I finally was able to watch the highly anticipated Cloverfield this afternoon. I have been salivating at the previews and online hype. I love most everything that J.J. Abrams and Bad Robot Productions touches.
About this Movie:
Cloverfield is a thrill ride extreme. As with any roller coaster, if you have high blood pressure, are pregnant, have back or neck problems, get motion sick or a queasy stomach, then you will want to pass on this movie. Ok, you may not have to pass if you are pregnant or back problems but you will feel like you spent 3 hours on roller coaster and the movie is only an hour and a half long.
It is filmed from the perspective of a group of friends in
Cloverfield is a monster movie on steroids. I can not even describe the creature because it is so bizarre. You have to see it to fully understand this terrifying monster. It also has spawn that are as bad as the main monster. Together they terrorize
What I liked about this Movie:
This is not your stereotypical monster movie. It develops characters and plot. You unfortunately become attached to some of characters along the way. This is a benefit of shooting the movie from the innocent bystander's point of view. My friend Bryan pointed out how shocking it is that this method of story telling for a monster movie has not been used previously.
The special effects were very special. Even as twisted and bizarre that the creature is, it looked like it belonged. There was realism to the monster and the way it acted and moved.
When the creature first attacks the city and destroys a skyscraper, there is a dust storm that hits the streets. It was just like happened on 9-11-01 when the towers went down. They attempted to keep a level of realism all the way through this movie and were fairly successful.
This movie had a similar feel to the movie Alien. The movie Alien was the first to successfully mix the Sci-Fi and Horror genre. Cloverfield mixes the Monster Movie genre with Horror with success. There are moments that reminded me of Alien but in a limited way.
There were some very funny moments in this movie. Hud, the friend that is video taping, has some great lines. Hud is very socially inept and insecure. He talks when he should just be quiet. The conversation in the subway tunnel was great. I know guys just like Hud.
This movie was very different than anything I have ever seen.
What I did not Like:
The camera motion at times was too much. I had to hold my head during some of the scenes when they are running down the street. Anyone with any motion sickness issues will have problems with the some of the scenes.
My Review:
This movie was excellent. I was a bit numb after it was over because it was so intense. The crowd was totally silent as the movie ended. No one was talking or clapping or booing. Most people just sat there through as the credits began. It appeared to have the same affect on all of us. We were mesmerized and in shock.
This movie produced everything I was hoping from this movie. It is truly the monster movie of the ages.
By the way, stay through the credits.
My Grade: A
Here is what other reviews have to say:
IMDB User Rating: 8.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 76% Fresh
Roger Ebert: 3 Stars
Rolling Stones: 2 1/2 stars out of 4
E Online: B+
