro]

Well, that's damn disappointing. I refuse to pay nearly $10 for a "short film". I'll either hit the VERY early show, or wait until it hits the cheap theatre.

I saw an early screening of the movie last night, and let me tell you, its worth your $10. By far the most suspenseful movie I've ever seen. Everyone needs to see this movie. Two thumbs up.

[th1nk]

I like when people are always saying, "WHY PICK NEW YORK?" Well, it's probably one of the most iconic citites in the world, and probably the most iconic in the USA. Would you want a monster to invade Baltimore or Springfield, Maine?

[th1nk]

AND QUIT POSTING SPOILERS! Damn people.

[spiderman196]

20 minutes of party? I will pass.

[Simon DelMonte]

I like when people are always saying, "WHY PICK NEW YORK?" Well, it's probably one of the most iconic citites in the world, and probably the most iconic in the USA. Would you want a monster to invade Baltimore or Springfield, Maine?

I get that. I Am Legend worked in part because of the familiarity of NYC landmarks. It wouldn't have been the same with even LA or Chicago. The only other cities that have that level of iconic look are Washington and San Francisco.

But after two films, WWH, and Sinestro Corps War, I wonder if it's time to pick on someone else.

[statnut]

You've just saved me the time and money by telling me that we get to see another NYC building destroyed. It was hard enough sitting through some of I Am Legend, Two films with my town in ruins in two months? No thanks. It's hard enough not remembering 9/11 all the time as it is.


I understand what you mean. I just try and keep in mind the fiction of it.

[dalunt]

abrams has a long way to go until i can feel comfortable putting his name in the same sentence as spielberg or cameron. this movie does nothing to push that.

LOST, Alias, Mission Impossible III (it and Die Hard 4 are two of the best action movies made in YEARS), Cloverfield, soon to be Star Trek.

This guy is amazing.

[statnut]

I get that. I Am Legend worked in part because of the familiarity of NYC landmarks. It wouldn't have been the same with even LA or Chicago. The only other cities that have that level of iconic look are Washington and San Francisco.

But after two films, WWH, and Sinestro Corps War, I wonder if it's time to pick on someone else.


At least 24 busts LA's chops.

[cynic79]

I wanted everyone to kow that the pics that Marius665 pposted is what the monster kinda looks like, but not 100%. What the monster truly looks like has been leaked online from one f the screenings via videocam. I have a freeze frame shot and a gif, so it moves, shot.

If you want to see 'em, and get yourself spoiled, let me know if you want me to post them here or PM'ed.
I wouldn't mind seeing it, but maybe a PM would be appropriate.

[SeamusMcClernan]

He sets things up so that Hud, the cameraman who represents our point of view, never really gets a solid shot of the monster or its consequences.

So we never fully see the creature?

[KoozyK]

LOST, Alias, Mission Impossible III (it and Die Hard 4 are two of the best action movies made in YEARS), Cloverfield, soon to be Star Trek.

This guy is amazing.
i'll give you MI:III (even though some of the best stuff was identical to what was already done in alias). lost is more lindeloff's show than abrams. abrams basically left the show in damon's hands after the pilot to do mi3 and didn't come back until season 3.

alias was only mediocre at best for the first 2 seasons and plain horrible for the rest of the show.

from what i've seen/read of trek, it'll be bad too.

[statnut]

i'll give you MI:III (even though some of the best stuff was identical to what was already done in alias). lost is more lindeloff's show than abrams. abrams basically left the show in damon's hands after the pilot to do mi3 and didn't come back until season 3.

alias was only mediocre at best for the first 2 seasons and plain horrible for the rest of the show.

from what i've seen/read of trek, it'll be bad too.

Lost season 1 is the only one I enjoyed, I stopped watching in Season 2. But if Abrams did season 3 it might be worth watching. Alias was excellent the first season, good the second season, and continued downhill from there. The whole rembaldi thing was just silly.

[KingPagla]

Lost season 1 is the only one I enjoyed, I stopped watching in Season 2. But if Abrams did season 3 it might be worth watching. Alias was excellent the first season, good the second season, and continued downhill from there. The whole rembaldi thing was just silly.
The first half of Lost season 3 really dragged the second half was fantastic.

[JJ Fresh]

It's a lion! It's huge!

Monster arrives. Monster smashes. Hilarity ensues. Sounds good to me! Reviews have been glowing for the flick, so I'll definitely see it, but still see if I can do something less than $10.

[Binker]

I just gave cynic79 the trus shots of the monster from the movie. Anyone else? PM or here? cynic79 prefered to it being PM'd though.

[KoozyK]

Lost season 1 is the only one I enjoyed, I stopped watching in Season 2. But if Abrams did season 3 it might be worth watching. Alias was excellent the first season, good the second season, and continued downhill from there. The whole rembaldi thing was just silly.
season 2 is better than season 1. give it a shot on dvd.

abrams wrote the first and 7th (i think?) episodes of season 3. this was in the early part of the season where the show sort of dragged and meandered. it didn't pick up until later episodes (written by lindeloff/cuse) pushed the story forward and gave the show momentum.

overall with lost - 2>3>1

[trialsze]

M:I 3 was horrible. He killed the franchise. No way rolly polly boy could fight with Ethan and hold his ground. I can't believe you guys are saying that it was good. And then in the end of the movie you have Ethan's wife just walking around a top secret facility and no one sees a problem with that? Please. I like Alias for what it was but I did not need to see Tom Cruise play Sydney on the big screen. UGH. Not to mention that Mission Impossible is a different type of spy franchise then Alias but he made them the same. That is not creative just lazy.

As for this movie, I really have no desire to see it. I could go see it for free tonight with a buddy who lets me screen movies at the theater but why? Do I really need to see a movie from this perspective? The point of a monster movie is the monster. Yeah, you have to have characters that important and ones we can relate too but we want to see the freakin huge monster not just the after effects. Also, I heard the ending was horrible. I will not say how it ends but if you aint a fan of Blair WItch it will piss you off. This movie again shows to me that Abrams doesn't have any type of originality and he just takes from other movies anc then calls it his own. UGH.

[Mek]

I must be the only person who doesn't give a rats ass about this movie.

Maybe once it hits the dollar theater, yeah, I'll *probably* see it. But for $10? Hell no!

[cynic79]

I just gave cynic79 the trus shots of the monster from the movie. Anyone else? PM or here? cynic79 prefered to it being PM'd though.
Interesting pic. Definitely looks like the drawings that have been going around for the past week. Cool monster!

I suggested a PM because there are some people on this thread who have said they don't want spoilers.

[pop monkey]

(Dickishly posts large spoiler pics)

Marius665, have you no sense?.
Post a spoiler warning next time you're going to put pics up like that. I don't care how close they are to the actual monster -- some of us don't like having things spoiled before we see/read them.

[emerald archer]

from what i've seen/read of trek, it'll be bad too.

Well from what I've read and seen Trek looks fantastic. To each his own, but I would say the majority of fandom is very positive about the future of Trek. Much more positive buzz than Nemesis had at this point. And don't forget Cloverfield has the first Trek trailer attached to it.......YES!

[Steve J.]

You've just saved me the time and money by telling me that we get to see another NYC building destroyed. It was hard enough sitting through some of I Am Legend, Two films with my town in ruins in two months? No thanks. It's hard enough not remembering 9/11 all the time as it is.it must be hard for New Yorkers to see their city under attack again. I think a besieged New York features prominently in two recent films because America loves NYC. since 9/11, New York has become America's city more than ever before. it evokes a strong response in the viewer to see it being attacked. Washington might be our official capitol, but NYC is really the heart of our nation. no matter where in America we live, an attack on NYC is an attack on every one of us.

[Luke Cage Jr]

It's THAT good!!! All of you people saying you wouldn't spend $10 on a 75 min film....have to realize, it's quality, not quantity! Afterall, it's NICE to go see a movie that's not a 3 hr epic. The party scene goes on a little longer than I would like, but it draws you in to the characters, but doesn't give tooo much info(besides making the lead character, Rob, look like a little beotch.) But once the action starts, hang on! Yeah, it IS "Blair Witch" meets "Godzilla", but it is a VERY entertaining 75 minutes!!!! Trust me, there are no spoilers here, Hell, the movie's not even a spoiler, so go see it!

