Others say...

"I'm so startled! "
I probably should have watched Cloverfield BEFORE watching the South Park parody of it. I think it might have enjoyed this 'queasy cam' flick more than I might of, because I kept busting out laughing at the most inappropriate moments (whenever another of the hapless party goers bit it) thinking of Stan's dad repeatedly saying "I'm so startled!" while shooting film of the 'monsters' destroying South Park.

Cloverfield has an interesting premise, and provides a unique take on the 'Godzilla' variant of monster movies. Many singing its praises reference its uniqueness as if unique things are inherently good because they are uncommon. I disagree completely. For a 'unique' film to also be a quality film, it needs to provide something VALUABLE that is lacking from more traditional presentations. While home video style hand cam footage does put the viewer right in the thick of things, I don't believe it actually does much to help tell the story more convincingly. A film (or any story for that matter) will always succeed or fail because of its characters, plot, and dialogue. A gimmicky shooting style may create a new "look" but it will not make a bad film into a good one.

Cloverfield suffers more from story telling problems than anything else. It is hard to really engage with the characters, even though the first third of the film is devoted to sorting out their love lives. In my opinion, it would have been much better to simply start the movie at the point where the monster begins to attack the city and leave the audience to feel the panic of the faceless masses, and then introduce the characters as the story develops.

Novelty can only take a film so far. To really be successful, it must do more than just provide an interesting gimmick. Cloverfield is just another hum-drum monster movie, shot with an admittedly unique(if sickening) shooting technique. 2.5/5 stars.

"Wonderful Horror/Monster Movie"
I didn't get to catch this film in theaters, though I was really wanting to -- I missed a chance to see it with friends and another chance just never arose. Hearing other people's opinions on the film was very much one of those "either loved it or hated it" scenarios; one of my friends claimed it wasn't very good, another really enjoyed it. I myself was still excited to see it but, having missed the theatrical release, never found time to watch it when it was released on DVD. A couple of days ago, however, I found the film on sale at Wal-Mart for $15 on Blu-Ray and couldn't pass it up. I bought it and, just yesterday, watched it.

I found the movie, from start to finish, thoroughly enjoying. I came to Amazon, though, and found that it only had a 3/5 rating, not to mention a plethora of bad reviews mostly complaining of only one thing: gimmicky direction. And so, for the first time in years, I decided to sit down and write a review for the film myself, explaining everything that surprised me and everything I enjoyed.

First, a few specs. The film was produced by Mr. JJ Abrams, one of the hottest rising producer/director/writers in the business currently. The director is Matt Reeves who I am unfamiliar with. A quick IMDb query, however, tells me that Reeves' past experience is mostly television, where he used to write and direct for a show called Felicity (he was also the creator) -- again, though, I've never seen an episode. The writer of Cloverfield, however, I am much more familiar with. His name is Drew Goddard and he used to write for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and, more currently, Lost. To put it simply, the guy is good and in his short run of writing on Buffy's final season, he even managed to quickly earn a name for himself as a fan-favorite. In Cloverfield he does what he's best at: taking an already interesting idea/story and adds character depth to it that most other writers can only dream of doing. He then takes it a step further by providing a story that is not only innovative in it's storytelling but also has a fine sense of flow that allows the audience to glide along rather than force-feeding it. (Note: Buffy fans should also check out his "Wolves at the Gate" run in the comic book series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Season 8")

Onto the film.

It starts out simple enough, yet at the same time tricks us right from the beginning, insomuch as we THINK we're going to watch what starts out to be a day in the life of this boy (Rob) and this girl (Beth). We're fooled, though, when the camera cuts away and we're now following a completely different girl and guy who are borrowing their brother/friend Rob's video-camera to film his going away party later that night. This continues on until we reach the party itself. Then, lo and behold, drama ensues -- I won't discuss how. Then, lo and behold again, action ensues and pulls us into the monster movie we came to see.

