Cloverfield
2008
Starring: Lizzy Caplan, Jessica Lucas, Odette Yustman, Mike Vogel, T. J. Miller, Michael Stahl-David
Director: Matt Reeves
Runtime: 85 minutes
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Rating: PG-13
Ever since audiences first got a taste of this gritty monster movie, by way of a mysterious clip of handheld camcorder footage that saw the statue of liberty’s tossed down a New York street like a bowling ball, a swell of anticipation began to build around its release. Producer JJ Abrahms and his team managed to orchestrate one of the most successful and widespread underground marketing campaigns via the Internet the likes of which hadn’t been seen since The Blair Witch Project. Word of mouth exploded and speculation as to what exactly this thing attacking New York was ranged from an unannounced Godzilla sequel to the smoke monster from Lost loose from the island.
After such gigantic buzz it was fair to expect that the film itself would be hard pressed to deliver on the expectations and the self-induced hype on the part of the viewer. Unsurprisingly, the final product, while certainly entertaining, is a little bit of a letdown. Shot entirely from direct POV through a camcorder, the film goes directly for the jugular of an America still somewhat wading through the hazy fog of post 9/11 paranoia where anything can happen to anyone at anytime. So with that in mind the camcorder is first switched on to record a going away party for Rob, organized by his brother Jason and his best friends Hud (our cameraman) and Lily. When the full swing celebrations are interrupted by a series of loud explosions and burning chunks of buildings flying through the streets, you cannot help but get a sick sense of déjà vu as images of the World Trade Center immediately come rushing to the front of your mind.
While the city is being decimated by this gigantic unknown creature, the National Guard attempts to respond and an attempt to evacuate the population of Manhatten is begun. However, a panicked Rob decides to turn back when he gets a terrified call from his old flame Beth who claims she is trapped in her midtown apartment. Against his friend’s heated advice, Rob decides to turn back to help Beth, and they follow. As the city is torn apart around them they must find a way to reach Beth and then somehow get out of the area alive.
While Cloverfield is a risky, audacious project, the problem is that it is ultimately very little more than that; it’s a concept, an outline, a good idea. Stretching it out into a full movie leaves it looking frankly a little thin. Fair play to the writers for resisting the temptation to draw these characters from stock, and they at least appear to seem like real, everyday people. That said at no time do we ever really give two shits what happens to a single one of them and that’s a problem.
The destruction of New York, which makes up the majority of the film’s money shots is breathtaking and shot with a frenetic pace and an overriding sense of panic where terror just bleeds off the screen straight down into your lap. But beyond these flashy run-for-you-life sequences, Cloverfield is something of a visual mess. There is a very good reason why watching someone else’s home movie where they whirl the camera around uncontrollably is a crap way to spend a couple of hours. The POV concept is novel and it adds a sense of immediacy and spontaneity that help the film maintain its crucial energy level, but investing in a stead cam for some of the more crucial sequences would have been a wise idea. As it stands it is at times tough to discern what exactly is going on through the sheer blur of sensation. If watching The Blair Witch Project made you feel sick, then Cloverfield will likely put you in the hospital.
Things do get good when it emerges that the artillery fire used against the creature caused these vicious, scuttling parasites that live on it to fall off to ground level and begin marauding through the streets looking for victims. Things get really good when it becomes apparent that a bite from one of them causes death by what can only be described as internal organ explosion.
Of course the real star of any monster movie has to be the monster and in regard to any and all rumors circulated prior to release about what exactly the thing was, you can check the box marked ‘none of the above.’ Cloverfield does spend much of the time teasing us as you might expect; a glimpse here, a brief flash there, but eventually the monster does find itself front and center for all eyes to see, and right at that very second the film completely loses all its power. Yes, it’s a very impressive creature. Yes it’s somewhat original, but at the end of the day it’s just a big ass creature drawn from the imagination of some guy at Tippet Studios VFX department and nothing more.
What is absolutely crucial for anyone looking to maximize the enjoyment of this film is to make sure they go in under a complete and total, 100% information blackout. Once it’s been spoiled for you Cloverfield has next to nothing to offer, and perhaps has less repeat viewing potential than any film of its like that has ever come before it. It’s a fun movie that plays to its strengths and proves beyond doubt that a good idea definitely trumps everything. But it’s a film that you will see once and then have no desire to so much as think about for the rest of your life, ten minutes after you leave the theater.
Leave a Reply