[dudedarama]

it must be hard for New Yorkers to see their city under attack again. I think a besieged New York features prominently in two recent films because America loves NYC. since 9/11, New York has become America's city more than ever before. it evokes a strong response in the viewer to see it being attacked. Washington might be our official capitol, but NYC is really the heart of our nation. no matter where in America we live, an attack on NYC is an attack on every one of us.

Oh blah blah,Stop syphoning off our tragedy.I'm a New Yorker and I don't have a problem with any movie depicting NYC in anyway. It's a movie,it's not real.

[Binker]

I sent the pics to justice~! and RedPhoenix just now. Just want to let everyone know on what I have that they can see.

[Da_Black_Goku]

75 minutes?

Netflix.

$10 x 2 + $1000 for popcorn, Coke x 2 and Milk Duds for 75 minutes isn't worth it.

[Luke Cage Jr]

Marius665, have you no sense?.
Post a spoiler warning next time you're going to put pics up like that. I don't care how close they are to the actual monster -- some of us don't like having things spoiled before we see/read them.

Hey Pop Monkey! It's cool, trust me, the pic's posted here, won't spoil the movie for ya. In fact, I was under the same impression before the movie. "What good is a monster movie without the monster?" But it IS good. It's kinda like good lingerie, it lets you see just enough to let your imagination go WILD! Go see it....you WILL BE ENTERTAINED!!!

[HNutz]

Glad to hear some good news on this!

Can't wait to see it! :D

[00scotty]

Got tickets for the midnight showing. Totally stoked.


And go METS!

[HazMatMan]

The guy's name is Hud? Genius!

Of course it is. H.U.D. - Heads Up Display. Or was it Housing and Urban Development?

[Colossus2420]

I like when people are always saying, "WHY PICK NEW YORK?" Well, it's probably one of the most iconic citites in the world, and probably the most iconic in the USA. Would you want a monster to invade Baltimore or Springfield, Maine?

Pittsburgh. As a Clevelander, I want to see Pittsburgh get deep-throated by some creature from Space Hunter Galaxy M or something from out west past Pluto then shout out "Kiss my ass, Ben Roethlisberger!"

[Tymminator]

So we never fully see the creature?

You eventually do get to fully see it and its a bastard.

My LCS had some giveaway tickets for a screening (Most people got enough for two but I was given four because I'm the damn man :cool: ) and I saw it this past Monday. I really liked it alot.

[Bach1430]

It's like those Japanese monster movie where Japan gets destroyed over and over again. NYC being decimated is becaming cliched. I was watching Deep Impact over the weekend and NY is destroyed by a giant wave much like The Day After Tomorrow. The aforementioned (and gawd awful) Godzilla which also destroys much of NYC and countless other movies. How many can you name?

[kamikazi]

75 minutes?

Netflix.

$10 x 2 + $1000 for popcorn, Coke x 2 and Milk Duds for 75 minutes isn't worth it.
Soooo...don't buy the Coke. Or the popcorn. Or the Milk Duds.

[Rype]

CHICAGO!

I am blown away that no one films destruction movies here. JMS had Rising Stars destroy it but I want more.

This movie looks fun and I love these types of films because it lets me forget that it will probably be us that destroys our world, not a monster.

[MattBrady]

H It's kinda like good lingerie, it lets you see just enough to let your imagination go WILD! Go see it....you WILL BE ENTERTAINED!!! Wait - the monster's in lingerie?

MattB

[Bullet_Train]

DUDE! Put a spoiler warning before you post pics! I've gone since July 4th without seeing the creature. I'd rather wait til tomorrow night to see it.

[Floyd Barber]

AND QUIT POSTING SPOILERS! Damn people.

Yeah really... shouldn't there be some major "Spoiler Warnings" on this?

Although I have to admit I was only mildly curious about this movie untill I read this review and now I'm REALLY curious. I liked Blair Witch, I love monster-type horror movies and I agree that those are some really great under-rated actors and actresses.

75 mins sounds great to me. Quantity doesn't always equal quality. I myself am damn tired of all the 3 hour movies that get boring as hell in the middle. Good example: the last Harry Potter. About half-way through I just wanted to go find a crossword puzzle or somethin'.

[statnut]

DUDE! Put a spoiler warning before you post pics! I've gone since July 4th without seeing the creature. I'd rather wait til tomorrow night to see it.

I kind of think that if you go into a review thread, you should expect some spoilers.

[statnut]

75 minutes?

Netflix.

$10 x 2 + $1000 for popcorn, Coke x 2 and Milk Duds for 75 minutes isn't worth it.

No one's making you buy that extra stuff.

[KoozyK]

I kind of think that if you go into a review thread, you should expect some spoilers.
exactly. except i think even more broadly. people are on a site that spreads information before it's out (solicitations, previews, leaks, rumors). if you want to stay spoiler-free, don't go to the sites where there are spoilers, period.

[Beyerstein]

i just wanna see what the enterprise looks like

[Binker]

Hey guys, I still hae those pics if you want to see them. Just PM me. Plus, I have a bonus as well. So if you want to see what the monster looks like now, just let me know by a simple PM.

[Marius665]

it wasn't meant to be a spoiler, sorry if you took it that way

I just typed in the name of the movie and tons of illustrations of the monster came up on MSN.com, they were all different

I haven't seen the movie i just thought you guys would like to see someone's idea of what the monster might look like, plus the pics are kinda kool

[Floyd Barber]

exactly. except i think even more broadly. people are on a site that spreads information before it's out (solicitations, previews, leaks, rumors). if you want to stay spoiler-free, don't go to the sites where there are spoilers, period.

Gotta disagree with you HEAVILY there. There is a WEALTH of information on Newsarama that is Spoiler free. And they are usually pretty good about labelling spoilers. Are you suggesting I skip the site completely just because of a few haphazard posts? I hope like hell the site itself doesn't agree.

[Marius665]

Marius665, have you no sense?.
Post a spoiler warning next time you're going to put pics up like that. I don't care how close they are to the actual monster -- some of us don't like having things spoiled before we see/read them.

HERE IS YOUR DAMN MONSTER!!!
HOPE I RUINED IT FOR YOU:rolleyes:
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l309/louis665/untitled-7.jpg

[th1nk]

HERE IS YOUR DAMN MONSTER!!!
HOPE I RUINED IT FOR YOU:rolleyes:
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l309/louis665/untitled-7.jpg

LOL

Well the short story for I Am Legend was based in Compton, CA. But with a story like I Am Legend, you just need to be in a city that's heavily occupied. But yeah, New York has taken a beating in comics and films the last couple of months.

Also, yeah, the runtime is listed as 90 minutes even, I'm going to assume that's with credits and titles. So, probably about 82-86 minutes. This seems like a good length for a film that's suppose to be filmed with a gimmick. 2 hours and your head would probably explode from the shakey-ness, heh.

And reviews don't have to be spoilers. Look at the review that Mr. Fritz wrote. Not a single piece of the plot was given away, he just described the mood and feel of the film, which is what a review should do. Any review that gives away plot and story isn't a review. It's a half-assed attempt at a review by someone that doesn't know how to write.

[Volvic]

HERE IS YOUR DAMN MONSTER!!!
HOPE I RUINED IT FOR YOU:rolleyes:
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l309/louis665/untitled-7.jpg


Now, if it was Stay Puff attacking the city then I'd go and see this film. As it is I wait for the DVD to come out and rent it.

[AirDave817]

Fascinating.

Sounds like a Marvels approach. I've been seeing the trailers for the movie and couldn't figure out what the "H" -"E" - "double-hockey-sticks" it was about. Pretty rockin' trailer to be able to do that. If this is more about how the six characters react, it could be a pretty cool movie.

[Steve J.]

