Thanks for checking out our Cloverfield Review. Make sure to check out the video version of the review at the bottom of the post.
Well, the wait is finally over. After all the hype and all the rabid fan adulation, the movie Cloverfield has finally been screened. Tonight, myself and a load of other folks went to the Paramount Lot here in Hollywood to watch Cloverfield. Walking across the courtyard we passed by that big headless statue of liberty on the way in… it looked very cool! As for me, I haven’t been a fan (nor am I now) of the marketing job done for this film… but that doesn’t have anything to do with the movie itself. The story is a simple but effective one. In the midst of a going away party, a giant monster attacks New York. One man decides he can not leave the city until he can travel through it to save a woman he loves who is trapped at her appartment. So what did I think of the movie?
THE GOOD
This film is quite creative in the way is tells its story. As most of you know, the story is completely shot from the perspective of hand held personal video cameras documenting (at first) the main character’s last night in New York before leaving for his new job in Tokyo Japan. As the monster attack on the city begins, the documenter decides to keep the camera rolling to get a visual record of the attack and their attempt to escape the carnage. Yes, the Blair Witch Project did the same basic style… but that was a long time ago, and Cloverfield did a superior job and turning “found video camera footage” into a coherent and compelling story that goes beyond the basic “monster smash city” scenario.
The performances of all the actors involved were solid. Especially T.J. Miller who plays “Hud”, the best friend of the lead character and the guy who holds the camera documenting all the events. He wasn’t only the solid comic relief of the film, he also made you believe his fear and terror at all the madness going on around him. Aside from the main love interest of the film (who was lame), the cast all did a great job of making that “home video footage” seem and feel REAL. And it’s that realness that draws you in and allows you to feel the tension and terror the characters must have been feeling.
If heard this said before, but it bears repeating. Unlike other disaster movies (where the story is told from the perspective of the Heroes who are fighting the monsters and have all the answers and explain those answers to the audience), this movie is told from the perspective of the people in the streets. The people who don’t know what on earth is going on. The people who are suddenly faced with something out of this world that they don’t comprehend or understand. As such, the movie offers no answers. It doesn’t attempt or feel the need to explain everything… and although you can tell the filmmakers felt TEMPED at times to explain more to the audience, they didn’t, and that’s a GREAT thing, because it kept you in the shoes of the characters.
The film is legitimately scary. Usually in these types of monster movies, it’s all about the fun… even in the “scary” parts. But this film honestly made you feel the terror of average people suddenly faced with a 30 story monster destroying their city. Take my word for it, there are a few real white knuckle moments in the film.
The visual effects are pretty good. No, not ground breaking, but they certainly did the job, and did the job well. Not once did the over use of effects pull you out of the realism of the situation, and that was the biggest triumph of the effects. Not that they were ground breaking, but rather that they didn’t get in the way… and in a film like Cloverfield, that could have happened very easily.
THE BAD
Some of the way the “home video” is cut together with old video on the same tape of the lead character and the love interest was far beyond the cheesiest of cheese. If the main strength of Cloverfield is its ability to feel frighteningly real, then one of its main weaknesses was the forced and over sentimentalized editing jarring in contrived emotional ques with the mixture of the editing. It was so bad a couple of people giggles around me… so did I.
There is one HORRIBLE shot near the end of the film… I don’t want to give anything away… all I’ll say is that in the shot, you get a very good look at the monster… and something beyond silly happens that just made you roll your eyes.
Honestly, the monster itself was nothing special. It was a big monster. There. But in and of itself that’s not too bad a thing, because the monster itself wasn’t the point… the point was New York getting attacked and causing the havok and fear these people felt. This monster was just a catalyst for that. But I heard more than a few people walking out complaining about not seeing more of the monster, or more of the carnage he wrought in the movie. I can see where they’re coming from.
OVER ALL
Cloverfield is a fun and at the same time Frightening monster movie that goes beyond a simple monster movie. It’s exciting in parts, scary in others and does a wonderful job immersing you into the reality of the story in a way that actually makes you believe these horrible events are actually happening. A few cheesy scenes and elements take a little of the glitter off this film, but not a lot. In general, a really good solid movie. Over all I give Cloverfield an 8/10
You can watch the video review here:
dream different?Children- contrary to the common view – do not have more nightmares than the adults. Small children behave
This is probably one of the worst movies I have seen. Anyone in his right thinking will have to say that a shaky camera will only ruin the movie no matter how good the plot or the story is. I tried to stay in the movie as long as possible but the shaky camera made it impossible to any homo sapien not to suffer from nausea after 15 minutes. Worse, the camera was always pointed to scenes that are not related to the story.
Wow.. did you really find Hud the best actor? He was saying things NO-ONE would ever say when facing a monster.
Another bad thing: when the ‘aliens’ take on the friends in the metro the aliens are like little killingmachines: they go fast like hell and jump fast like hell and it seems like they bite of legs in one bite. However, only Madelena (forgot her name) has a minor wound. They then walk through a door. Are the aliens having a break?
The wound is not as nasty as one would expect, but still its a jab. The girl doesnt really care, she has a laugh with the guy.
But in the end it was fun movie to see. Id give it 3 stars.
The title of the movie was what intrigued me because of its meaning in relation to the movie. An actual cloverfield if seen from far away just seems like a block of green; however if you look closer you see that this block of green is made up of thousands upon thousands of clovers. In the movie, the cloverfield represents one big event: the attack of aliens; but, if you look at it closer the movie is about the SINGLE perspective of a group of a few people with a camera, just one clover in an entire field.
good beginning. good plot. WORST ENDING EVER!! I MEAN SERIOUSLY!!?? i was gonna give this movie 10/10 but the ending left it with a 6. thoroughly disappointed.
whats funny is the guy who listed the movies flaws is named LOSTFAN…..man lost sux….i think u can say that the script has been “LOST” lol btw this movie did kinda suck….but what did u expect it was filmed on 1 person pov
Cloverfield? Wasted money and wasted time.
