Cloverfield (2008)
Action | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller
Five young New Yorkers throw their friend a going-away party the night that a monster the size of a skyscraper descends upon the city. Told from the point of view of their video camera, the film is a document of their attempt to survive the most surreal,
horrifying event of their lives.
Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Martin Liebman, May 31, 2008 You said it was 'alive.' What was it?
I usually don't say things like this in a review, but Cloverfield rules. Without a doubt, this is the finest monster movie ever made, and the various Godzilla and King Kong movies pale in comparison. Even as a movie reviewer, someone
who makes his living on critiquing movies and Blu-ray discs, I'm not always enamored with a lot of what gets made today. Much of it is repetitive tripe (even the mindless entertainment types), and most of what we see today lacks much, if any, originality.
I've got to give credit to Hollywood for finally getting one right, creating an original, truly edge-of-your-seat, mind-boggling movie that stands almost alone as a movie that is so intense, scary, and real, that it's difficult to classify your emotions
after watching it. Is it entertaining? Absolutely. Is it horrific? Sure is. Does it feel completely real? No doubt. Director Matt Reeves (The Pallbearer) and producer J.J. Abrams (director of Mission: Impossible III) have re-invigorated a
tired, dull genre, and taken the trite "let's destroy New York City" theme and created a masterpiece that unequivocally accomplishes what it sets out to do.
What is "Cloverfield?" At the beginning of the movie, the audience is told that the following "footage" is a video recording recovered from Central Park. As the footage begins to roll, we're introduced to the characters, and it takes some time to figure
out who's who simply because of the home video nature of the imagery. Our primary characters are Rob (Michael Stahl-David, TV's "The Black Donnelly's"), who is leaving for a new job in Japan and is the center of attention at a surprise going-away party;
Hud (T.J. Miller, TV's "Carpoolers"), Rob's friend and primary camera man throughout the film; and Beth (Odette Yustman, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story), Rob's best friend and the girl he secretly loves. There are others, but part of the joy of
Cloverfield is allowing yourself to become part of the movie, join the party at the beginning, and mingle vicariously through the camera. Just as the movie's brief introduction begins to get just the slightest bit long in the tooth, a rumble is
heard in the distance and power is briefly lost throughout New York City. There is word on the news that a tanker has capsized near the Statue of Liberty, and moments later, with our gang of new friends now on street level, a large explosion rocks the
city, and the head of the Statue of Liberty comes crashing into the street. Panic-stricken chaos ensues, and only elevates in intensity when it becomes clear that this is no accident or even terrorist attack. "Some thing" is loose in the city, and it's
out to destroy.
I refuse to go on the description from there. What I've described is about all I knew of the film going in, and it all came from the trailers. There are far too many plot twists and developments from here on out, but suffice it to say, Cloverfield
should easily keep you engrossed during its all-too-short 80 minute runtime. In fact, it moves along at a breakneck speed and is over almost as fast as it starts. Cloverfield is so good, so chilling, so emotional, and so effortlessly real that I
sometimes found my hands shaking while trying to type up my notes. Let's not even try and imagine my heart rate, either. The acting is first-rate; the movie is absolutely perfect in its attempt to be what it is, a recovered tape of a monstrous tragedy in
New York City at the hands of a creature we know nothing about. These actors bring a complete sense of realism to their roles, and the fact that they are far from household names and faces definitely helps the realism of the movie. Cloverfield
would not have worked nearly as well had someone like Tom Cruise been the lead. It might have been a movie on the level of War of the Worlds, but definitely not a genre-defining, classic picture I have no doubt Cloverfield is destined to
become.
If there are any potential faults to be found with Cloverfield, the primary one may be that it just feels too real. I'm not talking about the shaky camera style (which didn't bother me or my wife, for what it's worth) but instead about how some of the
movie's scenes brought back memories of September 11, 2001. The way that soot and debris caked streets and people recalled the news coverage of that day, and I couldn't help but think that the stylistic look of the movie may have been "inspired" by that
tragedy. It definitely adds to the realism of the movie, but it did momentarily take me out of the action. This inspiration is discussed in various supplemental features, and amateur footage of that day (as well as parts of the film United 93)
played a role in influencing the look and feel of the film. It's definitely disturbing, but it adds a realism to the movie that's nearly second-to-none in Hollywood history, sadly in part because the film's audience now has a real-life frame of reference
with which to relate the horror seen in the film.
Filmmakers should take note that it's not always what we see and what we hear that makes a movie great, but instead what we feel. Cloverfield's distinct style places us smack-dab into the middle of the story, and never before have I felt this close
to the action. I'm certainly not advocating every movie from here on out be shot in the style of Cloverfield, but what the movie has done is show what great storytelling in film is all about. The movie is direct, to the point, never superfluous,
and quite possibly the most fun I've had at the movies in quite some time (not to mention being scared out of my wits more than once). This Blu-ray screening was the first time I'd seen Cloverfield, and I cannot wait to watch it again, especially
now with the review complete so I won't be hindered by a computer on my lap and my brain and fingers taking notes. Cloverfield is Paramount's finest Blu-ray disc to date. The video quality is exactly as it should be, and the audio is astounding.
The extra features are solid and numerous, and at times fairly entertaining. I cannot guarantee you'll enjoy this movie as much as I did, or not feel any motion sickness, but if you love the movie, are dying to see it for the first time, or need a
reference disc, buying this disc is an easy decision to make. Highly recommended!
[CSW] -1.6- .This shaky camerawork trend is OUT OF CONTROL. Cloverfield could have made for a great 30 minute short film if JJ Abrams (famous director of several Star Trek movies as well as LOST and Mission Impossible III) had he just
cut out the backstory of the bland twentysomething characters which had NO impact on the rest of the story. At 84 minutes, the camcorder gimmick wears out its welcome and if you add a lackluster ending… well what I felt was almost a tiny bit of nausea.
And no, I can't be bothered to piece together the clues from the viral internet marketing because nothing from the actual movie motivates me to want to find out more. I felt pretty much the same way aboutThe Blair Witch Project which made
extensive use of shaky cam to make the film look like recovered documentary camera footage. I am beginning to think that any shaky cam movie breaks my suspension-of-disbelief, if you can believe that.
As a side note 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016 -- JJ Abrams produced but didn't direct) was a much better follow-up to Cloverfield epically with no the shaky cam.
[V4.5-A5.0] MPEG-4 AVC - D-Box-8.5/10
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