Oh blah blah,Stop syphoning off our tragedy.I'm a New Yorker and I don't have a problem with any movie depicting NYC in anyway. It's a movie,it's not real."syphoning off our tragedy"? I should've known better to say anything. thanks, dude, you just reminded me why I've never liked people from New York.

[Marius665]

"syphoning off our tragedy"? I should've known better to say anything. thanks, dude, you just reminded me why I've never liked people from New York.

BURN!!!!!!

[LunarDaydreamer]

Steve, The host was probably my fave film of last year, how does it compare re story/scare stakes?

[statnut]

"syphoning off our tragedy"? I should've known better to say anything. thanks, dude, you just reminded me why I've never liked people from New York.

Oh you mean NY isnt our nations capital, yada yada yada. How quickly they turn :rolleyes:

[Da_Black_Goku]

Soooo...don't buy the Coke. Or the popcorn. Or the Milk Duds.
What's a movie without Milk Duds? ;)

Seriously.... 75 minutes? I just can't get behind that.... that would piss me off more than MIBII and it's 90 minutes... I'll just wait to see some reactions Friday to rethink that decision.... but it would have to be the BOMB-DIGGY movie for me to go though...

[Binker]

Guys, for the hell of it, do you want me to post the pics here?

[OM]

AND QUIT POSTING SPOILERS! Damn people....Wahh. :p

Guys, for the hell of it, do you want me to post the pics here?...Go for it.

[sfritz]

Wait - the monster's in lingerie?

MattB

Well Matt, you don't want me to give away TOO many spoilers, do you? -s :p

[meatybucket]

if i wanted to watch how 6 people interact i'd watch the Real World. call me crazy, but i like to see monsters in monster movies.

and why everyone has a hard-on for the handheld camera technique is beyond me. "but it makes you feel like you're part of the action!" yeah, yeah, it also makes me want to puke.

[sfritz]

LOL

Well the short story for I Am Legend was based in Compton, CA. But with a story like I Am Legend, you just need to be in a city that's heavily occupied. But yeah, New York has taken a beating in comics and films the last couple of months.

Also, yeah, the runtime is listed as 90 minutes even, I'm going to assume that's with credits and titles. So, probably about 82-86 minutes. This seems like a good length for a film that's suppose to be filmed with a gimmick. 2 hours and your head would probably explode from the shakey-ness, heh.

And reviews don't have to be spoilers. Look at the review that Mr. Fritz wrote. Not a single piece of the plot was given away, he just described the mood and feel of the film, which is what a review should do. Any review that gives away plot and story isn't a review. It's a half-assed attempt at a review by someone that doesn't know how to write.

Thanks for the compliment. Much appreciated. All I tried to give away was pretty much common knowledge (or at least I hope so).

AS for the timing, my bud and I were sitting next to two other reviewers, and we went off of what one of them said...and he interestingly enough carried a stop watch. So his stop watch v. what Paramount says.

Oh yeah...keep it to Steve. Mr. Fritz is my uncle Luciano, and he earned it. -s

[sfritz]

if i wanted to watch how 6 people interact i'd watch the Real World. call me crazy, but i like to see monsters in monster movies.

and why everyone has a hard-on for the handheld camera technique is beyond me. "but it makes you feel like you're part of the action!" yeah, yeah, it also makes me want to puke.

I didn't say you won't see a lot of the monster. I just said you'll see a lot of "near misses" of the monster(s).

Heh heh....

-s

[comixcollctr]

"syphoning off our tragedy"? I should've known better to say anything. thanks, dude, you just reminded me why I've never liked people from New York.

And there you have it folks! The truth!:D

[deathshead2]

Well, that's damn disappointing. I refuse to pay nearly $10 for a "short film". I'll either hit the VERY early show, or wait until it hits the cheap theatre.
From what i've read the movie is 90. This reviewer usually gets his times wrong. Or at least he has for the last few times i've read them.

[Binker]

After thinking about it, I'm not going to post the pics of what the monster looks liek here. People don't want to be spoiled, so to respect that, I won't post them on this thread.

However, if you want to see what this thing looks like, just PM me. I still have these pics.

[Simon DelMonte]

"syphoning off our tragedy"? I should've known better to say anything. thanks, dude, you just reminded me why I've never liked people from New York.

We aren't all like that. Some of us are even civil. :)

[johhnypanic]

AND QUIT POSTING SPOILERS! Damn people.


QUIT READING POSTS!!!!!!!!! damn reader.

[Ken B.]

I don't know. I like the idea of America having it's own monster (I kinda thought King Kong could be that, though), but from the pictures I've seen, it looks like a buffed up version of the American Godzilla monster that Puff Daddy gave us with a bastard sampling of Kashmere.

Is there a reason the monster attacks? Does it come out of the sky or something? Did evil America poison some swamp to make it seek it's revenge on the Statue of Liberty?

I honestly didn't know it was generating a lot of hype. And I never saw any of the supposed viral marketing that was spread out on "the webs" And man, if it's 75 minutes, I'd rather go see a movie I'm on the fence about than something that, if the party at the beginning is twenty minutes of the movie, that at least gives me value for $8.50.

And finally, shaky camera worked for Blair Witch because it was something new. I don't really care to see it again plus a monster.

There's too many things that are iffy about the movie to make me pay to see it. Especially since you don't actually see the monster (it reads to be less "real" and more "we didn't have enough money to show the whole thing") Maybe a rental when it comes out.

[JohnnyZemo]

However, if you want to see what this thing looks like, just PM me. I still have these pics.

Umm... yes... we know. You've said that five or six times now.

[Stormbreaker]

Well, I was interested in this until I realized it was going to be the monster movie equivalent of the Blair Witch project. If I wanted to see a video of some idiot running around, I'd grab a camcorder and do it myself. Wait...I'm not an...anyway!

As many have said, I actually like to see monsters in monster movies, and almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.

As for people saying the review/film is syphoning off September 11th, just put it to rest. You never hear hear World War II veterans telling filmmakers to quit syphoning off their pain when they release WWII movies. And, I am not belittling the event when I say this, but World War II was bigger than September 11th.

Back to the movie. Sorry, but I won't be seeing this until it hits the dollar theatre...if I have nothing better to do.

[nenad]

I saw the preview yesterday. It's one of the crappiest movies I've seen in a while. There was very little plot and very little suspense. All the movie the camera shaking makes you nauseous. And it is indeed very short - without the loooooong closing credits this is even much shorter than the official running time.
Avoid and read the reviews...

[MrToady12]

I must be the only person who doesn't give a rats ass about this movie.

Maybe once it hits the dollar theater, yeah, I'll *probably* see it. But for $10? Hell no!

... but obviously interested enough to read a review and post?!? Yeesh, save me!

Saw the film last night - sure it's not as groundbreaking as everyone's going on about. It's exactly as some have termed it - Godzilla/ Blair Witch Project - but a lot better produced and acted. Some people have whinged about the ending but I think from watching all these types of films - Godzilla, King Kong, Jaws etc we all know what the ultimate fate of the monster is (c'mon seriously!!). The story is about the characters and sometimes things end the way they end.

I enjoyed it - there were some really intense scenes (one involving a helicopter!) that surprised me and made me jump. Sometimes I had to look away from the jumpy footage to avoid motion sickness, but apart from that it was good. Initial glimpses of the monster, sure, but you see it in it's fully glory near the end.

And I want to forward my sincere thanks to those three teenagers sitting in front of me again for mucking around with their mobiles - nothing like a bright mobile light to bring you out of a film. Hope the huge kick I gave your chair didn't startle you too much.

Go see the film, but don't expect the second coming of movie-making gods as this review makes out it to be.

Cheers :D

[Hoggoth]

Just got back from the press screening here in London, England. This movie was amazing. I loved it!

[OM]

You've just saved me the time and money by telling me that we get to see another NYC building destroyed. It was hard enough sitting through some of I Am Legend, Two films with my town in ruins in two months? No thanks. It's hard enough not remembering 9/11 all the time as it is....Yeah, well, after what the Yankees did to Billy Martin, and what the Giants did last weekend to the Cowbo...