I saw it online and thanked God I did not waster 20.00 to see it in a theater. What a piece of junk.
I have read people write ooohhh but we saw the actors playing terrified people running for their lives… OOOhhh but we can see that crap on the news DUH….
Oh almost forgot; explain to me how a megaton creature can leap that high and knock down a helicopter flying at least one thousand feet OOhh I forgot; IT’S A STUPID MOVIE… The final straw was the creature of Godzilla size looks down and sees tinny tiny human and snacks on him. Jeez.
its not good! don’t watch it!! all it was was a big lizard and spawned little spider lizards that killed people! NOT A HAPPY ENDING! DUM DUM DUUUUUUUM!
Wow. Lostfan actually took the time to point out a whole bunch of unrealistic flaws. I just couldn’t take the time to watch it all over again, but I kinda remember the comedy ending. Twat with camcorder gets eaten by gigantic monster. You have to guess this, as he drops the camcorder from a great hieght and it bounces. One of the remaining charactors runs over while his friend is being munched. What for? You’ve guessed it, to rescue the dambed camcorder. F#@£ the cam. Then hides in a tunnel with the other remaining charactor like some kind of surreal Tom And Jerry sketch, whereby sed gigantic monster stands and crushes them like a couple of bugs. Like I said, F#@£ the cam. Realisticly! Run Mother F#@£ers RUN. These people would work well in an AD for, WHAT NOT TO DO IN THE EVENT OF FIRE. I take it back about Goerge A Romero’s Zombie Vs cam. Dairy Of The Dead actually worked way better than JJ Abrams heap of garbage. Goerge never fails to bring the storey, the gore, the good old fashion flesh eating beasties to the big screen. Check it out. Enjoy. Chow
Awful movie. For those who like it saying that it’s supposed to be “realistic” and show what the average person would do in a similar disaster, I find many flaws with that argument. Here are just some of the silly “realities” that I just can’t swallow in no particular order:
1. The characters are 2-dimensional and cheesy. Who acts like that with a camera?
2. You’re holding a camera while your love interest just got bit and has massive wounds on her shoulder and chest, and instead of helping her, you just keep filming? And she’s dabbing her wounds with a 1/2 piece of tissue like it’s a little “boo-boo”?
3. The U.S. military can’t destroy the monster(s) with massive weaponry, but a couple of chicks in heels with a little pipe can? And yes, I consider Rob a chick, too. He’s pretty enough.
4. Speaking of heels… there’s Beth running up the side of a building in 3-inch gold heels… Then later, barefoot. Neither is believable. Broken glass and debri would f*** her up fast. A “real” person would have looted a decent pair of shoes and a weapon first-thing. And no, I don’t have a foot-fetish or anything like that, it’s just that 1/3 of the movie is people’s feet…
5. Cell phones working in the subway? After a major disaster? Yah right.
6. Was it supposed to be in “real-time”? If so, did they stage the surprise party at 4 a.m.? Because it’s light out by the end of the movie.
7. Someone please explain to me how you film over an SD card and have the previous clip still showing up randomly? This wasn’t one of those old school cameras either.
8. The “love” story was just so god-awful and unneccessary. It would have been more realistic showing a mother or father going back for a child.
9. They survive a helicopter crash? Ouch, that was uncomfortable! Now everybody get up and run away! Oh, and don’t forget the camera!
10. Seriously, if something like that really happened to me and some idiot like Hud was following me around with a camera, I would have slapped him upside the head, knocked the camera out of his hands and told him to either help me with the injured or help me fight the monsters. That would be real.
Worst movie I have ever seen!
naaa u lot ju shatin ona siiikle movie trus i rekon its original nd i rekon 1 of da best i watched so stop h8in nd make a movie dats bettah ehh ! exactly pic up a camera nd make it luk as realistic as they did especialli wen hud gets eaten wow dat was loose anywaiz STOP H8IN U H8RZ ! ! ! !
ok i,m back my dad forsed me to watch the movie agan . i did not realise that the movie sucked so much the 2 time i wwatched it i thro up it suked!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
is this patrick
cloverfield was not of the best movies out there its just they wasted to much time in the begining the party was stupid they wasted to much time . and they relly did not show much of the monster o but they showed lot of the amry. in that case the movie suked.
the movie sucks big time no plot on how the damn grasshopper got to new york and the guy says he loves his girlfriend but got his friends killed just to get to his ex-girlfriend makes no damn sense blair witch was 10x better
this movie is really bad! to begin with, there is no worning about the sickness that hand camera shooting may cause! We felt terribly sick and couldn’t even watch the movie. Second, it is a very poor replication of blair witch project.
Don’t recommend it at all!
OH HELL NO! It seems the horror movie mastermind, Goerge A Romero is about to the do same crap as JJ Abrams. Twat with camcorder Vs Zombies. What is going on. I heard Hollywood was running out of ideas. I had no idea they were running out of equipment. That would be the only explanation for why they’re using camcorders. I hope it won’t be as stupid as Cloverfield. Horror movies rule. Twat with camcorder SUCKS. Hola, The Garbage Man
gotta respect the originality of this film’s cinematography.
Awww. The last three comments are sweet, sweet music to my eyes. I hope nobody put them up to it??? HA HA HAAAAA. Das is gud yar. I am so utterly pleased,even though I am still in the minority. There’s Still some smoldering in the old fire yet. The masses of Cloverfield let downs, are gathering in force, and will mentaly converse to create a brand spanking new monster movie.(SI-FI-INGLY) speaking. That, not even the most knowledgable of our great species, could never have comprehended. Hey! that’s not very original. Oops, I’m typing out of the box again, and talking to myself. Altogether Now (CLOVERFIELD, SUCKS ASS, AND BITS SOME TOO). Chow. Your frienly neighbourhood Garbage Man
Hi, i have never posted a review about a film before but i saw cloverfield last night and i just dont want anybody else to waste their money. It was naff. The begining was so boring. the middle was frustrating and rediculas and it just ended and people in the cinema cheered. I could overhear other people on the way out to the car park just shocked that they had paid to watch such a rubbish film.
