Cloverfield (2008)
Runtime: 85 mins
Theatrical Release: Jan 18, 2008 Wide
Box Office: $79,952,254
Synopsis: Director Matt Reeves (THE PALLBEARER) and producer J. J. Abrams (LOST, ALIAS) turn a mysterious monster loose in Manhattan in the disaster flick CLOVERFIELD. The movie begins at a party for Rob (Michael Stahl-David), who has accepted a promotion that will send him to Japan. Hud (T. J. Miller)... Director Matt Reeves (THE PALLBEARER) and producer J. J. Abrams (LOST, ALIAS) turn a mysterious monster loose in Manhattan in the disaster flick CLOVERFIELD. The movie begins at a party for Rob (Michael Stahl-David), who has accepted a promotion that will send him to Japan. Hud (T. J. Miller) is entrusted with the responsibility of videotaping the party--and as the trouble grows, he holds on to the camera, recording everything that happens. In fact, the entire movie is seen through the lens of his camera, reminiscent of THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT. As terrified people in a post-9/11 New York City take to the streets, Rob decides to head uptown to try to save Beth (Odette Yustman), the woman he loves, though he's afraid to tell her so. Rob is joined by his brother Jason (Mike Vogel), Jason's girlfriend Lily (Jessica Lucas), Lily's friend Marlena (Lizzy Caplan), and Hud, who has a thing for Marlena. Rob is determined not to give up, even after almost being crushed by the Statue of Liberty's head and as the military shows up to force evacuation of the city. Reeves and first-time screenwriter Drew Goddard, who previously has written television episodes of such series as BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, ANGEL, ALIAS, and LOST, focus in on the central aspect of the story: people trying to survive the monster attack. Very little else is explained, since the story is told completely through the video camera. And there is no additional score to heighten the drama; the only music is that which is picked up by Hud and the camera's microphone, including snippets of songs by Kings of Leon, Parliament Funkadelic, Of Montreal, and others. The anticipation of CLOVERFIELD's release was enhanced by a viral marketing campaign that included Web sites built around the main characters and even the fictional drink Slusho. [More]
Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy
Starring: Michael Stahl-David, Mike Vogel, Odette Yustman, Lizzy Caplan, Jessica Lucas
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Reviews
It's the closest a film has ever gotten to a roller-coaster ride. It will definitely nauseate, it feels claustrophobic, there are sudden scares, and it also peaks too early.
If you like kick butt monster movies, then this one will deliver for you! Go see it right away!
Despite the mostly convincing verisimilitude of the approach, the film does succumb, especially in its last act, to some cheap manipulation, one or two bad stereotypes, and some cornball Hollywood schmaltz.
...an A for effort, a B for visuals, a C for content, and a C for photography, the latter, of course, being intentionally herky-jerky.
Cinéma Vérité Godzilla - canny enough to have been designed for the YouTube generation as well as for those elder folks like myself that still like a good ride on the roller coaster every once in awhile.
If some veterans have flashbacks while watching "Saving Private Ryan," it should be safe to say that "Cloverfield" will bring back a lot bad memories for some New Yorkers. Yes, "Cloverfield" looks and feels that realistic.
The persistently shaky camera sways to and fro so much the upshot is more nauseating than thrilling. Skip the nachos/ hotdog combo and opt for a packet of aspirin instead.
I, for one, would be using the F-bomb far more gratuitously if faced with a possible encounter with a creature that could well swallow me whole.
A fascinatingly wrought experimental film that holds you in awe at what Reeves and his production crew was able to pull off, inspiring more appreciation than a gut level sense of being there.
CLOVERFIELD is one of those films you wish you could see for the very first time again because the impact will just never be the same on second viewing. I treasured the experience of getting to see this in the theater and it will forever leave a mark on m
Mixing the immediacy of documentary observation and the slam-bang pace of the modern disaster epic, Cloverfield is economic and engaging.
'Cloverfield' is a sleek, silly product of green filmmaking: It recycles old ideas and molds them into a lean, briskly paced thriller that owes as much to classic monster movies like 'Godzilla' as gimmick-driven misfires like 'The Blair Witch Project.'
Mystery monster really mad at Manhattan on rampage, making the collective audience skin crawl and leaving you with sweaty palms and clenched teeth, no matter what row you're sitting in.
For all its popularity, self-documentation's purpose and meaning remain elusive.
For all its newfangled innovations, the movie shares DNA with similarly themed sci-fi yarns from the 1950s.
One of the most exciting and frightening sci-fi/horror films of the last decade.
I've never cheered so hard for the monster to win in my life.
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