Genre: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Drama and Thriller
Running Time: 1 hr. 30 min.
Release Date: January 18th, 2008 (wide)
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for violence, terror and disturbing images.
Directed By: Matt Reeves
Starring: Lizzy Caplan, Jessica Lucas, T.J. Miller, Michael Stahl-David, Mike Vogel
SCORE = 8/10
Cloverfield is more than a movie; it is an experience that will leave you completely and utterly exhausted. A poignant blend of post 9/11 terror and our cultural obsessions with mass media and technology, Cloverfield is a giant monster movie with something to say, featuring a vantage point the likes of which audiences have never seen before. In fact Cloverfield is likely the best movie that you’ll never want to watch again.
Kept under wraps for more than half a year, the J.J Abrams produced Cloverfield has teased audiences with an impressive marketing campaign, which used striking imagery of a tattered and ruined Manhattan to elicit curiosity and excitement. Cloverfield reviews a ninety minute, mini-DV tape that was discovered after the horrific event. The footage follows four friends as they desperately search to find a missing companion, putting them dangerously close to an unstoppable creature of monstrous proportions.
Part of the impact that Cloverfield achieves is due to the clever marketing which kept the experience hidden, fresh and alive. The trailers and clips only showed enough to whet audience’s palates, leaving the majority of the film to be experienced in a darkened theater, and without a doubt this is a movie that must be seen in a cinema.
However audiences need to be forewarned. While many will likely compare the camerawork in Cloverfield to the 1999 horror smash, The Blair Witch Project, this statement will only minutely prepare you for what you will see in this long awaited, giant monster flick. While the camera work is indeed handheld, there are two striking differences Cloverfield and the aforementioned horror film.
In the Blair Witch Project filmmakers used the “shaky-cam” style to make the most out of their extremely limited budget. In Cloverfield director Matt Reeves had an epic scale to work with, and because of that, audiences will want to focus on the details on screen. The imagery is indeed striking; the creature leaves Manhattan utterly obliterated. The camera moves without edits through 360 degree sets, making the experience visceral and immediate. As a culture we have been trained by Hollywood to let our eyes focus on the details, here they are given to us and then instantly pulled away. This drastic and uncomfortable change to the phenomena of the persistence of vision will leave some audiences frustrated and others entirely motion sick.
The pace of the movie also moves far more frantically than The Blair Witch Project. Reeves gives audiences little time to regroup and focus, again twisting Hollywood staples and making a gutsy film that dares to leave questions unanswered. This is not a film that wants to tell you why or how a giant monster attacked New York, just that’s its happening and we’re right there, caught in the action.
With all the hype surrounding the film, the name most easily attributed with the title has been J.J. Abrams. The Lost television producer and director of Mission: Impossible III had an undeniably important role in bringing this film to life, but at the end of the day Cloverfield is Matt Reeves’ triumph. For a feature length directorial debut, Reeves has made a film that will indelibly leave its mark on American culture.
The one stumbling block the picture hits is its failure to translate the characters’ fear to the audiences. Perhaps it is because viewers are scrambling to catch up with the camera or Reeves’ lack of cinematic experience in sustaining tension over a feature film, but fear is not the overriding motivation for watching Cloverfield. However the film does manage to take away the security blanket that typical giant monster movies usually offer as safe havens, helping to reinvent the scares within the genre. Of course telling you how and why would only ruin the fun.
Cloverfield is a film that will turn audiences on their heads. It is the first film that will be universally commended as being worth all the hype. The camera work literally makes the picture look and feel like nothing you have ever seen before, but for some audiences, including myself, repeat viewings might be too difficult to watch. Cloverfield is just as likely to terrify audiences as it is to cause them to lose their lunch. How’s that for a cinematic roller coaster ride?
-Joe Russo, MoviePulse
tim and darcy low says
I agree and disagree with your review to a point. Yes it is something that should be seen, the concept is something that has never been tried before. And the shaky cam thing works well, adding to the suspense of the film. The monster was unlike anything we have every seen before.
Where it failed for me, and I think a lot of people; is the fact you do not know anything about these character’s. And frankly, can not care one way or the other if they live or die. All J J Abrams gave us were people running around, making incredibly stupid decisions resulting in someone dieing left and right.
They hype leading up to the movie, the Slusho, the oil rig sinking, the girl in the hotel room, none of that was in the movie. No reference was made to any of this at all. The girl in the hotel room was briefly seen crashed out on the sofa at the party. But that was the only tie into to the hype.
As far as the monster, none of your questions were answered. What is it, where did it come from, why is it here.
I’d give it a 6 out of 10, not a bad movie but more could have been done to make it better. Give us some backstory and flesh out the characters more.
For me, there was a much better film that was realized on dvd three days before Cloverfield, and was what Cloverfield could and should have been. I wish I could have seen it on the big screen instead.
http://robojapan.blogspot.com/2008/01/monster-2008.html
the trailer:
http://www.theasylum.cc/video/Tokyo_trailer_16x9.mov
Not disagreeing with your points, just giving my two cents. Thanks for the time you took to do this review.
Tim
Mr Wall says
This is really coming out to be a love it or hate it type flick
tim and darcy low says
Sorry for the spoiler. Thank you to whoever edited my post.
Tim
Exotic says
I am agree with the title:)
This movie was made from the victim point of view, and so it gave you the feeling its realy happening:)
not many people will agree with me and there are some that think “its sux”, but its cuz they didnt used to this kind of movies, and this one is different:)
so let me say this: its realy worth it:D
Nick Hughes says
Well, I have got to say I was disappointed with the film. I saw it getting 4.5/5 and 9.5/10 and so on, so you think, well, ok generally speaking, it must be a good film – and i’m a really easy to please guy when it comes to movies.
Sadly, I was left shaking my head. Now, it’s a monster movie, so the “believability” factor shouldn’t really be an issue, but sadly, there were too many factors in this film that made me think “are you having a laugh?”
The worst one, and the most memorable one came towards the end of the film.
Now be aware, for those who haven’t seen it yet, there may be a few giveaways coming up.
The whole let down of the film is the ridiculous things that happen, epitomised by the helicopter crash, which is frankly, where the film should have ended, the next few minutes being the “watch checking” section of the film.
There were too many instances where I shook my head and thought, “oh, come on, you’ve got to be kidding me”
In all fairness, i only wished for the end with about 5 minutes left of the film anyway and it did keep me watching, not because it was gripping, but mainly because i was waiting to hear more about the creature towards the end of the film. I liked the gimmick that you knew as little as the characters to begin with, but as time went on, i started getting irritated that nothing came forward to explain what was going on.
The introduction section of the film was in a way, too long, and didn’t build the characters up well enough, as mentioned above.
That, plus some ridiculous moments really took the shine off this film. If I was a teacher, i’d say good effort, must do better next time.
All this about the film itself and to boot, the home video style also gives you a bit of motion sickness!
All in all, not a bad film. But if i was making recommendations to friends, i’d say, wait until you can rent it on DVD.
For me, 5.5, maybe 6, out of 10 is the most I can offer here.