Good points = some effects.
This was the worst movie I ever saw. It really sucked!!!
I won’t ask for my money back I usually don’t bother to send in comments, but this movie was baaaaaaad!!!
the movie is so short of expectation. i got headache after the first 30 minutes and forced and glued myself to the theatre seat for the sake of getting it over with. the worst movie ever wathced and the handy cam idea is a terrible idea that brought the movie to a tragedy. i totally agreed with dvozar
Thank you Probitionate. And I am quite sorry for the amount of mistakes I made, with good reason. I was pretty drunk. I shouldn’t have targeted Dean, as he is one of millions who was drawn into this mass rip off (CLOVERFIELD). I would like to know the statistics between, the befores and afters. People who couldn’t wait to get to the theatres, but were disappointed. And the people who actually loved the whole movie, with the hopes that I am not in the minority. I have read quite a few reviews and I am slightly upset that there mostly good ones. I quietly hope, the guys who didn’t like the movie either, do not own a computer, or can not access the net, or just simpley did not wont to waste any more time with it. I therefore must be sad and have to much time on my hands. Maybe I should get out more too lol. All the breast THE GARBAGE MAN.
To G Abbz:
Unbefuckinglievably hilarious!
I love how your comment takes the piss out of those who can’t spell, have no concept of grammar, spelling or punctuation, those who, in another time, would be considered only for sanitation duty.
You made me laugh, you made me cry… I think you should get a job here writing reviews. Anyone have any suggestions as to the title of G Abbz column? ‘The Garbage Man Sweeps Up’?
Comments 81 and 82.Dean.Your a loser and a dick, to try and tell people that this piece of crap is original.Is this the first movie you have ever see? This is NOT the first time a direct has tried to show the audience, the average passer by, Joe Bloggs camcorder holding piss ants point of view.Just about everyone who heard and then wanted to see this movie was robbed,because they were expecting,a chaos filled,action pacted monster movie of the year.Instead,we was all treated to a twat and his camcorder.(Every body hates,a twat and his camcorder) Ruining the party,getting in peoples faces.And then running towards a giant monster with his mates still gripping his camcorder birthday prezzy off his Mum.Get this Dave.Everyone wants to know.What the creature is? How did it get here? What the other alien things drooping off it were? Why that woman exploded? And did the Army manage the kill it? Not why that pick was going to Japan. Nor, why the twat with the camcorder was getting in peoples faces.They should change the name from (Cloverfield?) Which is a question in it’s self. To. Not another Big budget, public robbin, twat with a camcorder, MOVIE. And dave should get out more to see some realy good films.Chow
i think that the camcorder perspective was the dumbest ,gayest,lamest thing that the cloverfeild movie could of ever done.fact is if id had known it was going to be that way ,i would have stolen the movie right from the net rather than pay that dumb ass directors bills.i think the director should be taken out and shot for the whole dumb idea .if i want to go see the blare witch project sty;e movie which i dont ,because its gay as well.
so please hollywood in the future dont ever release another stupid ass movie in which a camcorder perspective is thought to be cool,,,,dont, its retarded,retarded.1 yer robbing us 2 we dont like that shit,3 you rich director types oviously dont know what the hell we people like ,if part 2 is going to be this way,let us all know so you dont waist our money and time.thanks for the motion sickness and robbing me .
And to add….the characters have no depth becuase they have no time to be, they’re tryin to portray a group of very scared civilians in the middle of a huge crysis trying to escape!! You surely can’t expect them to show any type of great personalities in the middle of all that, its just not REAL!
Great Movie, Origional. These people that say it’s the worst movie ever are obviously narrow minded and cannot appreciate the new approach to making this monster movie. What you have to remember is the film is not focused on the monster, its about REALISM. It really is a believable representation of what it would be like in a situation like that, in the view of a civilian. That is the point of the film and they could not have got it more spot on. For all of you that wanted to see more of the monster and wanted a revealing ending obviously want the same old shit seen before in every other monster movie. Im sure if this was the case you would be sayin: ‘Movie’s shit, no different to any other monster movie ever made.’ You people are obviously hard to please or just plain miserable!
I personaly had little problem with the shakey camera but can understand where people are coming from. Also i agree the ending is quite abrubt and leaves alot to be desired…but also provides space for a sequel!
All in all great, origional film but a little short and ending could have been better! 8/10
Dean ;)
Cloverfield is by far the worst film I have seen in a long time. The cheek of trying to copy Godzilla and then run out of ideas so just kill everyone , It is absolute rubbish and I wasted good money to see it, I cant believe that the same guy can make the really fantastic hit serial Lost and then produce this shit.
I was highly exited when I first heard about Cloverfield.Then bitterly disappointed after watching the finished product.Nothing frightening, nowthing scarey, nothing new.Should be renamed Blair Witch Vs Godzilla but that would be giving Godzilla a bad name.(The Host)is a real moster movie,and was worth every penny.I don’t think I will be the only one who wants to grab that camcorder and kick a field goal with it straight up JJ Abrams uprights and any body else that is making money from this tremendus work of CRAP.
Absolute bullshit ending. Its not worth waiting through the suspense of the movie.
This movie has got to be the worst movie ever, and here is my first attempt to review it HONESTLY.
All I can say is this could have been a great movie, but didn’t quite get there! Why?
1. It tried to hard to be creative with the “camcorder reality point of view” Blair Witch 1 may have pulled it off but it just made this movie really annoying! In the age of HD and all the special effect was wasted and not fully capture and shown with this technique.
2. Most monster and suspense movie, (no matter how suspenseful it is) it usually has to come to a point to explain why what and how? Even at the very end! In this movie the maker had pulled every stunt to try to make this monster as scariest and badass as possible. Mission Accomplished but we as the audience never got any explanation eg: where it came from, Why it did it attack? What did it want from us? Like out of the blue Monsters just appear and start attacking NYC? And the size at they are? Where have they been hiding before that happen? None of it make any sense! And the ending was the most disappointing!
