*Warning: There are some story elements discussed in the following review so beware of some minor spoilers*
As a kid, I grew up watching Godzilla movies. One day, I got sick at school and spent most of the day rolling around in pain on a cot next to the elementary school office. Finally, I decided to give in and just get them to call my mom. Twenty minutes later she arrived. But she didn’t arrive alone.
I returned home that day with a VHS box set of old Japanese Godzilla (technically Gojira) movies. It had everything. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, Mothra vs. Godzilla, Godzilla vs. King Kong…I was in heaven. Suddenly, being sick didn’t matter anymore. Quickly, I was becoming a Godzilla fanatic.
Shortly after my investment into the giant green lizard from Japan, Roland Emmerich’s 1998 remake of the same name came out. It was panned not only by critics but Godzilla fans all over the world. As a young, impressionable kid, I loved the film. However, as I have aged and become somewhat wiser, I have come to see what the panning was all about. While it can fall into that “so-bad-it’s-good” catorgy, Godzilla (1998) is essentially an embarrassment to the Godzilla mythos.
Before I saw equally horrible embarrassment that was Transformers, I was pleasantly surprised to see the Cloverfield trailer right before it. Immediately, I was fairly intrigued. As one can tell, I’m obviously already a huge monster movie fan through Godzilla. This was just going to be like Godzilla, only with hand held cameras. What could be better than that? Finally, we were going to get a new giant monster movie, only with a fresh, original angle to go along with it.
As hype continued throughout the months, I started to care less and less about Cloverfield. Much like what happened after I saw 300, I was already getting sick of Cloverfield without even seeing it. By the time last night rolled around, I really wasn’t that excited. Still, having looked over some positive reviews beforehand, I was still ready for what would most likely be a good time.
So, after months of hype and building, does Cloverfield really deliver?
Yes. It’s by no means perfect, but Cloverfield is one of the most entertaining times I’ve had in the theater in a while.
First off, I really liked the first twenty minutes or so. The very rough opening with the timers and property of United States government labels followed by very amateurism footage was a really nice touch. The footage definitely got more professional looking once Hud took control of the camera, but that’s okay. Overall, it gave the film a very realistic and immediate feel. I did enjoy the section of the film taking place during Rob’s party. It really established some of the main characters well along with putting some weight into the Rob and Beth relationship.
Once the monster hit Manhattan, however, things got crazy pretty quick. Considering the very short running time of the movie (it runs about 84 minutes), there was non-stop tension, confusion, and action from here on out. Each sequence containing the monster was really well done. You see a lot of it, but it’s still hard to put it together all of it due its enormous scope and elusiveness. But I liked that. The action is handled very well. It’s never very fun like most action / monster movies. Instead, it’s very immediate, intense, and often unexpected.
The characters were all very well developed and realistic. Like Jason, I really liked the character of Hud. He was a character that I would usually hate with a passion in other movies but, for some reason, he just works really well in this film. So that’s something to be applauded. A comic relief character that I don’t want to beat over the head with a hammer. That’s a new one. Good job.
Despite the movie being fairly non-stop action once the monster comes into play, the quiet moments in between really worked very well. The most impressive scene for me was the subway sequence when Rob gets a phone call from his mother. It could have been forced and cheesy, but it wasn’t. It felt realistic, plausible, and it was very effective.
Like most reviews have stated, this is a movie that is all about characters and how they cope with this situation. It is not about the monster. The monster is always lurking around, but he is not the focus in any way. You don’t find out what the monster is there for or where he came from. It doesn’t matter. It’s not about that. It’s all about the characters, how they get through the horrible, seemingly inescapable situation present and why they do the things they do.
As I could tell from both the first trailer and the poster, the situation is very 9/11-like in nature. When the monster first attacks, a giant cloud of rubble, smoke, and debris comes shooting down the street, causing people to duck into near by stores to avoid it. This footage is almost an exact copy of the footage of people trying to avoid the aftermath of the collapse of the World Trade Center. Steven Spielberg tried to create this very same feel with his remake of War of the Worlds, even having characters ask, “Is it the terrorists?” However, that movie failed on every level possible. Cloverfield doesn’t. It feels real. The situation is happening and it is, despite having a giant monster, relevant. So suck it, Spielberg. You just got showed up by a first time director (yeah, he did direct some TV shows, but this was his first feature film).
Still, Cloverfield isn’t a perfect film. That fact that Rob continues to go into the middle of Manhattan to find Beth despite all the things he has seen and some of his friends getting killed along the way is just insane. Yeah, he loved her. Really, I get it. But come on, man. She said she was bleeding and was unable to move in her last phone message. Odds are that she will be dead by the time you reach her. It just doesn’t seem like a risk worth taking, especially when you have friends good enough to follow your crazy ass in the process. Plus, didn’t she leave your party with another guy? Wise up. Still, I get it. It was a plot device. It just doesn’t make Rob look like the most intelligent person in the world. The other thing I had a problem with was the footage of Rob and Beth going to Coney Island that was intercut with the footage of the monster’s attack on New York City. I had heard that this footage was the heart of the film and that it helped the audience really understand Rob’s undying love for Beth. I didn’t really get that. The first part before the trip to Coney Island worked pretty well, but once the trip started…well…it was just them on a train to the island. That’s it. They don’t really do much other than giggle and smile. Oh, aren’t they in love! Don’t make me blush. Aww…they’re on a Ferris wheel (hey, make sure you look closely behind them in this scene). So sweet. No, really, I get it. I know what it was there for. Yes, I even agree that it was a really smart idea to intercut it with the monster attack footage. It just doesn’t work as well as I think it was meant to work. It just didn’t have the emotional pull that I wanted it to have for me.
