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Read all about it! New York attacked by monster...again.
What is it with giant beasts and New York? why not Washington, L.A. or heaven forbid London? If it's not a giant gorilla, it's a humungous dinosaur or winged south American god. What's their problem? are all monsters disgruntled architecture buffs with a grudge against the Empire State and Chrysler buildings? is there a secret monster training camp deep in the Middle East somewhere? Or has Area 51 security been running a little lax lately?
Those monsters should just bugger off to Tokyo again, they used to like Tokyo, why don't they like Tokyo anymore?
Plus you'd think New York would have a contingency plan for this kind of thing by now. But no, the Big Apple still has a large 'BITE ME' invitation pinned to it's ass, well they've only got themselves to blame.
'Cloverfield' really needs no introductions, the films ad campaign was possibly the most savvy in cinematic history. It played the classic 'don't show them the beastie' rule to the absolute hilt. Fan boys and girls were left foaming at the mouth in anticipation, and speculation. 'What the hell is it?' was the proverbial question on everyone's lips. By tapping into contemporary fears of terrorism, and impending global disaster, J.J. Abrams and co delivered an absolute master stroke. Unsurprisingly on the films opening weekend bums hit seats like it was national musical chairs day.
Once the veil of mystery is lifted however, 'Cloverfield' turns out to be a pretty straight forwardly plotted monster movie. The real draw is the films hand held first person perspective* a style that typically has it's roots in low budget horror cinema. Cloverfield's unique premise is to show a monster attack from the average Joe's perspective with no expense spared.
The films plot begins with a twenty something group of yuppies throwing a leaving party for their friend Rob. We get the usual soap opera relationship guff, given some extra back story by remnants of the footage they're recording over. It's your typical bog standard party sequence until the building is rocked by a huge explosion. The realization quickly dawns that New York is under attack from an unknown assailant. We follow Rob and a small group of friends as they attempt to rescue his trapped sweetheart and escape the city.
'Cloverfield' lives up to the hype, I definitely enjoyed it, but it's far from perfect. Let me start by saying that with the exception of Rob and his girlfriend, I didn't like any of the characters in the film. In short they were dull and predictable, and in Hud's case (the guy filming) downright moronic. Visual style aside, the opening party scene could have been plucked from any run of the mill teen slasher. The characters here are clearly designed to pander to a teenage audience, and I must be getting old because I found them extremely irritating. Secondly, Hud's desire to film the events lacked any credibility for me, in reality that camera would have been dropped as dead weight. If they'd have been journalists fair enough, but they weren't, they were scared as hell running for their lives. People in that situation don't make home movies.
On the plus side the action is expertly handled, it's tense and frightening with a real sense of urgency. The camera jerks around alot but you quickly get used to that, it looks authentic and effectively conveys the chaotic atmosphere. Director Reeves for the most part only shows you glimpses of the monster and it works a treat. By leaving the scale of the creature to the imagination he cleverly accentuates the fear factor. What is happening seems beyond comprehension, the situation terrifyingly hopeless, and ultimately thrilling. When Reeves finally does lay his cards on the table with an aerial shot from a helicopter, the illusion is shattered. It's impressive but the film loses it's edge and thankfully ends soon after.
'Cloverfield' is a worthy blockbuster in that it treats its audience with the respect they deserve. The acting may only be moderate, but it's the spectacle you've come to see, and the excitement that satisfies. It's accomplished, tightly paced stuff with plenty of scares, and most importantly it feels contemporary. Hell you might even like the characters too.
* - See my review of '[REC]' for more details.
Cloverfield
Matt Reeves 2008
Matt Reeves 2008
Read all about it! New York attacked by monster...again.
What is it with giant beasts and New York? why not Washington, L.A. or heaven forbid London? If it's not a giant gorilla, it's a humungous dinosaur or winged south American god. What's their problem? are all monsters disgruntled architecture buffs with a grudge against the Empire State and Chrysler buildings? is there a secret monster training camp deep in the Middle East somewhere? Or has Area 51 security been running a little lax lately?
Those monsters should just bugger off to Tokyo again, they used to like Tokyo, why don't they like Tokyo anymore?
Plus you'd think New York would have a contingency plan for this kind of thing by now. But no, the Big Apple still has a large 'BITE ME' invitation pinned to it's ass, well they've only got themselves to blame.
'Cloverfield' really needs no introductions, the films ad campaign was possibly the most savvy in cinematic history. It played the classic 'don't show them the beastie' rule to the absolute hilt. Fan boys and girls were left foaming at the mouth in anticipation, and speculation. 'What the hell is it?' was the proverbial question on everyone's lips. By tapping into contemporary fears of terrorism, and impending global disaster, J.J. Abrams and co delivered an absolute master stroke. Unsurprisingly on the films opening weekend bums hit seats like it was national musical chairs day.
Once the veil of mystery is lifted however, 'Cloverfield' turns out to be a pretty straight forwardly plotted monster movie. The real draw is the films hand held first person perspective* a style that typically has it's roots in low budget horror cinema. Cloverfield's unique premise is to show a monster attack from the average Joe's perspective with no expense spared.
The films plot begins with a twenty something group of yuppies throwing a leaving party for their friend Rob. We get the usual soap opera relationship guff, given some extra back story by remnants of the footage they're recording over. It's your typical bog standard party sequence until the building is rocked by a huge explosion. The realization quickly dawns that New York is under attack from an unknown assailant. We follow Rob and a small group of friends as they attempt to rescue his trapped sweetheart and escape the city.
'Cloverfield' lives up to the hype, I definitely enjoyed it, but it's far from perfect. Let me start by saying that with the exception of Rob and his girlfriend, I didn't like any of the characters in the film. In short they were dull and predictable, and in Hud's case (the guy filming) downright moronic. Visual style aside, the opening party scene could have been plucked from any run of the mill teen slasher. The characters here are clearly designed to pander to a teenage audience, and I must be getting old because I found them extremely irritating. Secondly, Hud's desire to film the events lacked any credibility for me, in reality that camera would have been dropped as dead weight. If they'd have been journalists fair enough, but they weren't, they were scared as hell running for their lives. People in that situation don't make home movies.
On the plus side the action is expertly handled, it's tense and frightening with a real sense of urgency. The camera jerks around alot but you quickly get used to that, it looks authentic and effectively conveys the chaotic atmosphere. Director Reeves for the most part only shows you glimpses of the monster and it works a treat. By leaving the scale of the creature to the imagination he cleverly accentuates the fear factor. What is happening seems beyond comprehension, the situation terrifyingly hopeless, and ultimately thrilling. When Reeves finally does lay his cards on the table with an aerial shot from a helicopter, the illusion is shattered. It's impressive but the film loses it's edge and thankfully ends soon after.
'Cloverfield' is a worthy blockbuster in that it treats its audience with the respect they deserve. The acting may only be moderate, but it's the spectacle you've come to see, and the excitement that satisfies. It's accomplished, tightly paced stuff with plenty of scares, and most importantly it feels contemporary. Hell you might even like the characters too.
* - See my review of '[REC]' for more details.