Bare in mind that this is from the same maker of LOST, (as a big fan of LOST if this is where LOST is heading and there is a chance of it ending like this (without the need of any explanations) I’ve just lost my appetite for LOST!.
This is the most original movie of the year.
Best movie of the year.. till now.. lets wait for batman, tim burton and indiana !! :D
BARF BAG MOVIE OF THE YEAR!!
Not at all impressed!! The cheap, hand held camera view became exceedingly nauseating. I felt as though I was in an interrogation, beat into accepting what ever was thrown in front of me by the director.
There were some, brief parts that kept me wanting to find out what was next, but ultimately felt like I was being ripped off by a gang of street thugs for my hard earned money.
From what the people working at the theater said,” we get lots of the same complaints, the movie is nauseating and should have that warning”!
Lucky for me, I live in a friendly town and was given a readmit pass for another movie. Then I got in my car, drove home, found the bathroom and tossed my cookies!
If there was a B.Y.O.B. movie(Bring Your Own Barf Bag) this would definitely be it!!
Thanks
Being from NYC, this movie didn’t make a lot of sense, logistically. The monster just tossed the statue of liberty’s head… QUICK evac from the Brooklyn Bridge, which is the next big structure next to the statue of liberty… that was stupid… There’s no way Rob could’ve gotten reception in the subway station to talk to his mom and all the walk in the tunnels and up the stairs didn’t seem like it worn them down. Manhattan is a pretty big place and it seems like everywhere they go, they keep on running into the monster.. shitty luck huh? And at the end? Oh fly the helicopter parallel to the monster so it can knock us down… Not sure if JJ abrams is from NYC, but any new yorker would find this movie very stupid….
Here, another interesting article about the film.
cloverfeild made my month…the marks on the statue of liberty are just brilliant..looks like a flesh wound on metal..HUD’s character is the best ..TJ miller is the best stand up comic ive seen in a long time check out his act
http://effinfunny.com/tjmiller
You are an idiot. Put down the comic book and stop popping zits in the mirror for two seconds, you booger eating spaz. Cloverfield was, by far, the worst movie in the last ten years (Blair Witch???). Garbage. Bravo to the marketing team on this one. I can see where most of the budget went to. JJ Abrams should be embarrased to have released this film. Cloverfield is a high school film project, at best. Good premise. Poor directing, poorer producing, and horrendous cinematography. I was robbed. This movie was obviously written during the writer’s strike(I hope). If anyone likes this movie, they pick their nose and eat it. LOSERS!!!!
You are an idiot. Put down the comic book and stop popping zits in the mirror for two seconds, you booger eating spaz. Cloverfield was, by far, the worst movie in the last ten years (Blair Witch???). Garbage. Bravo to the marketing team on this one. I can see where most of the budget went to. JJ Abrams should be embarrased to have released this film. Cloverfield is a high school film project, at best. Good premise. Poor directing, poorer producing, and horrendous cinematography. I was robbed. This movie was obviously written during the writer’s strike(I hope).
Apologies for the length of this, I can’t link. It’s interesting, being from a screenwriting POV. Courtesy of CSWeekly online.
by David Michael Wharton
Writer Drew Goddard spins an “ant’s-eye-view” story of a giant monster rampaging through Manhattan, and while he delivers admirably on that concept, it’s a shame that the characters underfoot don’t have more depth.
On the eve of Rob’s (Michael Stahl-David) departure for Japan to take a new job as vice president of something-or-other, his improbably beautiful friends gather in his improbably beautiful apartment for a surprise going-away party. Rob’s brother Jason (Mike Vogel) drafts their friend Hud (T.J. Miller) to record the event. Unfortunately, Hud’s attempts to hit on the disinterested Marlena (Lizzy Caplan) in between capturing “testimonials” from the partygoers are interrupted by the Statue of Liberty’s head careening through the skyline and coming to rest in the middle of their street. Clearly, something big has decided to crash this party. As chaos descends on the city, a small group of the friends attempt to make their way to safety through looting, military assaults, and a pissed-off critter stomping the holy hell out of everything in sight. But when Rob gets a frantic call from love interest Beth, the friends must decide if they will continue to flee the city, or follow Rob deeper into the madness to rescue Beth.
Composed of “found footage,” Cloverfield tells its story entirely through Hud’s video recording of the fateful night. If Hud doesn’t point a camera at it, the friends don’t comment on it, or the odd news story in the background doesn’t report about it, we don’t know about it. This may frustrate the legions of fanboys who have spent months analyzing every frame of the trailers trying to figure out what the monster is (It’s a whale! It’s a dinosaur! It’s Voltron!), but is entirely in keeping with what the film sets out to do. Ultimately, “mythology” questions such as where the monster came from are much less pressing to the protagonists than issues such as “What the hell is going on?” or “How do I keep from being eaten?” or “Did you guys just hear something?” The questions that obsess the internet are not foremost in the minds of victims of a giant monster attack, and Cloverfield wisely realizes that the best course of action is to simply hint at these background answers while keeping the focus on putting our characters through hell and ratcheting up the tension. Cloverfield is true to what it sets out to be: an intense, ground-level trek alongside the people seen running and screaming in the background of all those other monster movies. If you want a Magical Expository Scientist Guy to answer all your questions, please check your local theater during any given summer season.
The found-footage concept also allows numerous storytelling tricks that wouldn’t necessarily work in a normal film. Hud is neither a professional cameraman nor a journalist, so he doesn’t always point the camera in the direction you want him to. During one sequence where the friends find themselves in between the rock of the monster and the hard place of American military firepower, Hud is less interested in capturing footage of the creature than in hiding behind a car and hoping he survives the next sixty seconds. By confining everything to what’s seen by the lens of the camcorder, even scenes spent running through the spacious concrete canyons of Manhattan are pervaded by a sense of claustrophobia, and when the violence above ground eventually drives the friends down into pitch-black subway tunnels, that claustrophobia becomes almost suffocating. Despite the inherent limitations of the concept, Goddard even comes up with a clever way to get in a few “beauty shots” of the creature thanks to helicopter news footage playing in the background of an early scene. (That’s one thing the internet naysayers needn’t worry about: you do get several good looks at the monster before things are through). Perhaps the most interesting narrative trick is the concept that all of this is being recorded over a tape of Rob and Beth’s one “perfect day,” allowing backstory to be filled in piecemeal during moments when the camera is jostled or shut off, at which points the happier, less monster-y footage peeks through.
