Cloverfield

Critics Consensus

A sort of Blair Witch Project crossed with Godzilla, Cloverfield is economically paced, stylistically clever, and filled with scares.

77%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 208

68%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 420,043
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Movie Info

Producer J.J. Abrams teams with writer Drew Goddard and director Matt Reeves for this frenetic tale of a powerful destructive force that descends upon New York City, and the four desperate people who put their lives on the line to embark on a perilous rescue mission. Rob Hawkins (Michael Stahl-David) is a young American professional who has recently been offered a coveted new job in Japan. Eager to send his older sibling off in style, Rob's younger brother, Jason (Mike Vogel), and his girlfriend, Lily (Jessica Lucas), organize a surprise going-away party to take place the night before Rob boards his Eastern-bound flight. As the party gets underway, Rob's longtime friend and current love interest, Beth (Odette Yustman), shows up with another man as the dejected guest of honor's best-pal Hud (T.J. Miller) encourages partygoer Marlena (Lizzy Caplan) to wish him an on-camera farewell despite the fact that they barely know one another. Moments after Beth storms out following a bitter skirmish with Rob, the entire New York City skyline goes dark. Power is quickly restored, prompting partygoers to turn their attention toward the news, where they learn that a freight tanker has been overturned in New York Harbor. Racing to the rooftop in hopes of getting a better look at the situation, the group is terrified to witness a massive explosion that rains debris across midtown Manhattan, causing mass chaos and unparalleled destruction. But the worst is yet to come, because it soon becomes apparent that this is not the work of a terrorist or an act of war, but a massive creature beyond human comprehension. Now, as the military moves in and the streets of New York City become a virtual war zone, Rob, Lily, Marlena, and Hud race to rescue Beth and get out of the city before the powers that be unleash the ultimate weapon of mass destruction on one of the most populated cities on the planet. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Cast

Lizzy Caplan
as Marlena
Jessica Lucas
as Lily
T.J. Miller
as Hud
Michael Stahl-David
as Rob
Mike Vogel
as Jason
Odette Annable
as Beth
Margot Farley
as Jenn
Theo Rossi
as Antonio
Brian Klugman
as Charlie
Kelvin Yu
as Clark
Lili Mirojnick
as Lei
Ben Feldman
as Travis
Anjul Nigam
as Bodega Cashier
Elena Caruso
as Party Goer
Vakisha Coleman
as Party Goer
Will Greenberg
as Party Goer
Rob Kerkovich
as Party Goer
Ryan Key
as Party Goer
Rasika Mathur
as Party Goer
Baron Vaughn
as Party Goer
Charlyne Yi
as Party Goer
Roma Torre
as Herself
Rick Overton
as Frantic Man
Martin Cohen
as Burly Guy
Jason Cerbone
as Police Officer
Billy Brown
as Staff Sgt. Pryce
Scott Lawrence
as Lead Soldier
Jeffrey De Serrano
as Soldier
Tim Griffin
as Command Center Officer
Chris Mulkey
as Lt. Col. Graff
Jason Lombard
as Second Medic
Jamie Martz
as Helicopter Pilot
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Critic Reviews for Cloverfield

All Critics (208) | Top Critics (40) | Fresh (160) | Rotten (48)

  • 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.

    Jan 29, 2008 | Rating: C- | Full Review…

    Amy Nicholson

    I.E. Weekly
    Top Critic

  • The mechanism is the message in Cloverfield, a movie so aluminum-sleek, ultra-portable, and itsy-bitsy sexy, it's amazing Steve Jobs didn't pull it out of an envelope at Macworld.

    Jan 22, 2008 | Full Review…

    Nathan Lee

    Village Voice
    Top Critic

  • I had a lot of fun with this inside-out take on the monster movie.

    Jan 22, 2008

    Richard Roeper

    Ebert & Roeper
    Top Critic

  • Under the modern flummery, behind the faux amateurism and the handheld shudder, Cloverfield is a vastly old-fashioned piece of work, creaking with hilarious contrivance.

    Jan 22, 2008 | Full Review…

    Anthony Lane

    New Yorker
    Top Critic

  • The fleeting, incomplete glimpses of the monster early on prove the old dictum of B-movie auteur Val Lewton that a momentary image can have greater impact than a prolonged one.

    Jan 22, 2008 | Full Review…

    J. R. Jones

    Chicago Reader
    Top Critic

  • 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.

    Jan 18, 2008

    Stephanie Zacharek

    Salon.com
    Top Critic
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Audience Reviews for Cloverfield

  • Apr 13, 2016
    Cloverfield is one of the best found footage films ever made in my opinion. This film has very good thrills and suspense, believable characters, and this feeling like "how the hell did they do that?". Basically Cloverfield is a monster movie filmed in found footage format. It is handled extremely well and it rises above its typical traits. Though admittedly at times it does have those cliches, but they were minor and didn't really take me out of the film all that much. And some of the character logic was kind of questionable. But honestly these flaws were pretty minor and didn't majorly affect the film. Overall Cloverfield is one of the best found footage films I've ever seen. I don't know if its my favourite one, I'll have to think about it but it's definitely one of the better ones. What I loved was the thrills and suspense, the concept, and the spectacle of it all. Check out Cloverfield if you haven't!
    Diyar G Super Reviewer
  • Feb 18, 2016
    Even though it supposedly doesn't have a ton of links to the original, I thought it may be a good idea to take back at Cloverfield in preparation for the forthcoming 10 Cloverfield Lane. Cloverfield is about a group of friends attending a going away party in New York City when suddenly a gigantic creature attacks the city. The group is thrust into the unbelievable task of making their way through the streets of New York in hopes of saving one of their friends. In an era where the term found footage films started to become a gimmick that people scoffed at, Cloverfield manages to make use of its filming technique to perfection. More impressive though, is the filmmakers ability to get us to care about each and every one of the main characters so that when an emotional scene arrives, we feel for them. Matt Reeves and JJ Abrams did a wonderful job of bringing this film to life as the director and producer respectively. Not only is the film incredibly original in its story telling, but the special effects and realistic take on a monster invasion felt so refreshing to watch. Not everybody makes it out alive and when people die, you don't see it coming. That to me, is a film that nails exactly what its going for. The cast wasn't and to a certain extent still isn't all that well-known. TJ Miller and Lizzy Caplan being the exceptions as they have broken out into fame. Even with that said, I thought the performances all around were exceptional. I got the vibe from all of the characters that they were really seeing a monster/creatures for the first time and the decision to use hand-held cameras was extremely effective. Miller was perfect for the character who filmed everything as he brought just the right amount of humor and terror to every scene. I also believed and cared for the love story they were trying to sell me on with Rob trying to reach Beth for a good portion of the film. In many ways, Cloverfield is a look inside the lives of people who would be on the streets in any invasion/superhero film. Perhaps rightfully so, we don't really ever get a chance to see from a normal person's view of the events. The emotion and humor are definitely present, and the action is also handled extremely well as there are a fair share of necessary jump scares. Cloverfield is easily my favorite found footage film along with one of the best invasion sci-fi films of the last decade or so. +Reeves & Abrams direction +Scary & haunting at times +Performances +Found footage choice made sense +Balance of humor and emotion was on point 8.7/10
    Thomas D Super Reviewer
  • Feb 07, 2016
    A very well made found footage film, Cloverfield is suspenseful, feels realistic and well written. That's all I'm gonna say! Check it out!
    Mr N Super Reviewer
  • Jan 16, 2016
    One of my all-time favourite films. I love the atmosphere, the direction and the whole premise. The recently announced sequel just got interesting.
    Ian W Super Reviewer
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