[thinks]

...No, strike that. I was *going* to say that after the Giants beat the Cowboys last weekend, NYC still owes the world a lot of pennance. But now that I recall that I've *DESPISED* the Dallas Cowboys since Jerry Jones f'ucked over the late, legendary Tom "God's Coach" Landry, I suppose I'll just say we're even and leave it at that :p

(On a side note...be honest, kids. Is there any other city in the US that has enough concentrated skyscraperage to allow for such Godzilla-class spectacle? Chicago *might* come close, but that's about it. So, if you NY Yankees want all the cinematic city-flattening to stop, you might want to do something about all those skyscrapers yourselves. Sorta like keeping your lawn mowed...)

"We will return to Matty's Movie Reviews after a word from our sponsor, Trojan-Enz!"

(I am SO going to hell for this post...)

[OM]

Some people have whinged about the ending but I think from watching all these types of films - Godzilla, King Kong, Jaws etc we all know what the ultimate fate of the monster is (c'mon seriously!!). ....Lessee, what *are* the probable ultimate fates?

* The monster is killed by some scientific uber-weapon.
* The monster is killed by another monster, who is then killed by some scientific uber-weapon.
* The monster kills another monster, then is allowed to swim back home to Monster Isle while at least one kid waves a tearful goodbye.
* The monster rescues its captured kid, and the two are allowed to leave for their home unmolested.
* The monster falls off the Empire State Building, bouncing twice when it hits the ground, and dies after getting one last look at the bimbo who pushed him off the roof in the first place.
* Ripley shows some balls and intelligence, and gets the monster sucked out an airlock.
* The monster gets caught in the Brooklyn Bridge, where it's automatically converted into a sitting duck.
* The Air Farce does *something* right for a change, and nukes the monster off the face of the Earth!
* The Ghostbusters cross the streams while peeing on the monster, and it dies from uriec acid poisoning.
* Captain Kirk shoves a wrecked starship down its throat, barely escaping before it blows it up from inside.
* Will gives the monster back the alien device that Dr. Smith stole, and it vanishes after leaving Will an apple as a reward.
* Cartman's V-Chip malfunctions, and winds up destroying the monster with a massive electrical discharge after uttering some really offensive words!
* Sidney Poiter and Robert Smith manage to disassemble the Amulet, thus turning the monster back into Barbara Striesand, and she is promptly crushed to death by the building she was about to throw at the boys.
* Kyle manages to shut off the Trapper Keeper, and the monster turns back into Cartman.
* Wesley Crusher infects the monster with nanites that shut down its entire nervous system, causing it to die and disintegrate, thus eliminating the evidence that Wes was the one who created the monster in the first place thanks to a transporter accident involving Lt. Barclay.
* The monster is forced to give up its rampage when Toho Ltd. sues JJ Abrams and Bad Robot for "look-and-feel" violations.

...So yeah, that ultimate fate is really predictable :p


Quote:
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=6 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=alt2 style="BORDER-RIGHT: 1px inset; BORDER-TOP: 1px inset; BORDER-LEFT: 1px inset; BORDER-BOTTOM: 1px inset">Originally Posted by Mek
I must be the only person who doesn't give a rats ass about this movie.

Maybe once it hits the dollar theater, yeah, I'll *probably* see it. But for $10? Hell no!
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

... but obviously interested enough to read a review and post?!? Yeesh, save me!...You know, ISTR one of the WiMPAAs claiming that those who make such claims are most likely those who will save that $10.00 USD by illegaly downloading the movie when it hits the torrents. Not that it really matters, natch :p

[pez dispenser]

20 minutes of party? I will pass.


That, and the words "Blair Witch" lost it for me.
Hated that lousy movie, and I hate the idea of wasting 20 minutes of a 75 minute movie on a party scene.

I'll pass, too.

[Binker]

Umm... yes... we know. You've said that five or six times now.

I only do that just in case no one saw my post.

[nega-darkwin]

I have to wonder if this will be good like I hope, or be a Giant Monster Movie that isn't about the monster. Because if it's not about the monster, then why put it in? Sigh I know they think it's clever and add realism to do it from the shaky hand camera point of view, but nothing sucks you out of the movie like bieng nausious. Hopefully I'm wrong, but the American Godzilla made me honestly wonder if the US can make a good Kaiju film, and that taste is still in my mouth to this day.

[X-punged]

* Ripley shows some balls and intelligence, and gets the monster sucked out an airlock.


Sadly if it was only so, but it wasn't.
She shows some butt crack and a winter bush, and then the monster gets sucked out an airlock. Or commits suicide after seeing said crack and fur burger.
Scariest thing on film until About Schmidt with Kathy Bates.
...Wait. Is the Cloverfield monster Kathy Bates prancing about naked again? Cause that would be truly terrifying.

[jniffen]

20 minutes of party? I will pass.

It's called set up and introduction of characters. Trust me, the 20 minutes passes by fairly quickly, and a fairly poignant love story is introduced.

[OM]

Wait. Is the Cloverfield monster Kathy Bates prancing about naked again? Cause that would be truly terrifying....Nope. The true identity of the monster is....
























Roseanne Barr!!

[Supreme Convoy]

I saw it and thought it was awesome.

Don't want to give anything away but it was a fun movie going experience. It's like a rollercoaster and surprisingly touching at times.

Everyone in the theater was into the movie. When the movie ends, there was 10 seconds of dead silence... and then the audience were breathing again. Trust me, you want to see this in theaters!

[uscwamer]

The party scenes are actually fun. HUD's really just amusing to watch, just relax when you're watching it. You'll get plenty of monster, just give it some time.

Had a great time, it's not the next best thing. It's not the second coming, although before the movie i kept praying the monster was actually a jesus monster, like a giant octupus/lizard with a jesus face and crown of thorns. It would have amused me. It's just a really fun film, all the people i see complaining about it went into it with too high of expectations. Just go have fun and relax.

Some shocking things for me were(SPOILERS sort of..and i say sort of because come on YOU KNOW WHATS GOING TO HAPPEN):

How massive this movie is, tons of destruction. It's only an hour and a half, with only 2/3's being about the monster, but in that time frame they DESTROY manhattan.

The monster worked, even though it's somewhat amorphous(maybe this was due to my excitement), but it seemed to start out as one thing then morph and change until it becomes sort of cemented at the end of the film.

The sound design was incredible, luckily i went to a good theater and i just felt immersed in cool explosions and monster sounds.

Hud, awesome, really holds this movie together. Some people say there's no star turn in this movie, but i absolutely ____ing disagree. You see him for like 4 minutes in the movie, but he's the guy holding the camera talking you through it. "it's a terrible thing" GENIUS!

It's not a great movie, but it's a really cool movie going experience.

They do lay the saccharine ________ on at times, but you can easily just pay attention to the sound design during moments like that and try to imagine where the monster is in relation to them.


SPOILER SPOILER
*
*
*
*
*
*
I got in a discussion about what happens when the little ones bite you. Some said they were like a facehugger and they bred that way, some said the gov't shot the chick. I totally disagree and thought that after the monsters bite you they just make you explode. Whatever is in their bite ..causes explosions. Which is awesome. They're just butt kicking machines, and not really derivative of Aliens. I dunno




either way, it's fun, stop bitching, go see it, maybe drunk.

edit: You do need to suspend disbelief with the camera. It might use an SD card ..it might have a tape, but it's clearly made out of adamantium with a cold fusion reactor for a battery because that thing takes a damn beating and lasts for HOURS...even with the light on. Also it can apparently survive the EMP that may have been generated by "Bringing down the hammer" ...maybe bringing down the hammer means something else, i dunno.

[BamaRainbow]

Saw it.

Best thing about the film was up till the first explosions.

After that, it was Blair Witch with Species 8472 critters running around. (Sorry, folks, there's NOTHING Godzilla-like about the monster other than its size. And would someone please explain about the little critters? Where the ____ did they come from? They seemed to be shed from the main critter but only for a short time.)