Unfortunately, the film’s commitment to realism does falter in some areas. With the exception of Hud, the group of friends are unmemorable outside of their attractiveness. While the early party scenes front-load enough who-likes-who, who’s-related-to-who, and who-slept-with-who backstory to give us a general sense of how these people are interconnected and what’s at stake for them, we don’t really know enough to care much about them. Also, the script breaks up the tension with just enough humor to keep things from getting too dour, but the dialogue often shows too much polish for ostensibly average joes stuck in the middle of a crisis. It doesn’t distract from the surrounding monster mayhem, but if Goddard really wanted to sell the realism 100%, the script might have benefited from a “roughing-up” pass or two. And finally, our heroes do occasionally lapse into that most tragic of ailments, “Stupid Horror Movie Character Syndrome.” It’s a most lamentable condition wherein protagonists’ common sense and self-preservation atrophy to dangerous levels, meaning they never leave the obviously haunted house, never behead the seemingly dead axe murderer just to be sure, and always decide that splitting up in the abandoned meat-packing plant is a good idea. While Cloverfield’s protagonists never dial their brains down quite that far, they do make a few questionable decisions along the way. Fortunately, the biggest of these decisions — the choice to go save Beth rather than getting the hell out of Dodge — is wisely rooted in emotion. No, it might not make logical sense to risk horrible death to go save the girl you’re in love with…but that’s not a decision that most of us would make from a position of logic.
If you’re looking for multi-dimensional characters, look elsewhere. If you’re expecting to have all your questions about the monster answered in graduate-thesis detail, look elsewhere. But if you’re looking for a fast-paced, intense ride through the streets of a city being ground beneath the heel of an irate behemoth, Cloverfield delivers.”
“My wife and I heard people saying ” you’ve got to be kidding.”
So did I. And I’d imagine this kind of comment is standard. But what does this really mean? That the movie’s ‘bad’? That the viewer can’t appreciate a different approach? That their expectations were wholly different from what they were presented?
What I find interesting is the impression that, even if disgruntled movie-goers were refunded their ticket costs, as their vehemence goes beyond their own experience, they’d wish the movie had never been made, period.
I think those “love interest” in and out clips were kind of cheesy too.. didnt find the movie very scary either.
Here’s a review from one of my favourite magazines.
3 words:
Blair Godzilla Project.
You will want to personally club the guy “holding” the camera.
Horrible movie
Less than 80 minutes, one track story, 0 explanations or details, and 0 enrichment of characters or plot. Characters stay together the whole time and you’re just on this pathetically unrealistic ride with them to travel 70 + city blocks to find a friend/lover, then somehow escape a monster attacking the city that has no rhyme or reason.
Lots of other great monster movies out there. Some with actual plots, plot twists (novel idea) and backstory. This is pathetic.
Anyone else think director and producers mailed it in, or do you really think they spent months “crafting” this “film”?
Worst movie ever. Makes you sick and leaves you thankful it’s over. Nothing thrilling nor horrifying. I didn’t see anyone in the theater looking like they’ve just seen a great movie. My wife and I heard people saying ” you’ve got to be kidding.”
I heard good things about the movie, and was warned about the motion of the camera. However, the cameras motion was far worse than I ever would have expected. Even people who handle a camcorder for the first time don’t film this poorly. Much of the motion was forced and unnecessary. I understand what they were trying to enhance the realism, but it was WAY over done. Sadly, me and my g/f left the theatre 35 mins in, me sick and her with a migraine. Never had to walk out of a movie in my life, it should seriously come with a warning. Wasted my money.
While taste is individual, there is no original ‘genius’ to Cloverfield. Zip. As for it being art, everything about it points more toward a shrewd business concept than art. Criticism isn’t inherently evil. A car design could be called art but if the car sucked you’d damn sure say something. My $30.00 Cloverfield ride left something to be desired.
I love in LA and know how you critics like to roll, which is why I’ll start by saying at least you recognized the genious behind the “real feeling”. It just seems to me that anything with hype of acclaim always has to find criticism. I hear talk of Blair Witch… yeah so… that movie BLEW in comparison to this. Smaller budget…perhaps a bit more inventive but nothing near as amazing as this movie was for me. I thought the intercut scenes were almost nessesary… to keep the viewer grounded to the fact that it was a drama. Even if it was ment to be serious I still didn’t find one thing about this movie cheesy. COnsider that this is all out of peoples minds. SOmeone created this. It’s a work of art. I just hate it when critics like to have something bad to say. ALWAYS. That and then of course the general public who would stagger on the line of just allowing it to be great for them… or complaining because of their inability to be submissive to mass appeal. ANNOYING indeed. Overall great review. A little cheesy in the end.
Dude,
Did Paramount provide you with lots of alcohol and a sealed white envelope? Or do you just want to loose credibility with your readers? It is hoped that whatever they gave you, it is enough because for one this reader will not use one of your reviews again.
By the way Dude refers to the well known beer commercial, it can be surmised in which intention it was meant.
“‘Cloverfield’ Sets January Movie Record
‘Cloverfield’ Sets January Box-Office Record With Monster $41 Million Opening Weekend”
The monster was ridiculous looking. The shaky cam made me ill. I didn’t give two shits about any of the characters.
Didn’t like it very much. It’s okay for a matinee, but I don’t want to see it again.
Cloverfield Movie Review
The Myth continues……….
The much-anticipated release of “Cloverfield” (supposedly named after some street near “Bad Robot” Productions) would appear to be a monetary hit for it’s producer and Production Company, but shouldn’t you give your audience something for their money? Whatever happened to artistic integrity?