Other than other little things here and there, the movie didn’t really bother me much more. I actually really liked the ending. Judging by reactions I heard in the theater (which were a bunch of “Awww!” s and “That’s it! Seriously!”), most people weren’t in to it. But this just proves to me that most people are morons. Oh really, you thought it was going to end differently? Where you paying attention to the text at the beginning of the movie? It had to end that way so everything would make sense. It was the right way to go and I loved it for that. As for the people that didn’t like it and felt that they were ripped off- screw them. They’re probably the people thought Transformers was the best thing since sliced bread. They’re the people that laughed when No Country For Old Men ended. They’re the people that don’t need to exist. They’re the people that just need to not step outside of their homes. Really. I mean it. Don’t bother me with your presence. And don’t be an ass when a movie I enjoyed ends and voice your oh so important, ignorant opinion. I didn’t do that when Transformers ended. I didn’t scream complaints in the theater. Who the hell are you? What’s your favorite movie? It doesn’t matter. You shouldn’t even exist.
And no, I’m by no means a J.J. Abrams fanboy. I refuse to watch Lost and I thought Mission Impossible III was extremely overrated and stupid. Sure, it was better than the second one, but what isn’t. Troll 2 is a better movie than Mission Impossible II.
Lastly, the song played over the end credits is amazing. Who ever decided on that has a great sense of humor. Good work.
So, overall, Cloverfield was really what I wanted it to be: a really intense, personal attack of what a giant monster attack could be like. It was really well done, acted, and directed. If you want to be entertained for a solid 84 minutes, I’d recommend it. Just be prepared to except some extreme character decisions here and there. Overall, good stuff. Gojira would be proud.
7/10
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Wesley's Cloverfield Review
9 comments:
Wow man. I must say your review is all over the place. I really enjoyed it. A few things:
Number one, Spielberg doesn't deserve that man. Number two, the intercut footage is genius. I know you said it was smart, but I thought it worked really well. And Number three, kudos on the "People are morons, stay away from me because you ruin movies I love" rant.
I was actually really tired when I wrote the review so if it's all over the place that's probably why. But, after reading over it, I'd say it makes a moderate amount of sense. I don't really have a lot of hate for Spielberg. The guy is responsible for most my childhood. But he dropped the ball big time on War of the Worlds. He should have known better, man. He made Jaws, Jurassic Park, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T., Close Encounters of the Third Kind...and then this. I don't know...I just feel like the guy is really losing his magic as of late. I'm really hoping he gets it back with Indy 4. But there's something inside me that is saying he won't. But yeah...still, War of the Worlds. What a crappy movie. I stand by my remark. I'm also sticking with my intercut footage opinion. It was a great idea, but emotionally, it just wasn't as effective as I hoped it would be.
Still, all in all, a pretty good movie. Glad to see the box office was kind to it.
in the last couple seconds of the movie, when they are at coney island and the camera shot is out over the water, you see something come from the sky and go strait down into the water, you really have to be looking for it. thats why the coney island footage is so important.
Well, I did mention to pay attention to the background in this scene. But I have to disagree with that being the reason that scene is important. There is nothing that guarantees that that is indeed where the monster comes from (there's an online manga that shows a very different origin). Also, I don't think that the origin of the monster is really that important. It's not about the monster. It's about the people and the horrible situation that they are in. The origin of the monster really doesn't matter. I'm pretty sure the reason that that scene is there is to further show the nature of Rob and Beth's relationship. And I don't think the scene worked that well in doing this. Sure, the filmmakers may have slipped a little easter egg of what could be the monster falling in the water in the background, but I really don't think it's that important. It's cool (even if it does clash with what's being set up in the online manga) but that's about it.
you are just saying all of that because you didnt actually see the easter egg wesley, when you see it go into the water you will change your whole perspective, the camera was focused for a reason, the splash is huge in comparison to how far away it actually is. just watch it again. i did
War of the Worlds = Crap. I concede. But I don't know if his heart was really in that one to begin with. I think he was under obligation, and the movie shows full well how rushed the production was. But anyway, I agree with you Wesley that the last footage of Beth and Rob at the end was just to further show how their relationship developed into what it is, and also to show that sometimes bad things happen for no reason at all. I did not catch the easter egg, but I probably won't try and watch for it until it is available for rent.
i think another major question here is: Did Rob have any knowlegde of this event prior to it happening? I am a huge abrams fan, lost is full of questions and for every answer you get, the show asks six more.
Sean, just because Abrams writes for Lost has nothing to do with this movie. And the monster is not important. Sure, it's the reason for the perils the main characters go through and the reason for the movie, but that doesn't make it of that much importance. The people are what the movie centers around. And did Rob have any prior knowledge of the monster? What kind of dumbass question is that? What are we, in high school psych class? You're reading waaaay too much into the last scene, man. It's an easter egg, not a major plot point. *slap* Movie fan, out.
Lost Sucks!
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