A surprisingly gripping thriller. Employing a pseudo-documentary handheld camera style, it offers a fresh spin on the monster movie genre.
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
Cloverfield is the most intense and original creature feature I've seen in my adult moviegoing life, and that's coming from a guy who knows his Gojira from his Gamera and his Harryhausen from his Honda.
Cloverfield puts you on the ground level of a disaster: face-to-face with the dangers of this night. It's a fun, fast ride, but also poignant and strangely affecting.
If the monsters weren't in the scene, I kept wondering when they would show up so they could eat more people.
Abrams' intimate POV renders everything that much more harrowing (or "nauseating," depending on your shaky-cam tolerance and the general condition of your inner ear).
Cloverfield is one of the most riveting experiences you'll have in a movie theater and one of those incredibly rare films where the final product actually lives up to the hype.
I'll always remember Cloverfield as the first thing that made me vomit since that teriyaki in San Diego.
The mysteriously titled project might just as well have been called "9/11: The Thrill Ride," so thoroughly does it trade on our emotions of that disaster. [Blu-Ray]
The POV [camera] IS the movie...and we get to see lots of angles of the monster. On that point, it totally delivers.
Basically, it is a gimmick movie in which the premise is pretty much the entire show. That said, it is perhaps the most sensationally effective gimmick movie to come around since "The Blair Witch Project"
It's a hell of a visceral experience -- but it's a purely visceral experience, apparently to the point of causing some viewers to vomit. Unless you're one of those unfortunate few, you'll soon forget the details.
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.
...a sporadically effective yet undeniably uneven piece of work that clearly would've benefited from a little less excitement surrounding its release...
unlike almost any movie you have seen before to become a raw, realistic and gut wrenching experience
Latest News for Cloverfield
April 27, 2009:
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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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