First, I’ll let you know that you don’t see “the Monster” until a few minutes left in the film (and you still don’t really see him). Oh, you see glimpses and erratic shots of it, but no real visible evidence of a monster in my opinion. Sort of like a UFO. This is why you see a lot of different interpretations (artists renderings) of “the Monster” on the Internet. My take is that it’s a man, with a tail, with eagle feet and hands, turtle head, shark teeth, fish gills and it looks to be Gray in color or that maybe because they were still trying to hide him with some dust or something. Whatever!!!
The movie itself was a cross between the “Blair Witch Project”, with a lot more of the camera laying on it’s side or just shooting nothing at all and “Scary Movie” (one of them but not scary either). Little monsters were falling off of the big monster and eating everyone (although you never really see this either) and they sort of looked like an elongated fish head with feet and shark teeth. One girl in the movie got bitten by one of the little monsters and was taken behind a white sheet by some army dudes in camo and some doctor’s in blue bubble suits (that effect must’ve cost, damn $9.99) and exploded I guess because someone threw red paint on the white sheet to make it look like she exploded.
Everyone filming the event in the movie as it happens in the movie dies! End of story and my end of buying a ticket to another “Bad Robot” or J.J. Abrams film, YOU BOTH SUCK!
And if you want to know how many stars I would give it, I would give it the black hole award if you know what I mean.
I paid $28.00 to go see this movie with the wife and we both agree should have waited till it came out on video what a joke. This may have just been the final straw in the camels back may never go back to the theater again to see anything. Would have been better to have went out and got $28.00 worth of gas at less you will be getting something for your money. 4 thumbs down for Cloverfield.
http://ohmygodrobpart2.ytmnd.com/
Just came home from watching this movie and been looking on the net to find some place that I can express my disappointment and also feel very sick after coming out from the cinema. I am not a fan of ill effect handycam type movie. The storyline is ok and it would be rather nice if they used the tranditional way of making the film. The the handycam effect by far is the worse movie I have even seen. Once the movie started I wonder when the movie is going to end. I feel sorry I went and invest my time and money to watch this movie.
I went to see Cloverfield and was sorely disapointed. The handy cam effect was NOT needed. I developed a terrible case of motion sickness. Did we learn nothing from Blaire Witch??? This film was riddled with plot holes and no character development. When the movie ended a collective
“aww crap” was heard in the theatre. No laughing ,no comments, just everyone filing out with disgusted looks .
I could’nt recommend this film any less. It’s a real disappointment.
Not discounting anyone who felt ill while watching this film,..I’m surprised to read so many accounts of this. I’ve seen many movies bloated with sensory overload, like the Matrix or Bourne films,… and the handheld, frenetic camera thing is as old as Mtv’s Real World and ABC’s NYPD Blue. Although I was prepped by a disclaimer taped to the box office glass, I think I was so busy looking for a ‘wow’ that I forgot to feel sick. My companion did complain of a slight headache from the movie’s desparat racket, though.
No one should waste their time, money and effort to go see this movie… What hell is all this shaky camera movement… I must say that its really nice to be kind off creative but come one this is what my television production teacher taught me on the second day of class… We all that this is not sooooooo much of a big budget film but in looking at it where is the continuality not there… what the plot where is the climax did you not learn anything in screen play writing or English class. Bloody hell if you are to get any type off award this is what it will be… And the worst movie of the year isssssssssssssssssssss… Cloverfield and guess before y’all even get up there to receive that award y’all will be booooooooooooooooooooed for like the film was boooooooooed and I will personally say get of the stage or platform what ever it is… As a youth filmmaker and Media Arts Major I regret paying $11.25 to go see… I should have just sat at the merry comfort of my house and either looked at it online or bought the DVD bootleg… this sadly to say should have never been made…
Warning: take Dramamine before watching this movie (if you still want to watch it after reading honest comments from the public who actually see it today) I just wasted my time, money and food (i puked the food I ate before watching). I have seen better America’s FHV. It could have been a good movie if we can actually see it blu-ray style. film making guise as home video to save on expensive quality production.
I’ve just seen Godzilla shot Blair Witch style. Nothing originai story-wise or filmmaking-wise. The paper-thin beer commercial characters were so boring that I felt no interest in their survival. As with ‘Lost’, Abrams taxes my imagination to flesh out a weak concept. Even the viral campaign to sucker veiwers is becoming blase.
Movie chews. Don’t mistake the nausea you feel midway through the movie for fear, it’s camera shake. Take anti-nausea medication before going into the movie.
Scale of 1 to 10…give it a 4. If this movie had nudity it would still chew.
Hey John,
Just wanted to know which part are you referring to here:
‘There is one HORRIBLE shot near the end of the film… I don’t want to give anything away… all I’ll say is that in the shot, you get a very good look at the monster… and something beyond silly happens that just made you roll your eyes.’
Is is the part where you see the monster that is cheesy or what happens after you see the monster’
Thanks
I really LOVED this movie because I am a HUGE fan of watching people running (relentlessly) and the line “Oh my god!”
Oh yeah… and people crying.
If that’s your thing, you’ll love it too!
just saw part of movie made me extremly nauseated I as well as other patrons left during the 1st 30 mins of movie. The camera is just running moving around everywhere iradically and never focuses.
i just got home from watching the movie and i would say that it is the worst movie i have ever seen…. my wife physically got sick just watching the movie…then there was no plot story line nothing. just sitting there watching a monster that is made out of absolute steal. he gets bombed with 30 million bombs and nothing happens. i mean come on, just a tiny bit of realism…
i was so excited about the movie coming out and everything.it was absolute disappointment. it is really sad when you cant go to the movie and enjoy it. in my mind, the worst movie ever produced….
I just returned from seeing Cloverfield and wow!! This film was amazing at pulling me in. I agree with you John. This movie grabbed my attention and kept it. I am one of those that never feel scared at movies.. but Cloverfield made me feel the scare at points. I was actually in the 9/11 attack in NY an this honestly was sort of reliving it again in many ways and details of the beginning. This is a movie that should be seen in the theatre to get the full effect.. I think you should all see Cloverfield. I can guarantee that you wont regret it.
