The only thing surprising about the picture turns out to be how unsurprising it is. Also--despite massive special effects--how boring.
Cloverfield (2008)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:192
Fresh:147
Rotten:45
Average Rating:6.8/10
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
Reviews for Cloverfield
Shut out the massive hype, admittedly easier said than done, and Cloverfield is a terrific monster movie for our age.
If you cannot stand even 10-15 seconds of painfully jumpy, sideways cinematography, try to fathom 'Cloverfield's' 75 minutes of eye strain.
Armed to the teeth with an ingenious marketing campaign that sent internet geeks scrambling to their keyboards months ago, the ambitious Cloverfield is only moderately successful as a monster movie, but extremely provocative in many other ways.
When freed from unreasonable expectations, it turns out to be a modest little gas.
It's a gimmick, good for one shot. But if Abrams tires this again, he should be shot.
Maybe we now live in a world where we record the moment first and feel it later. If that's the case, Cloverfield leaves us waiting to feel.
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.
Insipid characters speak dialog so banal it makes Andy Tennant's 'Fool's Gold' sound Shakespearean.
The monster mayhem is impressive in scale and presentation... makes a moribund genre like the monster movie suddenly come roaring to life.
It all adds up to the "chauffeur theory," a burgeoning school of cinema that is only going to get more crowded.
It doesn't feel like Cloverfield is exploiting 9/11 because it's so clear the movie is not meant to be taken any more seriously than any other monster movie.
It's a giant-monster movie from the point of view of some of those little people running and shrieking in the street -- and it works incredibly well.
The running and climbing, the tidal waves of debris rushing down the avenues, the screams and carnage grow tiresome.
A jolt to the genre. The camera tumbles, the smoke billows, gigantic footsteps thunk, women shriek and the car alarms blare. And we are there.
A sharp and vivid film, filled with moments of tremendous ingenuity and characterized by a persistent avoidance of the expected tropes.
It puts human faces on the victims of mass destruction, faces that might easily have been yours or mine, staring down the maw of something we don't understand.
We've sat through that kind of movie again and again, but we've never sat through anything with Cloverfield's subjective sting. You'd have to be tougher than I was not to be blown sideways by it.
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 ![]()
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 ![]()
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...
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