By Vic Holtreman
Short version: Yes, it lives up to the hype – Cloverfield is a blast.
Where does one start a review of a movie that has been the subject of so much attention and hype for months on end leading up to its release?
Bigger than the speculation about what the monster in the movie would look like, the hunting for clues on viral websites, what “Slusho” has to do with the movie – has been the question: After all the hype, will it be a great movie or a huge letdown?
Well I’m sorry to disappoint all the naysayers, but Cloverfield rocked.
Will it win an Oscar or Golden Globe? Heck no. Was it fun and exciting to sit through? Hell yes. This is what the ridiculously weak American version of Godzilla that came out a few years ago should have been.
The following review will be free of any major spoilers – to the point where I won’t even say whether the images that have been making the rounds lately are accurate portrayals of the monster or not. 
Cloverfield opens with a color bar pattern on the screen (which did elicit some unintentional laughs from the audience), but after a few seconds cuts to a very official and government-looking title stating:
“Multiple sightings of case designate ‘Cloverfield’ camera retrieved at incident site U.S. 447 previously known as “Central Park”
Yes, this was shown in the trailer, but as the movie is just starting it impresses upon you that this is not going to end well.
When it cuts from there to a hand held digital camera’s eye view of the interior of a very nice high rise apartment in New York City, it’s quite surprising (and I thought, did not make sense). Here we meet beauty Beth (Odette Yustman) and the guy behind the camera who we presume to be her boyfriend, Rob. Rob (played by Michael Stahl-David) is the fellow for whom the going away party is being thrown due to a new job as vice-president of some company in Japan.
From there it seems that whoever is in charge of the camcorder likes to pretty much record anything and everything as it follows people walking down the streets of New York City and into Rob’s apartment which is being prepared for a surprise going away party for him. We meet Rob’s brother Jason (Mike Vogel), who has been tasked by his girlfriend Lilly (Jessica Lucas) with recording “testimonials” from all the guests at the party. Jason is not pleased and manages to hand off the job to Rob’s best friend Hud, who at first grudgingly takes up the task. Eventually Hud starts to enjoy it as the night goes on and he gets a bit drunk while faithfully filming everything that’s going on.
We also meet a young woman named Marlena (played by Lizzy Kaplan), who Hud has his eye on but can’t seem to work up the courage (or charm) to talk to properly. By this time the audience is finally getting absorbed into the whole camcorder point of view thing, but it does take a while. The official government opening of the film doesn’t quite jive with all this preliminary material, but eventually it does get to the point where Hud wants to keep recording because “someone should see this.”
As we all know already, it’s during this party that all hell breaks loose and when it happens it’s extremely effective. I found myself thinking of Asian horror films, where up until the stuff hits the fan they can be incredibly mundane and almost boring, which then makes for a much more jarring effect when things veer off into the bizarre.
There’s a lot of humor in the film, mostly provided by cameraman Hud (played by unknown T.J. Miller who is not seen a lot but whose presence is constantly felt). One thing I found funny in particular was moments after the initial attack, when the head from the Statue of Liberty ends up in the middle of a Manhattan street, while some people are screaming and yelling “Oh My God!” a bunch of folks gather around the head in the middle of the chaos to calmly take pictures of it with their cell phones and digital cameras.
I didn’t expect the film to be funny at all, but the humor was sprinkled throughout the film very effectively, at time relieving the tension of what was happening on screen. Cloverfield also has a much larger scale than I expected considering the hand-held premise, showing citywide vistas and long shots of the creature. On the flip side, if you absolutely HATE the “jumpy camera” film style I have to say this film is not for you. Well, maybe if you sit in the very last row.
Now when I say “larger scale,” don’t go in expecting some mega-production… Although the effects are, well, effective, it’s more of an intimate film where we get to know the five friends and experience what happens through their eyes in real time.
Yes, 9/11 did come to mind and yes, it did make me a bit uneasy. But what I liked was that in a way it was almost cathartic (just stay with me here): As the people on the street that day didn’t know exactly what was going on despite the fact they were witnessing it first hand, the characters in the film (and the audience) experience similar confusion in the face of disaster of a different sort here.
Regarding the viral marketing of this film: In the end, it fits the final product perfectly. It really is a small film about a small group of friends with the occasional “big” scene here and there.
The creature is very cool and had kind of an H.P. Lovecraft look about it, and it delivers a few surprises. The characters were believable and well acted for this sort of film and that was extremely important, because if you didn’t care about them you had nothing (cough, AVP-R, cough).
So for all you movie reviewer haters out there that think I don’t cut sci-fi movies (AVP-R) or TV shows (The Sarah Connor Chronicles) enough slack, Cloverfield exemplifies what a Screen Rant review is all about: In the end does the movie entertain the audience without insulting their intelligence?
If the answer is yes, it gets a great review from me.
Our Rating:
4.5 out of 5
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i saw the thing shoot into the water too! i was with my boyfriend and he didn’t see it but i KNOW i saw it!