I'm totally astounded that anyone found this movie above the level of pedestrian. It was NOT worth my money (as the theater was giving away free disposable cameras to the "first 100"--I was told but there were at least that many people already seated by the time I even walked in--I don't feel it was as big a waste of money, but it's certainly not worth paying full price for). I saw Lust, Caution earlier in the evening and found it to be a far better way to spend time (even if it was a lot tamer than the hype over the NC-17 rating made out). A full price ticket for well over 2 hours plus subtitles compared to Cloverfield. Blair Witch, in my opinion, was far scarier than this.

The Star Trek trailer, for the record, is what's properly known as a "teaser". We get Nimoy's doing the voiceover with a bunch of shots of people literally building the Enterprise but little-to-nothing about the movie itself. That said, I'm more intrigued by it than almost anything I saw in Cloverfield.

[BamaRainbow]

edit: You do need to suspend disbelief with the camera. It might use an SD card ..it might have a tape, but it's clearly made out of adamantium with a cold fusion reactor for a battery because that thing takes a damn beating and lasts for HOURS...even with the light on. Also it can apparently survive the EMP that may have been generated by "Bringing down the hammer" ...maybe bringing down the hammer means something else, i dunno.

Yeah, I agree. The taping for the party scenes started well over an hour before the party, and the first explosions don't happen until well after midnight (by the film's timeline). On top of that, the camera is dropped how many times during the "escape"? I also thought the fact that the battery must be pretty potent to survive the constant filming, the running the light (and its night-vision feature--is that a standard feature on the average home camera?) for hours on end.....and that doesn't even include surviving a helicopter crash.
The camera must be Timex and powered by the Energizer Bunny.

[gazoo]

Its all hype, I threw up when it finished, take some GRAVOL with you!:mad:

[Ebon]

Went to the midnight showing, and loved it.

I don't mind the shakey-cam so much but there are several long shots from odd angles (usually when Hid is carrying the camera down or running) that might make some people dizzy.

Pay very very close attention to the last few seconds of film.

There's... something, a very brief static-y voice-over after the credits but there was too much theater noise for me to hear what it said.

[sfritz]

Went to the midnight showing, and loved it.

I don't mind the shakey-cam so much but there are several long shots from odd angles (usually when Hid is carrying the camera down or running) that might make some people dizzy.

Pay very very close attention to the last few seconds of film.

There's... something, a very brief static-y voice-over after the credits but there was too much theater noise for me to hear what it said.

My bud and I aren't sure, but it sounded like "is anyone alive?"

Possible sequel? Wanna bet? -s

[rassmguy]

you are aware that Abrams didn't direct aren't you?

He says it right in the review, so yeah, I'd say he's aware of that.

[EtchaSketch]

Saw the movie. Liked it. Sat too close to the screen and got motion sickness. This is a movie that you have got to sit further back.

Went to the movie with the wife and two daughters. I saw a monster flick. They saw a love story. :confused:

We all liked it even though we all got sick.

[Steve J.]

Oh you mean NY isnt our nations capital, yada yada yada. How quickly they turn :rolleyes:No turn. We still love your city despite some of the jerks who live there.:)

[Darquehex]

Went the midnight showing and could not have been less entertained. A bunch of self important twenty-somethings running around the city trying to settle some amateurish love story is a sitcom. Relegating the monstrous factory of death that was The Parasite (I don't give a f*ck what it's really called...) to quickie shots of blurry camera work was heartbreaking, even if it did look like Gamera's love child. This was America's first real entry into the kaiju film category in a long time and, for me, the best part of it was the gorram Star Trek trailer at the beginning. I guess I was expecting as much from a movie that spent more time writing the backstory for it's viral marketing than actually promoting itself as a feature film. And really, the only way Abrams and co could even shoehorn in the title (which is just his company's street address) was using a government codeword? Can anyone see W or whomever naming "The Destruction of Manhattan" Cloverfield?

[MattBrady]

From what i've read the movie is 90. This reviewer usually gets his times wrong. Or at least he has for the last few times i've read them. As Steve said, the film (story) clocks in at 75. 12 minutes of credits.

MattB

[dudedarama]

No turn. We still love your city despite some of the jerks who live there.:)
And the Gold medal for Backpeddling goes to......

[Luke Cage Jr]

My bud and I aren't sure, but it sounded like "is anyone alive?"

Possible sequel? Wanna bet? -s

We seemed to think it said,"Goodbye Mom..."

[sfritz]

As Steve said, the film (story) clocks in at 75. 12 minutes of credits.

MattB

...and the press material itself says the intro/party sequences run for the first 20 minutes.

But damn! Those last 55 minutes are one hell of a ride. -s

[NotAlbert]

Saw the midnight show.

Simply awesome!

=' Dave
(NotAlbert)

[Luke Cage Jr]

Wait - the monster's in lingerie?

MattB

Sorry Matt....naw....no lingerie in the whole movie.....and I STILL liked it...go figure!

[OM]

...A full synop is now available at Movie Spoiler:

http://www.themoviespoiler.com/Spoilers/cloverfield.html

...On a side note, apparently the short length may have been more intentional with regards to the length of your average tape, which is about an hour if you run it at HQ. Still, there's some irony in the fact that there will be screeners out there on the torrents of a film that itself is essentially a screener :p

[KingPagla]

Just saw a matinee and loved it.
Yeah, it's not a great film, but it is a fun movie. The monster(s) were cool and I found myself actually caring for characters the type of which I usually hate. Hud (I still say that's an inspired name for the character) was great; too stupid to shut up or put the camera down.

People seem to be either loving or hating this movie. An argument actually broke out after it ended when one woman ask to be given a break, and the folks behind her pointed out that she doesn't know what the hell she was talking about.

I can uderstand how it may not be everyone's cup of tea, but enjoyed the gimmicky way it was shot. Great way not to show too much of the monster and keep it scary (I mean really, when was the last time a monster movie was scary?).

[Jiminy Snick]

I saw an early screening of the movie last night, and let me tell you, its worth your $10. By far the most suspenseful movie I've ever seen. Everyone needs to see this movie. Two thumbs up.


Plus, I have to say that having seen and HATED Blair Witch, that 75 minutes for a film shot - or made to look shot on a camcorder - is about the maximum length you want.

I'll be curious to see this.

[Drcharles]

Very much looking forward to seeing this,
Hear the mmonster roar at ................................http://www.1-18-08.com/

[Drcharles]

Oh Ive just looked on that link, and it seems that there are new pictures uploaded................cool, whens its showing in ENGLAND ........

[Steve J.]

And the Gold medal for Backpeddling goes to......Thanks for proving my point. Again.

[BarryJordan]

just saw it(God I love 4.50 matinees) and its good ...not great...while I hate Blair Witch, I didn't actually mind this and I thought this was a fresh way to show a monster flickI also consider the acting to be far better than you see in most monster/horror films.What holds this movie back for me is the lack of backstory and development.Maybe it's just the type of moviegoer I am but I like to leave the theater with my questions answered.What is it?Where did it come from?Why is it in NYC?Whats with the toxic spawns?WTF was that in quarantine? I left Cloverfield feeling like I needed to see this story prequeled/continued in some form

for that I give it 6/10...go see it if you can catch a matinee or a dollar theater...if not rent it...no way I would pay 10 bucks to see any film that is this short.Ads and trailers rolled at 3..credits began at 4:24 for anyone trying to say this is a 90 minute film

[pez dispenser]

...A full synop is now available at Movie Spoiler:

http://www.themoviespoiler.com/Spoilers/cloverfield.html




Good Christ, that sounds awful.
Thanks for posting the link. Reading that gave me a chuckle.

[breakfast]

I thought it was a fun movie. I liked it. It's nothing serious and thought-provoking, but we don't need to watch sophisticated movies all the time. It was a lot more enjoyable than Blair Witch.

Hud is absolutely grand. Everyone in the theatre loved it when he started going on about the guy who set homeless people on fire.