I JUST GOT BACK FROM THE MOVIES AND I DO HAVE TO SAY THAT THE MOVIE IS LAST ON MY LIST…. I WAS VERY DISAPOINTED THE FILMING SUCKED…. I GO TO THE MOVIES A FEW TIMES A MONTH AND I DO HAVE TO SAY THAT IT IS BY FAR THE WORST MOVIE I HAVE SEEN IN A VERY VERY LONG TIME!!!!
I just got back from seeing it. I must say the fire power in the movie was rather nice. the monster is also one scary bastard. and his little friends are to fun either. although it does leave you in the dark in a different way. im lost for words. John all together NIIICE movie. i will prolly go see it again. (the pics everyone is looking at on the net are NOT the monster)
Sorry, This movie is so sadly made.
I was so happy to go and see this but when I got there and the first person camera never stopped it got annoying.
Then Never really getting to see the monster. The end of the Movie had to of been the worst ending ever. I really hope you make a second one.
Okay I haven’t posted in months. I just got back from the midnight screening in my town. OMG look I can’t say it was the best movie I’ve seen cause it wasn’t but I can say it was one of the best movie experiences I’ve had in a long time. The horror, the humor, the realism. I bought it all hook line and sinker. And yeah if you think about it it’s not very realistic but what it does is give the illusion of realism which is exactly what it should have been. The shot at the end didn’t bother me much I have to say. I will be seeing it again this weekend so I’ll leave judgement on weather I thought as a film it was great or not til then. But I’d say weather you love it or hate it I think it is an experience everyone should have in the theater.
john…..only one film has made over 30 million dollars in january.
one.
its called star wars special edition.
that made 35 million.
so for this time of year and for a film of this budget making 30 million will be huge. i see what you are saying but you are wrong. but thats o.k. we are used to that ;)
if cloverfield makes 30 million it will be considered huge by the peopel who matter …. paramount and the film industry.
the “trades” and the execs are going use the word “huge” and “big” if this does anywhere near that….there will be “cloverfield a monster success” type puns all over the place if it does.
but i believe it is going to do mid to low 20’s……
but who the fuck knows……
John, I also understand what you’re saying, but I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree on the finer points. :-)
And for the record, I wasn’t the guy who used the word “huge”… I said “big.” :-D
Vic
Hey Vic,
I see what you’re trying to say about the weight classes, but it’s exactly the opposite of my point. It either is, or is not, 300 pounds.
That little guy may press impressive amounts for his little weight… but it’s still LESS. It’s not as good. It’s not as heavy. 300 pounds is still 300 pounds.
If you want to put an asterisks beside the term “HUGE” when talking about a $30 million opening weekend, and then define that asterisks as (well… huge for a movie that opened in January), then fine, I’ll agree to that.
But overall, it’s about how many people decide to go see it. And the bottom line is, for a major release film, regardless of how much money was spent on making the film… $30 million dollars worth of people going to see a wide release film is not “HUGE”. Period. End of story.
With regards to your “per-screen” averages… I highly disagree (to a point). The Per-Screen arguement is only relevant if a film sells out each theater, and the lack of additional theaters in the same market prevents people who wanted to see it, from seeing it.
Thus, a movie with 1500 screens that everyone has access to (if they want to see the movie) but it doesn’t sell out, has little to no relevance when comparing it to the movie with 2000 screens.
Obivously that changes if you’re talking about a scenario where a movie is playing on so few screen that not every relevant market has it… but that’s 1000 or less.
John, you just shot yourself in the foot with your analogy. :-)
In weightlifting competitions there are weight classes, so while a 300lb bench press is nothing for a guy who weighs 250lbs (Transformers with a monster production and marketing budget), if a guy who weighs 120lbs (Cloverfield) does it, it puts him near the top of his class.
And if you REALLY want the numbers to matter, I’m sure you know that you don’t look at total box office take for a weekend – you look at per-theater/screen numbers. Two movies can open on the same weekend and make the same amount of money, but if one of them is being shown on twice the screens, it’s much weaker than the other.
This is fun. ;-)
Vic
oh ya the monster has many appendegis* and the parasites blow u up……nuff said the movie is not about the monster…its a ploy on how americans work together in a crisis…aka 9/11
ya i feel what u say about the marketing…..but a lot of people are gonna hate the ending..trust me…hella people where walking out of the sneek peek complaining about it…maybe there where a lot of people there who just seen avp2….thats kinda a spoiler but only if u seen avp2….besides the monster was cool most will like the parasites lol. btw this is the reason IRAN wants nukes!
to kill are monsters! lol
Hey Vic and Alfie
Sorry, a $30 million dollar opening weekend is not “HUGE”. It’s pretty good. It’s respectable. It’s not “HUGE”.
Either a guy bench presses 300 pounds or he doesn’t. You can’t say:
“That guy benched 300 pounds! Well, it’s LIKE he benched pressed 300. He only benched 120, but since it’s december, and he’s only 5′9 and it was cold outside and it was a Tuesday… it’s just the same as if he did press 300″
That’s nonsense. The guy pressed 120. Maybe that was great for a guy who is 5′9 in December on a Tuesday…. but it’s still only 120 no matter how you cut it.
A $30 million opening weekend is respectable. It may be great for a Major Studio film with a budget of $30 million, it may be great for a film in January (which is only because January is traditionally the studio dumping ground for bad films) and it may be great for the studio accountants, but still… no matter how you cut it, it’s still a wide release film that only made $30 million.
So if you’ll excuse me, I have to go drive my Porsche 911 to get lunch now (Well, it’s actually a Pontiac Sunfire, but since it has great tires, and it drove me across the continent, and it’s a Friday… it’s just the same as if it was a Porsche).