This is apparently what was played at the end of the credits.
http://cloverfieldmessage.ytmnd.com/
SPOILER!!!
Anyone else skeptical about the military being so organized, so quickly–esp. the drastic measures for bite victims?
I want a prequel!
I hope the marketing for this movie pays off in the mainstream. I’ve been telling friends about it for a week or two and they ALL respond the same: “Cloverfield? What’s that? I’ve never heard of it.”
When I tell them “It’s the one where something clobbers the head of the Statue of Liberty into the street” most of them say “Ohhhh….that one!” I hope no one confuses the title and goes to see, say, 27 Dresses by mistake.
I saw the thing hit the water!! i saw it and no one else did i was like frekaing out!
Great experience!!!
^
The shakey camera did bother me about 30 min when there on the bridge.
^
I had to look away because I was feeling a bit ill.
I felt they could have steadied the camera better and still made it believable.
^^
At first I didn’t care about these characters there conversations were 12th grade but then I started to realise that I actually believed these dorks were having a dorky conversation about girls. From then on Hud takes over. He sounded like Napolian Dynamite, he’s the camera man and he’s also you along for the ride.
(HUD , is also an acronim for Heads Up Display). I thought that was a nice touch and this film had more than one nod to Aliens, GodZilla and War of the Worlds. Anyway…
Without giving away anything to big, it was funny at one point Hud is looking at his friends accross the street and there all pointing the other direction, he’s so stunned ther all yelling at him to point the camera that way and it takes him a while. (Had to be there)..
Scenes like that were very well done. I came away thinking “wow they really made that film work, it was like watching a well written caotic tornado…
And it had a great twist with the pre-recorded stuff that precluded the party that was very well planned as you see in the final scene.
^
I’m so bummed I didn’t see that meator crash at the end. I kinda remembered reading that and then right at that part it went by too fast I must have missed it. (What did it look like?) and what a great idea.
^
The sound at the end was kinda like and evp or echo from an electronic device. There was alot of layers of sound in this film at one time your hearing 15 different people freaking out and half of them were military.
^
The movie also had a dark allmost Hitchcock ending that left me with chills. 9+ on my scale!
^
I wonder if they’ll do a prequel or a sequel??
I can’t beilieve all of these positive reviews for Cloverfield. I just saw cloverfield and never felt so dissapointed and moved to write a review. This is my first review ever and it’s sad to say that it’s a negative one. This was one of the worst movies I have ever seen and I am generally a positive and optimistic person. I am a huge movie buff and watch at least 5 movies a week. The plot went something like this…beginning, beginning…middle….motion sickness…. more motion sickness…build up and NOTHING.
The charachters were obnoxious and their “mission” was totally unnatural in the face of certain death. Cloverfield in a snapshot is: imagine being in a room where a ton of action is, but having blinders on, so no matter how much you want to see the action you are forced to look at a ground shot or sneaker where the stupid “handheld camera” dropped. Very frustrating to say the least.
Movies are about feeling like you are part of the moment… visual and audio aids to enrich the idea of actually being their. Cloverfield fails to deliver the visual aspect of this concept. The constant shaking of the screen definitely hurt the movie. I know it made me feel sick and cheated. It would have been a more impressive movie if the camera focused on the monster the whole time and nothing else. It was a beautiful monster. Too bad you only get one clear shot of it.
I would love to get the hour and half of my life back that I wasted on watching this movie. Just truly horrible. For your own sanity do not watch this huge dissapointment of a movie.
It was a bit too shakey I’ll admit Sara Mils but Hud also had some great shots too.
^
I think the handheld effect could have been more of a steadycam effect and nobody watching would have been like “hey that’s a steady cam”. It did make me quesy at times but the characters and there acting were way better than I’ve seen in alot of horror films latly…
^
And hey there was a story,.. These kids were in such shock that they were living off adrenilin and it was compelling at least for me.
^
^
Question for ya Sara, what did you think of the film Zodiac?
This movie was a complete waste of money! I was highly disappointed! I was looking forward to seeing it so bad too. It was almost exactly like the Blair Witch Project only in New York City with some alien creature. Some dumbass runs around with a camera screaming the whole time and it gives you a headache! At the end of the movie EVERYONE was complaining, I can honestly say I do not think one person in the whole theater enjoyed this movie! It was a major disappointment!
I thought this movie was truely amazing. I saw the midnight show and me and all my friends agree it was what we hoped for. Everyone writing negative views are not quite seeing the movie what it is for. It is not about the monster, it is not about saving the world. EVERY other monster movie ever created has the main characters the ones who figure out how to stop it and save humanity and everyone is happy the end. Cloverfield is about regular people trying to survive. They have their own problems and the monster is just one of them. You see the movie through their eyes and you learn only what they do. The concept was amazing and so original. 10/10 easily
Yeah there were some in the theatre that didn’t like it. But I’ve never seen so many watching the credits at the end for a soundbite.
