RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Found a Bug? Squash It! Report Bugs Here
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Cloverfield
Cloverfield

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Cloverfield (2008)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
76 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:193

Fresh:147

Rotten:46

Average Rating:6.7/10

Consensus: A sort of Blair Witch Project crossed with Godzilla, Cloverfield is economically paced, stylistically clever, and filled with scares.

Rated: 15 [See Full Rating] for violence, terror and disturbing images.

Runtime: 85 mins

Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy

Theatrical Release:01-02-2008

Synopsis: Director Matt Reeves (THE PALLBEARER) and producer J. J. Abrams (LOST, ALIAS) turn a mysterious monster loose in Manhattan in the disaster flick CLOVERFIELD. The movie begins at a party for Rob... Director Matt Reeves (THE PALLBEARER) and producer J. J. Abrams (LOST, ALIAS) turn a mysterious monster loose in Manhattan in the disaster flick CLOVERFIELD. The movie begins at a party for Rob (Michael Stahl-David), who has accepted a promotion that will send him to Japan. Hud (T. J. Miller) is entrusted with the responsibility of videotaping the party--and as the trouble grows, he holds on to the camera, recording everything that happens. In fact, the entire movie is seen through the lens of his camera, reminiscent of THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT. As terrified people in a post-9/11 New York City take to the streets, Rob decides to head uptown to try to save Beth (Odette Yustman), the woman he loves, though he's afraid to tell her so. Rob is joined by his brother Jason (Mike Vogel), Jason's girlfriend Lily (Jessica Lucas), Lily's friend Marlena (Lizzy Caplan), and Hud, who has a thing for Marlena. Rob is determined not to give up, even after almost being crushed by the Statue of Liberty's head and as the military shows up to force evacuation of the city. Reeves and first-time screenwriter Drew Goddard, who previously has written television episodes of such series as BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, ANGEL, ALIAS, and LOST, focus in on the central aspect of the story: people trying to survive the monster attack. Very little else is explained, since the story is told completely through the video camera. And there is no additional score to heighten the drama; the only music is that which is picked up by Hud and the camera's microphone, including snippets of songs by Kings of Leon, Parliament Funkadelic, Of Montreal, and others. The anticipation of CLOVERFIELD's release was enhanced by a viral marketing campaign that included Web sites built around the main characters and even the fictional drink Slusho. [More]

Starring: Michael Stahl-David, Mike Vogel, Odette Yustman, Lizzy Caplan

Starring: Michael Stahl-David, Mike Vogel, Odette Yustman, Lizzy Caplan, Jessica Lucas, T.J. Miller

Director: Matt Reeves

Director: Matt Reeves
Screenwriter: Drew Goddard
Producer: J.J. Abrams, Bryan Burk
Studio: Paramount Pictures

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
  • Trailer
    >
    30 Second Spot
    >
    Video Interview
    >
1 - 3 of 3

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Reviews for Cloverfield

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Even if there's nothing new going on here, the style and quality of this film injects a terrific sense of terror into the old monster movie formula.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
01/28/08
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

Feels like one big, masterfully executed experiment in upping the ante in audience manipulation, and it works brilliantly.

Full Review Source: IGN Movies UK | comment Comment
02/07/08
Orlando Parfitt
Orlando Parfitt
IGN Movies UK

A dazzling experiment that paid off immensely, this is cinematic pleasure at its purest.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/22/08
Olly Richards
Olly Richards
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Jaw dropping stuff but you will have to have a strong stomach to cope with the constantly moving camera.

Full Review Source: Heart 106.2 | comment Comment
01/28/08
Simon Thompson
Simon Thompson
Heart 106.2

After seeing Cloverfield, I was so frustrated and disappointed that I felt like I needed a palate cleanser. I wanted to immediately go home and watch South Korea's The Host.

Full Review Source: KPBS.org | comment Comment
01/18/08
Beth Accomando
Beth Accomando
KPBS.org

Not for anyone over 30.

Full Review Source: FilmsInReview.com | comment 43 Comments
01/17/08
Victoria Alexander
Victoria Alexander
FilmsInReview.com

It's not the life-changing movie experience the intense viral marketing attention would lead you to think it is, but its decision to focus on ground-level humanism rather than epic disaster is what separates it from the pack.

Full Review Source: Premiere Magazine | comment Comment
01/18/08
Eric Alt
Eric Alt
Premiere Magazine

This is a dark and somber movie that, in some ways, makes the recent apocalyptic blockbuster I Am Legend look like a rib-tickling comedy.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
01/22/08
Ethan Alter
Ethan Alter
Film Journal International

Characters may struggle for interesting things to say on camera, but the film nonetheless reveals hidden depths.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
08/20/09
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

A relentless, I-thought-my-eyeballs-were-bleeding exercise in visual disorientation.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
01/17/08
John Anderson
John Anderson
Washington Post

It's the closest a film has ever gotten to a roller-coaster ride. It will definitely nauseate, it feels claustrophobic, there are sudden scares, and it also peaks too early.

Full Review Source: The Scorecard Review | comment Comment
08/27/08
Jeff Bayer
Jeff Bayer
The Scorecard Review

Suggests the influence of YouTube and (inevitably) 9/11, but actually belongs to the old-fashioned exploitation tradition as it uses state-of-the-art effects and ballyhoo to update B-movie subject matter for a new audience.