[bignasboski]

I just came back and I think my eyes have started focusing again. I was really, really disappointed with the movie. The three main reasons:

-The shaky camera. This is MUCH worse than Blair Witch. A few times, I had to close my eyes to help stabilize myself. I understand the reasons behind it as that was kinda the whole idea, but c'mon: no cameraman is this bad.

-The shots of the monster. Not enough. You barely get any full-on shots until the end. Isn't the point of these fantasy flicks to have a minute to take this giant, grandiose special effects in? You get shots, but not enough to actually analyze what you're seeing. This also goes for the city being destroyed. I needed more visuals of the stuff happening, not a few seconds and then, more running.

-The story. I get the main characters' stories (really well done with the old vs. new tape mixing), but I wanted some sort of backstory on this creature. Gimme something.

I'm a huge fan of the classic Godzilla-genre, rubber suit and all, so I was psyched for this since the summer. Very disappointed...

[Paul Sizer]

All righty, just back from "Cloverfield", here's my thoughts:

OVERALL:
Good flick. Not the greatest thing since sliced bread, but definitely genre-redefining, in the sense that it makes you watch it differently than other films.

GOOD DETAILS:
I liked the snippets of seeing what was going down, without getting all the info. I would agree with any comments about mining the "9/11" imagery for effect, but I didn't feel it was overdone, anymore so than the story demanded. It was maddening to just see glimpses of the monster, but in a way, that made it all the more cool to see when you could.

I also didn't mind the back story on the various characters, and felt they really didn't intrude, but gave me some breathing space amidst all the chaos.

The script was pretty good and (amazingly) subtle, getting backstory told in a realistic manner without derailing the whole show. The dialogue was well placed, without falling into monster movie "Hallmark Moments" crap.

VISUALS:
From a CG perspective, there was plenty of "safeties" in place to make it work; dust, shaky cameras, low light, all the things that can cover bad CG (like all the rain in the American "Godzilla" movie). But actually, with all this, I'd say the CG was REALLY well done, and didn't feel like a hack job that some are griping about. I could give a rat's ass about how it got done, if it works, it works. I would say it worked her just fine.

BAD THINGS:
They are not kidding about taking some Dramamine before going; I had a few times where I had to look at the walls of the theatre to keep the vertigo at bay. (anything with some ginger in it is good for motion sickness, btw)

There were some "toss out the logic" moments with how long a video camera would work in those circumstances, but hey, I was believing a @#$% monster was trashing NY, so no biggie.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
I liked the fact that everything was not spelled out for you. Some people would argue that as being a major problem with the flick, but truthfully, I dug not having everything explained t death. I think we sometimes get too used to having everything laid out before us, so the fractured nature of the film served the point of the story.

Sure, there's tons of other stories that could have been told with these sets of circumstances, but this seemed less likely, and for me, that was more creepy, because I was left to fill in the blanks myself. Not knowing the final fate of the monster, not knowing if there were more than one, etc; those all gave me a more uneasy feeling than seeing the big corpse and a bunch of people standing around asking "how could this happen?"

This kind of storytelling has much more of an impact on me, in the same way that "28 Days Later" did, because it didn't strive to wrap everything up neatly at the end, but left things flapping in the wind, with a sense of uncertainty that I find much more unsettling. No, this isn't "Godzilla", "Aliens", "The Host", but I think it's a new spin on a cool set of story elements that haven't been pummeled to death by Hollywood.

GRADE: B++

[sfritz]

All righty, just back from "Cloverfield", here's my thoughts:

OVERALL:
Good flick. Not the greatest thing since sliced bread, but definitely genre-redefining, in the sense that it makes you watch it differently than other films.

GOOD DETAILS:
I liked the snippets of seeing what was going down, without getting all the info. I would agree with any comments about mining the "9/11" imagery for effect, but I didn't feel it was overdone, anymore so than the story demanded. It was maddening to just see glimpses of the monster, but in a way, that made it all the more cool to see when you could.

I also didn't mind the back story on the various characters, and felt they really didn't intrude, but gave me some breathing space amidst all the chaos.

The script was pretty good and (amazingly) subtle, getting backstory told in a realistic manner without derailing the whole show. The dialogue was well placed, without falling into monster movie "Hallmark Moments" crap.

VISUALS:
From a CG perspective, there was plenty of "safeties" in place to make it work; dust, shaky cameras, low light, all the things that can cover bad CG (like all the rain in the American "Godzilla" movie). But actually, with all this, I'd say the CG was REALLY well done, and didn't feel like a hack job that some are griping about. I could give a rat's ass about how it got done, if it works, it works. I would say it worked her just fine.

BAD THINGS:
They are not kidding about taking some Dramamine before going; I had a few times where I had to look at the walls of the theatre to keep the vertigo at bay. (anything with some ginger in it is good for motion sickness, btw)

There were some "toss out the logic" moments with how long a video camera would work in those circumstances, but hey, I was believing a @#$% monster was trashing NY, so no biggie.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
I liked the fact that everything was not spelled out for you. Some people would argue that as being a major problem with the flick, but truthfully, I dug not having everything explained t death. I think we sometimes get too used to having everything laid out before us, so the fractured nature of the film served the point of the story.

Sure, there's tons of other stories that could have been told with these sets of circumstances, but this seemed less likely, and for me, that was more creepy, because I was left to fill in the blanks myself. Not knowing the final fate of the monster, not knowing if there were more than one, etc; those all gave me a more uneasy feeling than seeing the big corpse and a bunch of people standing around asking "how could this happen?"

This kind of storytelling has much more of an impact on me, in the same way that "28 Days Later" did, because it didn't strive to wrap everything up neatly at the end, but left things flapping in the wind, with a sense of uncertainty that I find much more unsettling. No, this isn't "Godzilla", "Aliens", "The Host", but I think it's a new spin on a cool set of story elements that haven't been pummeled to death by Hollywood.

GRADE: B++


Paul - Great review. You said a lot of things I wish I did.

here's an interesting thing to ponder. I just put in my review of Ray Harryhausen's It Came From Beneath The Seas (along with Earth v. The Flying Saucers). For the record its nice to see Columbia/Sony give these films the special treatment the richly deserve, but here is one thing I thought about doing in the DVD review that I decided to later not do.

In essence, it's interesting to compare It, Godzilla and Cloverfield against each other, particularly as It Came was as state of the art as a film came back in 1955 and Cloverfield could be said to be the same today. After all, Godzilla was always done on the cheap, even when it was a gigantic franchise, so I'm not sure I want to include it in the group.

If you were to compare these two films, what do you think they say about the times they came from and just about anything else relevent that springs out of your head?

-s

[alf]

I thought it was good. Not, you know, life-changingly brilliant, but I in no way felt my $8 was wasted. I think overall I might have enjoyed it more if it wasn't all handheld--same story, same perspective of the event, just more conventionally shot. You'd lose some of the subtext--and the somewhat poignant jumps to the video Hud's taping over--but it would be a more accessible experience. As it is, there's this nagging feeling of "would he really keep the camera focused right now" or "how is the battery lasting so long" that occasionally pulled me out of the story because they do seem to be striving for realism at times. I thought the handling of the monster was perfect for what they were trying to accomplish. You do get a very good look at it toward the end, but much of the movie's effectiveness comes from sharing the characters' confusion about what's happening around them and from the idea of suddenly being under attack from a mysterious enemy that you can't understand attacking you in a way you'd never prepared for. It really isn't about the monster, and I can see why some people wouldn't be happy with that. It's about the people and what they're going through because of what the monster is doing. Given that, I didn't have any problem with the ending. Rob and Beth's story has a full arc and, while it's not the most profound love story ever put on film, I thought there was enough character development to buy into it.

It is a bit strange not knowing anything about where it came from or what it was without delving into the viral marketing underworld of extremely bizarre Slusho-related websites, but for the purpose of this story, it works. It'll be interesting to see how much gets explained in the coming weeks now that the movie's out there, if any of it ever does.

I do give this site's reviewer credit for actually mentioning Matt Reeves and Drew Goddard. Too much coverage of this thing has ignored them.

