2008 Woodie Awards
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Mysterious 'Cloverfield' thrills, leaves theater-goers guessing
Movie Review
by Andrew Hickey | Freelance Reporter |
In July, when the first trailer was screened in front of "Transformers," curiosity arose about the latest project connected to J.J. Abrams ("Lost" and "Alias").
Months ago, with no title or listing of actors, but only what seemed to be footage from a digital camera of someone witnessing something attacking New York City, followed by the date 1-18-08, a wave of viral marketing was released upon the public.
What is the title of the movie? What is it about? What the hell is attacking New York? These were all things people had on their minds. This past fall, when the next trailer was shown, the most concrete information viewers were given was the title of the film. This is the first aspect of what makes "Cloverfield" a successful movie: The general audience has no idea what to expect going into this movie (that is, as long as viewers stay away from spoilers).
I'm not going to reveal a lot about the plot due to the fact that knowing less makes the experience of seeing this film better. "Cloverfield," directed by Matt Reeves, is not your typical monster movie; instead, the genre has been given new life.
While the premise of making a film appear to be a documentary has been done many times, the way in which "Cloverfield" delivers this mode of storytelling is by far the most authentic in recent movie history, due in part to the fact that the crew actually filmed the movie using digital video recorders. It almost resembles videos you would find on YouTube or MySpace.
The first scene drags on for quite a bit, but it provides the viewer with the opportunity to connect with each of the characters. Then the pace quickly picks up.
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What is the title of the movie? What is it about? What the hell is attacking New York? These were all things people had on their minds. This past fall, when the next trailer was shown, the most concrete information viewers were given was the title of the film. This is the first aspect of what makes "Cloverfield" a successful movie: The general audience has no idea what to expect going into this movie (that is, as long as viewers stay away from spoilers).
I'm not going to reveal a lot about the plot due to the fact that knowing less makes the experience of seeing this film better. "Cloverfield," directed by Matt Reeves, is not your typical monster movie; instead, the genre has been given new life.
While the premise of making a film appear to be a documentary has been done many times, the way in which "Cloverfield" delivers this mode of storytelling is by far the most authentic in recent movie history, due in part to the fact that the crew actually filmed the movie using digital video recorders. It almost resembles videos you would find on YouTube or MySpace.
The first scene drags on for quite a bit, but it provides the viewer with the opportunity to connect with each of the characters. Then the pace quickly picks up.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
Tristan Waddington
posted 1/24/08 @ 10:26 AM PST
Although I do agree that Cloverfield is a spectacularly entertaining movie, your article was obviously not researched at all.
You say that "the crew actually filmed the movie using digital video recorders. (Continued…)
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posted 3/31/08 @ 10:39 AM PST
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Megan
posted 4/01/08 @ 2:03 PM PST
Cloverfield was a ridiculously overhyped piece of garbage. Innovative or no, the plot was stupid and so was the "monster".
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