Cloverfield
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Movie Reviews of Cloverfield
Movie Review: Wow...
Summary: 5 Stars
I was reading all the bad reviews, and I have to say... I just don't think those who hated it got it. This movie is innovative, even beyond "Blair Witch", because it wasn't exactly scripted. The whole point of this movie is, basically, "what would you do in a disaster of this magnitude?"
Most monster movies are scripted and acted, and while this falls in our comfort zone, it isn't realistic. Cloverfield was realistic.
Okay, not realistic in that a giant monster is attacking New York. It's realistic in how it's shot, and how it's experienced. We're not seeing it through the eyes of a filmmaker and crew. We're seeing it through the eyes of the people who are experiencing it. The best way I can describe it is, chances are, if this had actually happened, that is exactly what we'd be seeing on the news. Remember amateur videos of 9/11? That's the "technique" that was strived for, here.
Some are calling it out for having Rob go after his girlfriend and his friends following. First off, there are some people in this world who would go after someone to try and save them in a crisis. I know, if something similar happened, and someone I really cared about was trapped, I'd go after them. I did once, in a serious Tornado (F5). Crossed paths with it many times. But we both made it out just fine. So it isn't unrealistic. Plus, Rob's friends chose to go with him. They didn't have to, and he even told them not to. But you have to think about this. Somehow, the story had to be told. Rob and his friends going after Beth was a great way to set up telling the story. Because, let's be realistic... the story-telling device of any movie or TV show ever made is never that great. Look at the 80's TV Show "Murder, She Wrote." Some people don't understand how murder "follows" Jessica. But if it didn't, then there wouldn't be a story for each episode, now would there? It's exactly the same. If Rob and his friends had just evacuated, then there wouldn't have been a story to tell from this point-of-view.
Movie Review: A frighteningly fun entry into the monster movie genre
Summary: 5 Stars
I grew up on Godzilla movies of the 60s and 70s and I have always enjoyed movies like this. I was also someone who followed Cloverfield's viral marketing campaign being caught up in the excitement which the first teaser trailer delivered. Although I have a few complaints about a couple aspects of the movie; for me the movie more than lived up to the hype and JJ Abrams and Matt Reeves delivered a movie that was a terrifying thrill ride.
I understand that the way the movie was filmed was a deal breaker for some people. For me there were times when I did think the shakiness was a bit too much but for the majority of the film the camera technique faded into the background and I was able to enjoy the movie. Being a lover of giant creature features the other slight disappointment was in the length of time the monster was seen in the movie. I say it's a slight disappointment because I do think that seeing only glimpses of the monster throughout the movie did help create that sense of fear of the unknown and the suspense of what may happen at any minute. But I don't think showing the monster a little more than they did would not have hurt. Also a consolation is the fact that creature designer Neville Paige designed a giant monster that was frightening, very original and innovative.
Much has been said about the plot so I will not rehash it here. I did like the acting and the time in the beginning of the movie getting to know our characters was well spent. For me they were characters which I grew to care about. TJ Miller's character of Hud and his unrequited crush on Marlena provides for some humorous moments of comic relief throughout the film. But the main relationship driving the plot of the movie is Rob who finds the courage to face a monster head on in his pursuit to rescue Beth the girl he's afraid to commit to. All in all Cloverfield is a fun, thrilling and entertaining movie that hopefully has brought a sense of real fright and terror to a genre of films that had long since lost its ability to frighten.
Movie Review: Definitely Not a Four-Leaf Cloverfield
Summary: 5 Stars
When you're a teen at a party and a monster suddenly attacks, you know you're not having a good day.
Cloverfield is a new take on a monster movie produced by J. J. Abrams. (While Mark Reese directs the film, it seems as if J. J. Abrams is taking most of the publicity.) J. J. Abrams did not film any of his other films, like 'Mission: Impossible III' or 'Star Trek', in the same fashion, i.e. shaky and as if from a home camera; I suspect he got it from 'The Blair Witch Project'.
In essence, Cloverfield follows five teenagers struggling to rescue their friend from an overturned building and survive in New York in the midst of a monster attack. The monster picks off the teens one by one as the movie progresses.
