Cloverfield

HUGE

Groundbreaking. A word I have not used for a movie since The Blair Witch Project. The concept of telling an entire movie through first-person point of view has not exceeded its potential until now. Cloverfield is about a monster attack in New York as
told from the point of view of a man holding a camcorder.

When I first saw the teaser trailer of Cloverfield at a crowded Manhattan theater, the audience reacted by booing. Even though I knew this was an entertainment piece, audience members were still thinking about 9/11. The images of 9/11 are still there in this movie, with its handheld shaky images of falling buildings and fleeing masses. In Cloverfield, instead of running, people of post 9/11 surround the decapitated head of the Statue of Liberty to take pictures with their cell-phones and camcorders.

The film moves away from its social commentary and reminds its audience this is a monster movie.

I have been waiting for a good monster movie since the original Godzilla. The remake of King Kong was okay but you have to admit the creature was not very frightening. Peter Jackson put too much sentimentality and character development into King Kong; this once gruesome horror icon suddenly became a giant sissy. I kept thinking about the impressive technical aspects this movie presents.

Because the movie was told from someone holding a camcorder, I was expecting very long tracking shots. Creative editing tricks gave the impression of fake tracking shots. Except for the party in the opening sequence, the movie is devoid of music.

I was not expecting laugh out loud moments of humor either. Most of these laughs come from actor T.J. Miller playing the role of Hud. The name, Hud, is inspired by Bill Paxton's character, Hudson, in Aliens. Another movie nod is the main character, Rob, accepting a job promotion in Japan, which is an homage to Godzilla. Usually in these monster movies, the bad guys are usually the military. Cloverfield takes a different approach, which I liked. This time the military are the good guys and they're doing the best they can with what they've got.

What's intriguing about Cloverfield are the small hints of foreshadowing. Thankfully I am able to replay an entire movie in my mind after watching in the theater. The monster is giving birth to the scaly spiders like many critics said. These scaly spiders are part of the creature's skin. Hud even says the creatures were dragging him back after they grabbed him. The spiders aren't attacking; they're bringing food back to its master to eat later.

I'm trying not to ruin the ending but this has to be said. Pay close attention to the water at the end of the movie. I think a lot of people didn't understand the significance of the ending if they were not paying attention to background.

Cloverfield does give quick thumbnail characterizations of its protagonists but you do root for them and hope they don't get killed. This is a monster movie for diehard fans of the faded genre that have been waiting for wild thrills and entertaining
thrashing.

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By Edwin Hopkins
Email Mr. Hopkins

Super

One of my absolutely favorite tv shows was- and still is- The Outer Limits. It was a sci-fi anthology originating in the 60's then returned in 1995 and ran for seven seasons. I liked the new upgraded episodes as well as the old ones because the producers had sense enough to maintain the same basic premise throughout : the human condition. It wasn't about aliens, new technology, space exploration or time travel, but our reaction to them and how we behave towards them. It was science fiction from a personal point of view.

Matt Reeves fit-for-YouTube monster movie Cloverfield, could have been an Outer Limits episode. Despite the annoying clumsiness of a handheld camera documenting all the action, Reeves brings the typical creature feature down to such an exclusive level, you're completely engaged, locked in with ordinary people just like us; asking questions regarding what you would do, who you could depend on, who would you place your faith in.

Cloverfield is the case designation from the Department of Defense; a camera found in U.S. 442, the area formerly known as Central Park. The title cards open the movie in such a way that you may think something's wrong with the film itself. Shortly, you realize it's part of the saga.

Our prime character, Robert Hawkins (Michael-Stahl David) is pleasantly surprised when he walks into his apartment and finds a host of friends giving him a going away party. That his destination is Japan suggests a clever tradeoff to Godzilla. His brother Jason is handling last testimonials from all the guests until he hands the camcorder off to the reluctant Hud who tends to be less skillful with it.

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For awhile Rob is in the greatest of moods, until his girl, Beth (Odette Yustman) shows up with another man at her side. After a heated exchange they don't stay long, making a hasty exit.

At this point, just when you may feel that Rob's party may turn into a personal bust, a tremendous explosion is heard from outside; a ship in the harbor is capsized followed by another explosion which sends huge fragments of brick and steel and Lady Liberty's head crashing into the streets. Seems as if some creature which we cannot identify yet has arrived to crash Rob's party - and all of Manhattan with it.

Viscerally charged amateur camcorder photography done in a "professional" way by tyro helmer Reeves characterizes all the action and suspense in Cloverfield. Unfortunately it can get so visceral that the rickety camera movements may cause some to experience motion sickness or even vertigo according to Dr. Sonja Gupta on CNN. So beware.

Camera man Michael Bonvillain does achieve a natural look amid the chaos that ensues, drawing you in using grainy film stock and subdued images. He may be controlling the light and shadows, but he makes you believe that he's really controlling nothing.

One of my female acquaintances had seen the full trailer for Cloverfield and thought the acting was totally unrealistic or, in her words, real corny. I tended to disagree because Robert, Jason, Hud, Beth, Marlena et. al. are not scientists trying to figure out how to stop this thing. Neither are they soldiers armed with guns, tanks bombs or fighter jets. Their just ordinary citizens like you and I struggling to survive a monster's invasion, forced to rise above themselves and adapt to a life or death condition all of us would respond to differently.

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