That's as much as I'll give away about the plot. It's simple enough, I suppose, yet still very entertaining and dramatic. Unlike The Blair Witch Project which pioneered this type of direction, Cloverfield has it's own tricks up it's sleeves. Where Blair Witch wasn't really concerned with telling a story about its characters -- rightfully so since it was "set-up" to be a documentary -- in this film, Drew Goddard manages to sneak a story in right under our noses and whether we know it or not, it has a definite beginning, middle, and end. We actually grow to care about our characters and yearn for their survival; it's something that most other monster movies take for granted and assume the audience will do -- not this one, though. The film shows all of it's main characters and their numerous character flaws and because of this they actually mean something more to us and we relate to them.

The premise itself, at least as far as story structure, is also quite interesting and follows as such: there is only one videotape. It was previously recorded on by our main characters, Rob and Beth, and then recorded OVER by his friends which is where we follow the bulk of the narrative. However, one or two snippets of the previously recorded material seep through from time to time and show us just how in love Rob and Beth are, and as the main "monster story" concludes and cuts off, we are thus left to view the final few frames of the previous recording and if we pay close enough attention, even see a bit of foreshadowing (if you could call it that) of the events that are to follow... or just played out, rather. Again, the story moves so seamlessly that none of it ever feels forced -- or, to put it another way, that it never feels like we're witnessing an actual story as opposed to a series of events.

Haters be damned, Cloverfield is one fine monster movie that works on all levels. The direction is no gimmick, only a vessel, and anyone who complains should've known what they were getting into from the get go. One final note: the producers and directors could have easily taken a different route with the monster in this film. From the beginning the audience believes this'll be one of those "stylish" films that focuses more on the suspense and characters than it does on actually seeing the monster itself (see The Village, or even The Blair Witch Project) and quite frankly, if it had gone that route, it still would have been good film. In the end it is actually able to give us everything we want. For most of the film we only catch glimpses of the monster but as it continues to progress, we begin to see more and more until, finally, we catch it all in full glory and, once again, we are completely caught off-guard.

"Save your money, rent if you're that interested!"
This movie sucks! Can't really say it any other way. I saw this movie...low budget, not much plot, RENT FIRST if you really want to see it, otherwise you'll regret it. I don't understand why its in blu ray, you probably won't be able to see much of a diffrence since the movie is so dark...

"The one stars of this movie are unjustified. "
We get it!! some people don't the whole home video movie angle. Fine then don't watch this movie! If you are someone who thinks the most important criteria for a film is that the camera is stable, then this movie is not for you. There is no point in even reviewing Cloverfield if you are one of these people. Stop spamming this film with one stars and get over it! I don't like romantic comedies. So you know what I do about it? I don't watch them. No need to watch one after another in hopes that my mind will someday change. Then flood the films with bad reviews when it doesn't. Unless you are getting paid to review films or you are a masochist then I have no idea why someone would watch a genre they don't like.

As for the fans of this style of filming, Cloverfield is the movie for you. Especially if, like me, you have a nostalgic childhood love affair with classic Godzilla flicks. If you are like me, then you know that to give any critique of this film's plot or of its actors, is to completely miss the point of the entire movie. Films like this are not about making a cookie cutter traditional film. They are about one thing and one thing only. The Ride.

The goal of a film like Cloverfield is to immerse the viewer into a unrealistic scenario as if it were real. It's fun to be chased by monsters. That's IT! Being chased by monsters is fun! That's the film! If you weren't such an elitist snob maybe you could indulge in such simple pleasures. It's your loss though. Cloverfield is a GREAT ride. I enjoyed every minute of it. And like any great ride the first thing I wanted to do when I got off, was get back on.

Five Stars hands down. If you think otherwise, then congratulations! You are officially either to old or to boring to enjoy a good ride when you see one. Next stop, the old folks home.

"An Inconvenient Creature"
A Generous Helping of Doom & Destruction. I really enjoyed this movie. It's shot in first person handicam, but it is not as distracting as the Blair Witch. After awhile I think I was less and less conscious of the handheld effect. You have to be a little patient at the beginning as the characters and their personal problems are laid out. If you like to see cities reduced to rubble you'll get a kick out of Cloverfield.