Keep in mind Cloverfield may only make $10 million… or $50 million this weekend… which would pretty much render our debate pointless I guess :)
screenrant you totally right. of course a films success is based on its box office take compared to the cost of making it.
if this thing makes 30 million it will be considered huge.
is it huge compared to a gigantic summer blockbuster in the middle of summer with a 200 million dollar budget and a 50-60 million ad campaign? no…for a small 30 million dollar film from a unknown director with a completely unknown cast that was almost marketed exclusively to the online community being released in the dumping ground of january? of course it will be considred a huge opening.
if cloverfield makes anything near 30 no matter what you say it will be considered huge by the people that count….the guys who funded the thing and the filkm industry in general.
it will be considered a smash success…and yes a lot of how huge it is considered has to do with the fact it was a lower budget film for this type of movie.
if transformers was released in january it probably would make 60 million but i don’t see what you are getting at because it wasn’t and it didn’t so using a hypothetical comparison like that is pointless because it is completely unprovable. use facts…like the fact that the biggest january opening of all time is star wars special edition. that made 35 million. and was considred a huge opening. because january is just not a big movie time…..
personally I will be very surprised if it does make 30 million…..i hope it does as I saw it today and i thought it was great……
Hey John
In the last flashback to the day before where it shows Rob and Beth at the beach did you happen to catch a little something on the right hand side of the screen that was in the background.
Whoever watches this when you see the video of Beth with the beach in the background screw what she is saying and look to the right hand side of the screen and you will see something but it is fast
Ok, John, if you want to go that way, if “Juno” had opened with a $30MM weekend, wouldn’t THAT have been called “huge” all over movie news sites?
Opening weekend box office success or failure is often tied to the cost of a film.
Vic
Could u tell us more about the monsters, and the giant crabs? pleaseee man i wanna see’m
So success in the movie industry is based on the amount of money gained back and not the amount of people that actually went to see the film, to you?
Personally when I look to see how well a movie did I look at how much money it made…not in respect to how much movie it cost to make it.
The things I’ve heard about this movie so far have been positive and the newer footage I’ve seen looks interesting. Made me a little more interested in seeing it. Initially I haven’t cared about it at all….but, eh, I can’t think of anything else worth seeing any time soon.
But John success is relative. I mean a 60 million OW for a movie like Pirates of the Carribean 3 would have been considered pretty bad. Cloverfield is a small budget movie with very low mainstream marketting, transformers probably had a twice the marketing budget of cloverfield’s production budget. I don’t see how it is fair to compare the two.
It looks like the monster was less of an icon than this movie, which isn’t a bad thing. If the movie can thrive without making the monster the “next Godzilla”, then it works.
Hey NEC,
I disagree that we alter and change the definition of what “HUGE” is.
Perhaps $30 million for a $30 million dolalr movie (I don’t know where you got $25 from… but it’s close enough) is huge for the accountants… but the word is meaningless if you shift it around.
It’s either huge, or it’s not.
$30 million opening weekend is respectable… but not huge.
$60 million opening weekend is HUGE.
But if all you want to do is talk about it in relative terms… then put an “*” beside the term:
“Cloverfield had a huge* opening. *-for a movie that didn’t cost much to make and opened in January.
And I guarantee you, if Transformers opened in January… it would have made $60+ easy. That’s huge.
With regards to the monster. Honestly… no. It worked for this movie, but I don’t see how you can build a franchise around it. The gimmick is now done, and I don’t think they can repeat it without being corny. Just my thoughts.
John, 30 million opening weekend for a movie being released in January that cost only 25 million to make is huge. Isn’t 35 million like the alltime record for an opening weekend in January? I’m Legend which cost 150million+ to make and had tons of advertisement was only expecting around 45million for the opening weekend. Expecting more then 35 million OW for Cloverfield is very unrealistic.
Do you think the monster is solid enough to build a whole franchise around it?
Hey Vic,
Since when does $30 million constitute “big”?
My prediction: Big.
It will at least make back it’s production cost ($30MM) this weekend.
Vic
Hey CW05
The “Snakes on a Plane” comparison I made had nothing to do with the quality of the movie… but rather “is it another movie that internet fan boys buzz and get all excited about, but no one else goes to see”?
The movie is a better movie than Snakes… but I honestly don’t know how many people will be going out to see it. We’ll have to wait for Sunday for find out.
So, is it the next “Snakes on a plane”? Or is it better?
Great review, John.
Vic
You look pretty tired in the video John.
Aw dang, i really want to see it this weekend like you guys but the Brits have to wait another two weeks……AGAIN!
Hopefully i won’t find out what the monster looks like or any spoilers until then.
oh ya btw the amount of money they spent on marketing shouldnt be the problem…its the reaction of the people that search for info on the net that hyped this movie up…..ps most internet marketing is basically cheap….its called hype.
i just seen this movie and i think its just all right….but the fact is im not much of a fan with movies that have a gimmick…and IMO this movie was marketed way to heavy online as bieng something that we have never seen….well duh it hadnt came out yet…now that i have this movie on my cpu i really dont think ill watch it again…..it was decent but really nothing special…ya ya ya i wanted more of the dam monster!
Good review. Spot on and I agree. I saw it last night too.
A winner is you.
i am currious why you dislike the marketing for this movie… for me they have done a fantastic job on such a little budget…
So, it’s not a lion?
Sounds like a lower budget “War of the Worlds” (Cruise version)…which sucked.
sorry – i skim-read it as I’m at work!! Apologies for the stupid question!
Good review!
Thanks for not posting spoilers, every other review I’ve seen went out of their way to post spoilers.
To J:
Did you not read the review?
“you get a very good look at the monster…”
Yep, sounds we actually get to see the monster.
John did you get to see the Star Trek trailer?
So do we actually get to see this monster or are we left completely in the dark about it?
So does this revise your BO take now John Word of Mouth should be strong.
BTW, no STXI trailer? A description of it is over at:
http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/exclusive-star-trek-teaser-description
I am glad to hear you liked it john…..i am looking forward to it.
I thought the marketing was great….i liked the refreshing take they have had on it to be honest. what is it that you didn;t like about the marketing?