And does it seem odd to anyone else that after all of the "1/18/08" marketing and the website with the timestamped "1/18/08" photos, the movie takes place in May?

[Doctor_Chronos]

75 minutes?

Netflix.

$10 x 2 + $1000 for popcorn, Coke x 2 and Milk Duds for 75 minutes isn't worth it.

Yeah, the concessions are a rip off. Tough it out for an hour and a half and don't eat or drink at the movies :)

But seriously (and I don't mean to be picking on you here, Da_Black_Goku, yours was just the last post with this that I saw) I don't understand this argument coming from comic book buyers. From normal people, sure, but not comic book people.

$10 bucks for 75 minutes worth of movie is a rip off but we happily plop down $3 or $4 for 5 minutes worth of comic. Seems like the movie offers more value for the dollar there.

[YotaruVegeta]

I loved it!

I know that some people just can't take shaky cam, but have an open mind for the movie anyway.

I thought that it was scary and surprising.

I can't blame anyone who wants to wait for DVD, because If I didn't get a free ticket thrown to me for Christmas, I wouldn't have bought the $8 or so for soda and popcorn that I bought. I know theaters need to make money somewhere, but the ticket should be the most expensive item you buy at the movies.

[thearticle]

i messed up

[thearticle]

Before i start let me make anyone reading this aware of the fact that I'm a huge giant montser movie fan. i have seen EVERY godzilla movie and most of the king kong adaptations (hated the 2nd 1/2 peter jackson's version though. 30 minutes of shooting the gorilla that man doesn't know how to make a short film) I fully expected this movie to be in that category. i thought i would go in see a monster wreck a city watch characters who's lives really wouldnt make much of an impact on the movie and of course a few japanese guys scream it is, "GODZILLA WE MUST FLEE"!, type of movie. I also expected a certain level of cheesiness which these films usually bring but its a good kind of cheesy that they have.
<P>
What i actually got was an intense view into the lives of 6 people and their reactions to this, for lack of a better word parasite destroy NYC. it was a documentary of survival and a disturbingly twisted sense of reality. how would people react if this ACTUALLY happened. and the movie explored something i usually gripe about while watching other horror type films what would be the survival rate of the group SPOILERALERT 3...2...1...one out six and we actually have no real idea if she acutally survives because at that point she is no longer part of the film.most movies in this genre all the important people usually live or at least the lovers do. SPOILER done</P>
<P>
as far as the camera is concerned I actually applaud the usage of the camera. it really did its job and engrosses the viewer into the film making them feel like this could actually be happening. I am usually very composed when i watch a movie but seeing some of thie things that the camera was capturing i couldnt help but exclaim "OHHH" at times, it even got me to jump in a movie theater during a certain helicopter scene( i havent jumped in a movie theater since Jurassic Park 2 with the velocoraptor scene) plus i loved the last scene filmd by HUD the whole time he's trying to document the beast and when he finally gets his chance... i believe that was shot spectacularly. I really liked the bits of the orignal footage on the cam making its way into the filmit whet your apetite giving only breif glimpses of a simpler time in the characters lives. my only quibble is i work in the camera department at circuit city and i am fully aware of how an ACUTAL camera would work in the scenarios this movie presents lol. they are too fragile to withstand a four foot drop without damage so yeah...</P>
<P>
i thought the acting in this movie was superb for having a cast made up of "nobodies". the ablity to portray the emotions and do them the right way was great and really lent itself to the way this film was shot/filmed. self preservation displayed by some of the protaganists mirrors real life and the abilty to portray shock and fear in such a manner that you belive its real. HUD's performance really shined depite onyl see glimpses of him he stole the show he has no idea how to react to the circumstances so in order to keep himself composed jst cant stop talking he even makes light of that, and it was believable.</P>
<P>
final thoughts. walking into this film i thought i was going to get the afore mentioned giant monster movie what i got was something much grittier and deffinately left me with a sense of fear, The choice of camera and the superb acting really lend themselves to each other making a very believable film that can really give the viewer a sense of reality and may even leave them with a sense of impending doom. Overall this movie is truly enjoyable . The flaws are there but they arent glaring the run time may be short but the story is told extremely well and leaves the protagonists with closure. BOTTOM LINE this movie is worth the price of admission.</P><P>

final score: A-/B+

[sfritz]

Love saying things like that.

Anyway, Box Office Mojo has come through with their weekend receipts, and Cloverfield easily sttripped 27 Dresses, Kicked The Bucket List and did whatever you care to say about Juno and National Treasure 2. Here's BOM's results:

Rank. Movie Title (Distributor) Weekend Gross | Theaters | Total Gross | Week #

1. Cloverfield (Paramount) $41.0 million | 3,411 | $41.0 million | 1
2. 27 Dresses (Fox) $22.4 million | 3,057 | $22.4 million | 2
3. The Bucket List (Warner Bros.) $15.2 million | 2,915 | $42.7 million | 4
4. Juno (Fox Searchlight) $10.3 million | 2,534 | $85.4 million | 7
5. National Treasure: Book of Secrets (Buena Vista) $8.1 million | 2,963 | $198.0 million | 5

Just thought you'd like to know. -s

[Mega Gear X]

You've just saved me the time and money by telling me that we get to see another NYC building destroyed. It was hard enough sitting through some of I Am Legend, Two films with my town in ruins in two months? No thanks. It's hard enough not remembering 9/11 all the time as it is.

I'd hate to break it to you, but if I wanted to show an American town messed up and it's effects, I would show NY. Times Square. Central Park. Empire Sate Building. Statue of Liberty. I wouldn't have it in a place you wouldn't care about. NY isn't just any city. Anywhere else is just generic.

[YotaruVegeta]

I wonder how much Cloverfield will make in the next week. It's nearly made twice what it costs, which is good, but if it makes $100 mil, then it's off to sequel city!

[miah]

I wonder how much Cloverfield will make in the next week. It's nearly made twice what it costs, which is good, but if it makes $100 mil, then it's off to sequel city!
with the word of mouth its getting... it definatly will.

[RocketeerZ]

I saw the film opening night with my wife and a group of friends. No major spoilers here...

We all frigging loved it. From the moment the Statue of Liberty's head hits the street through the last shot that actually gives a hint of the creature's origin the film was a intense roller coaster ride.

There was at least five scenes that were as breathtaking and extreme as anything I have ever seen.

The hype leading up to the film was huge, and in my opinion, it was justified. I had high expectations (depsite myself since high expectations are usually squashed) and the film lived up to it all.

Did it have some "brainless" moments? Sure. Why would Hud (who when you spell his name backwards, my wife noted, is named Duh) carry that video camera everywhere... even when climbing over a dangerously hig area? Cause if he didn't the movie wouldn't have worked. Hey... we're not talking Schindler's List here... this is a monster/sci fi/horror film.

Great, GREAT film. Highest recomondations.

[MeatBasket]

Loved this movie - the entire web marketing campaign that led up to it was pretty brilliant as well.

[heat vision]

I saw it on Friday night, and I absolutely loved it! About two thirds in, I was thinking that this already was one of my favorite movies, although only time could say for sure whether that would change, given the type of movie it is. It's nice to see that others love it too. There are some who disliked it, but I personally think those people either don't care for what it tried to do, which is their perogative, or didn't sit well with the shaky camera angles- understandable if it bothers you, but like someone else said somewhere, if you don't like roller coasters, that doesn't mean the roller coaster was a bad ride. It just means it wasn't for you. There are some others who liked it, but leave it at that. A nice, fun experience, no more. But, to my pleasure, there is a good number of people who loved it and rate it at least a high B, or at least a 4/5, etc.

Wait, what was that? I heard a roar... Oh wait, that's just the wind. Ok, moving on...