Full Review Source: Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) | comment Comment
01/28/08
John Beifuss
John Beifuss
Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

At times Cloverfield seems less like a movie than a theme-park motion simulator, but that's not a complaint.

Full Review Source: Las Vegas Weekly | comment Comment
01/17/08
Josh Bell
Josh Bell
Las Vegas Weekly

If you can stomach it, expect to leave the theater shaken yet entertained by every jolting, unexpected minute.

Full Review Source: Spectrum (St. George, Utah) | comment Comment
01/26/08
Bruce Bennett
Bruce Bennett
Spectrum (St. George, Utah)

This film takes you into the heart of the maelstrom and leaves you there.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
01/16/08
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

An efficiently gripping sci-fi/horror romp.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
01/18/08
Amy Biancolli
Amy Biancolli
Houston Chronicle

Despite the mostly convincing verisimilitude of the approach, the film does succumb, especially in its last act, to some cheap manipulation, one or two bad stereotypes, and some cornball Hollywood schmaltz.

Full Review Source: ESplatter | comment Comment
07/22/08
Steve Biodrowski
Steve Biodrowski
ESplatter

once the film has fully run its course there is little left to take away with you beyond rattled nerves, a mild sense of nausea, and the uneasy suspicion that the true horror of 9/11 has just been reduced to a dumb-assed entertainment.

Full Review Source: musicOMH.com | comment Comment
01/31/08
Anton Bitel
Anton Bitel
musicOMH.com

What sets the film apart, really, is that the monster is just a backdrop. The main focus centers on how a small group of people cope and react under such an extreme crisis.

Full Review Source: Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN) | comment 1 Comment
01/17/08
Bob Bloom
Bob Bloom
Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)

Cloverfield is an intense and engaging monster movie that may very well breathe life back into a dead genre while demonstrating that there's fertile soil left to be tilled in this particular cinematic field.

Full Review Source: Mike Bracken's Horror Films | comment Comment
01/16/08
Mike Bracken
Mike Bracken
Mike Bracken's Horror Films
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 >> >|
all

Latest News for Cloverfield

April 27, 2009: Five Favourite Films with J. J. Abrams
The blockbuster season is upon us and amongst the line-up is the highly anticipated reboot of Star Trek. RT spoke to the man in the captain's chair, J. J. Abrams, about his... More...

March 02, 2009: Abrams Plots Cloverfield Sequel-Type Thing Opens in new window
Saying "the idea's pretty sweet," J.J. Abrams has confirmed that a sequel to "Cloverfield" -- or at least a new movie "related to" it -- is on the table. More...

September 25, 2008: Matt Reeves Will Let the Right One In Opens in new window
Overture is prepping a remake of Tomas Alfredson's Swedish vampire movie "Lat Den Ratte Komma In," to be helmed by "Cloverfield" director Matt Reeves. More...

April 21, 2008: RT on DVD: Cloverfield, Charlie Wilson and 2008's Worst-Reviewed Film
It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a Slusho, whatever that is! Cloverfield stomps its way onto DVD as not only the most exciting new release of the week, but the one most... More...

See All

More DVDs

Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
36% 36% Angels & Demons
25% 25% Four Christmases
68% 68% Funny People
95% 95% Star Trek
14% 14% The Ugly Truth

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
32% 32% Terminator Salvation
44% 44% Night at the Museum: B…
86% 86% A Christmas Tale
60% 60% Paper Heart

More New Releases…

What’s Hot On RT

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

5 facts straight from the cast.

Disney Animation

Disney Animation

We chart the studio's classics.

Avatar

Avatar

An exclusive look at the human hardware.

Eric Bana

Eric Bana

The Star Trek star talks cars with RT.

Other News

  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Tarantino Could Have Directed Green Lantern Source: MTV
13
  • Will Duvall be Gilliam's Don Quixote? Source: Collider.com
16
  • No Hobbit Until 2012? Source: The Wrap
21
  • Don't Hold Your Breath for Hancock 2 Source: HitFix
40
  • Peter Berg Talks Battleship Source: CHUD
2
  • Summit Ponders Twilight Finale Source: Variety
156
  • First Look at Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Source: USA Today
56
  • Jeremy Renner Talks Hawkeye Possibilities Source: Superhero Hype
14
  • Todd Phillips Talks The Hangover 2 Source: Entertainment Weekly
18
  • Tron Legacy Duo Heading into The Black Hole Source: Hollywood Reporter
9
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Ban Them All! 10 Infamously Controversial Movies
101
  • Friday Harvest: The Road, Avatar, and more!
96
  • Total Recall: Natalie Portman's Best Movies
55
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Vampires and Football Break Thanksgiving Records
38
  • Five Favorite Films with Jesse Ventura
35
  • Weekly Ketchup: Zombieland 2 in 3D?
28
  • RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: Terminator Salvation and a Smithsonian Battle
20
  • 10 Horrifically Profitable Films
18
  • 2010 Sundance Film Festival Lineup Announced
7
  • Duncan Jones Reteams With Kevin Spacey
5
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
17
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
11
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
21
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
22
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
9
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
28
  • Duncan Jones talks Moon, Sam Rockwell, and Mute
14
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Cloverfield at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Cloverfield at IGN
  • Cloverfield at AskMen

Fresh Links

Featured
RT on YouTube
RT on YouTube External Link

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

RT on Twitter
RT on Twitter External Link

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.