^
Clearly alot of people read these posts on the web.
I’m sticking my neck out there but I’m projecting 50 mill weekend for Cloverfield…..and over 200 mil domestic.
•••
Honestly… You can’t compare this movie to The Blair Witch Project. They’re nothing alike except for the filming strategy with unsteady cameras. Blair is all about ghosts and haunted houses and people crying into the camera with snot dripping down their nose. Cloverfield is about something so real (I was just in New York and it was startling to see everything I recognized just topple over) that it really did leave me shaken. I was up until 3:30am after seeing the movie just wondering what I would do in a situation like that.
Cloverfield is the sh*t!
Morgan: There was a scene with snot running out a nose.
Also, In case you went out for popcorn after the looong party scene and had to wait in line for about 15 minutes, this is what you missed:
Hud: Rob!!! Huff, puff! Rob!!! Huff, puff! Rob! Rob! Rob! Rob! Rob!!! Huff, puff! Rob! Rob! Rob! Rob! Rob! Rob!!! Huff, puff! Rob! Rob, wait up! Rob! Rob! Rob! Rob!!! Huff, puff, stumble! Rob! Rob! Rob, hold on! Rob! Rob! Rob! Rob!!! Huff, puff! Rob! Rob! Rob! Hurry up, Rob! Rob! Rob!
Sara et al, I have to say that when the movie was over, on the drive home I did come to the conclusion that this was going to split audiences. Either people were really going to love it or hate it, but I’m hoping that more people like it than not.
What I liked was the realistic point of view of the people on the ground. The intent was to make you experience it as if you were there in the first person instead of the usual third person point of view we have when watching a movie.
If you were actually going through the situation it would be just as chaotic as portrayed and you wouldn’t spend all your time admiring the creature.
I do appreciate and welcome honest and well written opposing points of view here at Screen Rant so thank you for sharing your thoughts, Sara!
Vic
About the thing falling into the water–I have a fantasy that it’s the good guys coming to reign the beast in. (I admit Transformers spurred this thought.) I’m imposing comic book values onto a mature story, but I imagine a sequel that shows the monster AND some other giant (or team) fighting.
I hope they don’t make a sequel/prequel. Just leave it as is. It’s a great film and I don’t need more.
definitely saw something hitting the water in that last scene. thought it was my imagination..kind of gave closure as to where that thing came from
You are all beautiful people. Thank you for accepting my viewpoint. I accept yours as well. I understand the originality of the shooting perspective, but I think you want that experience when you are playing video games, which is what the movie felt like, not in the movie theater. There’s definitely a time and place for that and a market, but maybe it wasn’t the best option for an introductory to a story presented in movie format. I really wanted it to be great, but it just wasn’t for me.
Sara out…
P.S. I didn’t see Zodiac, so I can’t say my thoughts on that film.
Now that I’ve seen it, I’m wondering what the DVD features will be. Morgan, how about deleted scenes filling in “prequel” or “sequel” information?
Or videotapes from other sources not as extensive.
And–this is a must–a 3-D animated view of the creature.
Sara,
No problem. I strive to make this a friendly place to post. I hope you visit again.
Vic
>>incident site U.S. 447 previously known as “Central Park”<
Do you think they nuked the monster in the end?
No they didn’t nuke it, IMO. They prob used something like MOAB; Mother of all Bombs. 10 ton sucker. OR just some more serious carpet bombing. I think this only because with a nuclear strike, that camera would have been toast and pretty much everything else. Even though its a drastic measure to take, I believe they tried something else first.
And for the ones talking about the object falling into the ocean. Me and the peeps at unFiction figured it was the Tagruato satilite that feel from orbit and was reported to hit somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean. (Wont know what I’m referring to unless you are apart of the ARG, or atleast read up on it.)
And with the recording, play it backwards and it clearly says…”It’s still alive” :O Awesomeness.
I don’t think they nuked it either, Zachary, but they obviously leveled Manhattan because the incident site was “previously known as Central Park.”
Jim, I think I’d rather see a sequel. It’d be eerie but cool to see Mahattan completely leveled and the monster attacking LA or something, lol.
I agree Morgan. Manhattan in the world of CloverField is no more. And prob some other surronding areas. Even though they killed the monster. I’m sure they are dozens of parasites running around infecting people.
A sequel would be nice. Just like you said Morgan, plus I’d like to see JJ tie up some loose ends on the ARG front.
But I thought the monster was still alive? =(
I think it is dead, only because I believe there is more than one. IMO. Ment to say “Even if they killed the monster”
Sorry
They did not nuke the city. Although I couldn’t make out what was said at the end of the credits I’ve since read that it was Rob speaking. If the city had been nuked he certainly wouldn’t have survived.
Personally I don’t believe the monster is dead.
Regarding a sequel, I’ll be putting up an article about that soon.
Vic
If it is ok with Vic, this is the thread about the message at the end and a link the site. If its not cool, get rid of it please.
http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=23700