Of the many strengths of this film, I especially liked the way the movie was filmed, i.e. with a handheld camera. In the digital age, it makes it seem like something that someone would actually do. Also, the CGI (computer-generated imagery) effects were very good; it must have been difficult to add CGI into shaky film. Third, the film opted for less action than suspense and plot, which is unusual for a modern movie. Finally, the ending was unexpected - but if you want to know how, you'll have to watch the movie. (Keep in mind, though - it's not a happy one.)
However, that doesn't mean everything about the film was terrific. The beginning dragged on for a bit too long, lengthening the movie unnecessarily. Also, we never get a good look at the monster until the very end of the film. Even then, the image is blurred and we are unable to see the creature clearly. While that may aid our use of the imagination, it's unneeded.
In conclusion, Cloverfield made a good use of modern technology and combined an actual storyline with well-done action and suspense, which is something most movies don't do in this day and age. Heart-stopping, intense, and overall terrifying, this is a movie that should be forever praised.
Movie Review: Still an Amazing Movie, Even If It's Best Seen on the Bigscreen.
Summary: 5 Stars
Normally I'm not the type of person who enjoys intense films (namely ones intended to scare), but at least in my case I believe Cloverfield was an exceptionally well-done monster movie which both surpassed my expectations and seemed to live up to its hype. The concept of the movie is very entertaining: low-budget camcorders and realistic characters applied to the circumstance of a gigantic spider-like creature having itself a less than casual stroll through NYC. Like many have already said, the way in which the movie was filmed was already used by The Blair Witch Project, but I was glad to see this method used on such a promising premise as Cloverfield has to offer. The shaky camera angles that nauseated a lot of viewers were no trouble for me, and were effective in getting me involved in the intensity and realistic portions of the movie. Unlike the scary movies I've seen and despised in the past, Cloverfield took no cheap shots at my sensitiveness to intense films and thankfully was not full of jump moments or excessively gory. Instead it was oriented around heart-pounding scenes of action and a spontaneous plotline which kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time since I was completely unsure of how the movie would end. As it turned out, the ending was very satisfying in spite of the tragedy of it. I felt very attached to the characters and compelled by the action throughout the film, and when I stepped out of the theater I had a rather unsettling feeling of "whoa" (but in a good way). There's really no way to describe it with absolute accuracy for those who haven't seen it, so if you have not yet watched this movie I highly recommend it. It's by far my favorite movie of the year thus far. I went and saw it twice in the theater, and unfortunately the DVD release probably can't compare to the bigscreen atmosphere but it's still great to watch at home. I'd rate this five of five stars, and I don't commonly rate movies that high.Movie Review: Lovin' me some Cloverfield
Summary: 5 Stars
"Cloverfield" is not only much better than I was expecting, it is, in fact, an extremely clever, well-executed, and scary movie. Kudos to the team that produced this film, as it could have gone wrong in so many ways.
Without providing spoilers, I will describe the premise of "Cloverfield" as follows: what if a monster movie were real? Now, that may seem like a trivial premise, because any work of fiction attempts to create a sense of reality. But think about it: there are fictional movies about "real stuff" (i.e. Howard's End, The Right Stuff, To Kill a Mockingbird, etc.) and there are fictional movies about "not-real stuff" (i.e. Godzilla, Star Wars, Fahrenheit 911, etc.) Well, what if there were a monster in a "real stuff" movie? The effect would be, and is, quite unsettling, and this is what "Cloverfield" attempts, through the device of an unedited home movie that presents, in large part, the mundane material of which most such movies are made.
For this reason, "Cloverfield" reminds me a bit of Shyamalan's "Signs", which I felt attempted to do the very same thing (and which was also very effective). It also reminded me of Stephen King's "The Mist" (the novella, not the movies) mostly due to the nightmarish collision of unreality and reality that both share.
One thing that impressed me is that the device used in the film could have easily become contrived or gimmicky if not handled with extreme finesse; everything was spot on. I found myself grinning as the film really got going, enjoying what the filmmakers were doing. The grinning soon went away, as the movie is actually pretty scary.
"Cloverfield" leaves you wanting more, and with many questions unanswered. (Although, as with other J.J. Abrams works, some answers are there if you look closely enough...) If you love scary movies, and are not a TOTAL BABY about shaky, hand-held camera footage, you will love "Cloverfield!"