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Movies / On DVD / Cloverfield
Cloverfield

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Cloverfield (2008)

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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

[See More Credits]

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Reviews for Cloverfield

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81 - 100 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 >> >|
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The only thing surprising about the picture turns out to be how unsurprising it is. Also--despite massive special effects--how boring.

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment Comment
01/19/08
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

Shut out the massive hype, admittedly easier said than done, and Cloverfield is a terrific monster movie for our age.

Full Review Source: Washington Times | comment Comment
01/19/08
Christian Toto
Christian Toto
Washington Times

If you cannot stand even 10-15 seconds of painfully jumpy, sideways cinematography, try to fathom 'Cloverfield's' 75 minutes of eye strain.

Full Review Source: Video-Reviewmaster.com | comment 1 Comment
01/18/08
Steve Crum
Steve Crum
Video-Reviewmaster.com

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.

Full Review Source: Film and Felt | comment Comment
01/18/08
Gabe Leibowitz
Gabe Leibowitz
Film and Felt

When freed from unreasonable expectations, it turns out to be a modest little gas.

Full Review Source: Flipside Movie Emporium | comment Comment
01/18/08
Rob Vaux
Rob Vaux
Flipside Movie Emporium

It's a gimmick, good for one shot. But if Abrams tires this again, he should be shot.

Full Review Source: Outtakes With Fiore | comment 5 Comments
01/18/08
Fiore Mastracci
Fiore Mastracci
Outtakes With Fiore

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.

Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
01/18/08
Stephanie Zacharek
Stephanie Zacharek
Salon.com

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

This is the stuff we want from a monster movie...

Full Review Source: MTV | comment Comment
01/18/08
Kurt Loder
Kurt Loder
MTV

Insipid characters speak dialog so banal it makes Andy Tennant's 'Fool's Gold' sound Shakespearean.

Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment Comment
01/18/08
Harvey S. Karten
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve

The monster mayhem is impressive in scale and presentation... makes a moribund genre like the monster movie suddenly come roaring to life.

Full Review Source: CHUD | comment Comment
01/18/08
Devin Faraci
Devin Faraci
CHUD

It all adds up to the "chauffeur theory," a burgeoning school of cinema that is only going to get more crowded.

Full Review Source: FilmStew.com | comment Comment
01/18/08
Richard Horgan
Richard Horgan
FilmStew.com

Smartly reconjures the 1950s monster movie for the digital age.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
01/18/08
Peter Howell
Peter Howell
Toronto Star

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.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
01/18/08
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

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.

Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
01/18/08
Mark Rahner
Mark Rahner
Seattle Times

The running and climbing, the tidal waves of debris rushing down the avenues, the screams and carnage grow tiresome.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment Comment
01/18/08
Steven Rea
Steven Rea
Philadelphia Inquirer

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.

Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel | comment Comment
01/18/08
Roger Moore
Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel

A sharp and vivid film, filled with moments of tremendous ingenuity and characterized by a persistent avoidance of the expected tropes.

Full Review Source: Oregonian | comment Comment
01/18/08
Shawn Levy
Shawn Levy
Oregonian

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.

Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
01/18/08
Keith Phipps
Keith Phipps
AV Club

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.

Full Review Source: New York Magazine | comment Comment
01/18/08
David Edelstein
David Edelstein
New York Magazine
 
 
81 - 100 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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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...

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