The special effects are excellent, withjust enough being shown of the marauding "attacker," and its minions to keep you on the edge of your seat.
Cloverfield (2008)
Tomatometer
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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: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for violence, terror and disturbing images.
Runtime: 85 mins
Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy
Theatrical Release:Jan 18, 2008 Wide
Box Office: $79,952,254
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
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Reviews for Cloverfield
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.
It's like Abrams and crew have looked into the void and thought: the only thing worse than Armageddon is if no one witnessing it is hot.
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.
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.
Jaw dropping stuff but you will have to have a strong stomach to cope with the constantly moving camera.
If you can stomach it, expect to leave the theater shaken yet entertained by every jolting, unexpected minute.
Blair Witch's bigger-budget, slightly stupider baby sibling... it's a fleet-footed lizard apocalypse with the good sense to end right about the same time the novelty wears off.
... there's a lot of visual imagination in the way certain moments are staged, and I think there are few films that better capture the panic and the chaos of a crisis in a big city.
Cloverfield is further evidence of the nerd ascendant: It may be a product of the 'Wouldn’t this be awesome?' school of filmmaking, but at least it results in an awesome film.
When all is said and done, and Cloverfield plays out, we're left with...'a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.'
Cloverfield is a real 21st century kind of movie; it's a horror film for the You Tube generation. It's also bleak and scary.
It’s the Cloverfield hype campaign -- not the dissatisfying, unimpressive film itself -- that is the work of art.
The techs and the promise of scares is the draw for Cloverfield. Personally, I would wait for the DVD and rent it (but only on a big screen TV).
If the film reinvents anything other than the public's acceptance of a kind of YouTube crudery as viable entertainment, I missed it.
It might be a clever new-media commentary, but it's an awfully circumspect one.
A dazzling experiment that paid off immensely, this is cinematic pleasure at its purest.
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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