I think that the way you have to approach this movie is by understanding that you are not just watching a movie, you are experiencing one. This movie is an event. It should be viewed as such. And as such, it was a masterpiece, IMO. I can't say enough how much I loved this movie. My first introduction to this movie, aside from seeing its name here and there, was from a Wizard Mag. article, but it was brief. Matt Reeves talked about how this was a movie using the camera to tell its story, oh and yeah, the story centers around a giant monster. Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner. Well, like a dog, my ears certainly perked up. So, when I saw my first commercial for it, I fell in love with its potential. I literally watched every single ad that came on during whatever show I was watching. I never got sick of it. I felt I had a very good understanding of what this movie would be. The way they showed the perspective we'd be seeing this movie from, I was just so excited to see how it would be like to be right there when it all happens. I understood that. In fact, even then I thought, given its premise, I would rather not see the whole monster, only bits and pieces of it, enough to know it's there. I want to feel the creature's presence more than anything else. I want to feel out it affects the main characters. I somehow had a good sense of what this movie would be. I stayed away from any spoilers that weren't already in the commercials. And thankfully they knew enough not to show anything. The only cool moment they show was the beheading of our Fair Lady. So, when that actually did happen, instead of being like, "Holy $hit!", I was like, "Oh, ok, there we go- it actually happened earlier than I thought it would." But that's ok. There was plenty else to get me. And get me it did!

Huh? What's that? A motorcycle? Ok, a motorcycle. Sounded pretty gutteral, how horrific. Anyway...

Essentially, this movie met my expectations, but it also surpassed it, and that's saying something. What I expected was to see what we saw in the commercials, but a full movie of that. And we did, however, we also see a whole lot of cranked up scenes as well. So it was like taking the scenes from the commercials, and saying, ok, these scenes, aside from the beheading, is essentially what the movie will be, except, most of these scenes are about a 6 out of 10, where as most of the scenes in the movie are at least an 8. So, not only was it more of it, but it was more of it being better. And even after the movie, I was scouring the internet for what other people had to say. Plus I wanted to finally see all the other trailers and other cool stuff they released, like the oil station disaster. That's really chilling to watch. I expect they will put all of this, and much more, in some deluxe DVD set, which I will definitely buy. Anyway, I've since watched that 4 minute clip that starts with the first rumble and roar, all the way up to when they were hiding in the store as the creature stomped by, and the windows blew out. And each time I watched that, I still feel the thrill, which addresses what is a concern of mine- would the movie remain effective after repeat viewings. If this is such an event movie, such an experience, how would it hold up? I actually compared it to the Exorcist in that regard, like it was our generation's Exorcist. What I mean by that is when people saw the Exorcist in the theaters, they were greatly affected by it. Many people were shaken up. It was an experience, to say the least. I am not saying this movie is as good. It's not. The Exorcist is not only an experience, it's also a great movie in its own right- more than that, it's a masteripiece, and as many times as I've seen it, and I even own it, I still get freaked out by it; I can't even watch it alone late at night when I'm by myself. :( But the idea is still there. Throughout the movie, my heart was beating so fast, my stomach had butterflies, I was a tad nauseous, but not because of the camera, but because of how it made me feel, since I empathized with it so. My body was experiencing fight or flight. It was just so damn intense. And the more you let it take you in, the more it will get you- in a good way. Even when I got up and left afterwards, I still felt it. It stayed with me for hours afterwards. The movie itself stayed in my mind for a few days, but that feeling of heightened sense of anxiety stayed with me for hours, and that was awesome. Just like people have said, it's like an extended roller coaster ride. And that's a great analogy.

As for repeat viewings, I was watching another scene online earlier today. It was the part where they finally get to the helicopters and shortly after Lily takes off, the other three are waiting for the next copter, and Rob is holding Beth tight, and then, boom, out of nowhere, Beth looks up and tried to scream (with no success) as we actually see something not too far away, as the lights show something out there, and we hear its roar. And you can sense it's right out there, and that it probably sees them. I got chills again. I had forgotten about how this scene played out. I remember feeling really tense when they were getting into the copter, but right before that, even watching it again, on my laptop mind you, a much smaller screen, and much dimmer sound, I still jumped in my seat! I could only laugh at that. :)

And yeah, the sound design was truly amazing. I can't say enough about how I felt a part of this movie. I mainly identified with Hud, the cameraman (I believe Hud was short for Hudson). It was like we were behind the camera, or in general, in the group itself. Throughout the movie, there were numerous times where they almost died. Each time this happened, I felt as if I almost died- sure I knew otherwise, but on some deep, emotional level, it resonated with my sense of mortality. And that truly affected me. Especially when they were on the helicopter and they were going down- you couldn't see what was happening. It was like you were just waiting for that final moment, that thin line, that separates you from your life and, well, either heaven or nothingness. And shortly after that, when Hud looked up to see the creature, damn! I've seen that shot online now, it's just a one or two second snippet of the monster looking forward, then looking down, then going in after him, then it loops back. But each time it comes down, my heart skips, and I can't help but think, "get away, stop it, ew, you're freaking me out." :) It really is chilling. And I think that's great.

I am not the only person who has written this, so I am glad I wasn't the only one who felt this way, but the movie did just such a good job of tricking my subconscious, as it were, that this was all real, skillfully initatiated by first setting up a real life event, a party, that anyone of us have been at many times over, with regular people, so that when all hell does break loose, and it did catch me by surprise, believe it or not, as I was actually paying attention to Rob's emotional scene (hey, I've been there myself, haven't you?), when we hear that first ground shaking thud accompanied by that bone chilling roar, I actually jumped and my heart skipped a beat. And from the point where it started to go nuts right after the head of the Statue lands in front of them, after that first thud, then the building comes down, from that point on, I can't help but feel a part of it. And so, even after I left the movie, I half expected to see some giant creature lurking about between the trees across the street from the theater. Or stepping on cars in the parking lot. Or while driving on the way home, I imagined some giant beast behind me chasing cars. And when I got home and stepped out of my car, and all there was was dead silence but for the wind, and the cold night against my skin, and all there was was the stark reality of life, I still couldn't help but feel that if I just looked quickly enough, I would see some giant creature peering over the houses. The connection between the movie and reality was that strong. Part of my brain and my body was sufficiently tricked into believing this was possible, so was the illusion this strong. And I think that's awesome. :)

Again, while this quickly became one of my favorite movies, I still reserve the right to change my ranking and rating of this film, as only time, and repeat viewings, will determine Cloverfield's long term place in my heart- that is if it doesn't finally stop it.

[KingPagla]

That sure is a lot of words.

[YotaruVegeta]

Definitely a lot of words. More than a pro critic could write.

I think Marvel and DC should put out a Cloverfield comic, because this is the most positivity for one thing I've seen on a Newsarama thread in a while.

[MeatBasket]

Another review of note - tying in some web promotion into the fuller story:
http://norestforthewretched.blogspot.com/

EXCERPT:

1st of all - let me address those nay-sayers that keep comparing CLOVERFIELD to THE HOST. Stop it darn it! It just doesn't make any sense except that they both have a monster in them. The monsters hardly compare in size, and the stories are only similar in one plot point (the rescue of someone close to the main character). Producer JJ Abrams, the director Matt Reeves and writer Drew Goddard were trying to conceive of a "Monster Movie" told from the perspective of people rather than a gods-eye view so to speak. The film succeeded in doing this, and with great intensity... almost to the point of being a disturbing film. The thing that really makes this film stellar is the fact that you can check it out as just a Monster Movie, or you can dig further into the internet hype and find out more than you could ever want in a background story.

More at the web site linked above. I didn't realize how much web saturation there actually was.

[The Stranger]

I loved it. Great movie, great monster. I only wish that the American "Godzilla" film had been this good. Lots of suspense and action, and I actually cared a bit for the characters even though I knew very little about them. I liked them.
Over all it was a class act in the giant monster genre.

[Da_Black_Goku]

Finally broke down and saw it... DAMN that was a good flick. The complaints about the 1st 20 minutes were totally unwarranted because without that setup the rest of the movie would have been kind of unrealistic and pointless. I realy liked the fact that they didn't give you any explanation, just a snapshot of a period of time... then, *poof*.

I hope they don't jack it up by trying to make this into a sequel. It was perfect as a standalone flick.

Worth every cent of the $10.50 I paid to see it.