Cloverfield

I saw Cloverfield yesterday afternoon, early enough so I could avoid a theater filled with douchebags. I understand that this was a good thing, because people I know who saw it at night with the aforementioned douchebags were so annoyed by them, and so pulled out of the movie by them, it seriously fucked with their ability to enjoy the film.

If you haven't seen it, I recommend it. I gave it 3 out of 5, but only because the first-person shaky camera stuff made me violently seasick, causing me to look away from the screen more frequently than I did with Blair Witch (a movie, by the way, that I enjoyed as much as "meh" can be enjoyed, and which doesn't deserve to be compared to Cloverfield, IMHO.) On story and effectiveness, I give it a 4.6 out of 5but the camera stuff really messed with me, and I suspect it will mess with other viewers, as well.

Assume there will be spoilers in comments, because I'm starting the comments off with my extended commentary on the film, which you should not read if you haven't seen it yet.

The Bad Astronomer (who I owned in a Techonobabbloff yesterday) has some nitpicks and a review that I agreed with pretty much all the way, too.

Comments

[DavePress]

i very much agree: http://davidpress.wordpress.com/2008/01/19/cloverfield/

[Magic_Al]

I normally hate shaky-cam but I knew, going in, that the whole movie would be that, so I took a seat much further back than usual so none of the frame would be in my peripheral vision. Like Wil I went to the earliest matinee and was able to enjoy the film with a small number of people who seemed to actually want to concentrate on the film, imagine that.

For some reason I love movies that establish strict conventions for themselves and follow them slavishly, and yet, still tell a great story. When films break their own rules I feel cheated and Cloverfield was very faithful. I said I hate shaky cam. It doesn't make me ill but I dislike that in most movies it seems like an overused affectation to add energy. In Cloverfield it's integral, it is the movie. I also appreciated the lack of score, a trait shared by another favorite of mine, The China Syndrome.

[Keith L. Dick]

Sounds like a Movie I may pass on Wil, since some of the Camera work in Saving Private Ryan and a few other SciFi wanna-bees with the same gave me a instant headache...

Oh well...

hehehe

[edgore]

@ joemorf

You make an old man happy with your references to the finest film ever made that doesn't have a young princess on the lam on a scooter with a journalist. Obviously, you are a good boy. So, this Godzilla movie, is it good? Should I look forward to a Crunch Crumble Stomp mod I can play on my Apple II?

[bbock]

I saw the trailer for this movie in a theater with my boyfriend. He had his eyes covered. He gets sick with hand-held film or video on an HDTV. I wish they'd limit the use of this technique to a few minutes. I gathered from the trailer that this was as if it was shot on a camcorder. Couldn't they cheat it and have the user of the camera turn on the image stabilization? I refuse to see a movie that is so poorly made that the trailer makes people want to wretch.

[Matthew Cox]

Like Wil, I avoided all of the ARG stuff for Cloverfield, because I fell into the trap of reading everything I could before Blair Witch, and after a few months of "It's fake, but you're supposed to pretend it's real" stories, when it came movie time, I couldn't do it, and was disappointed in the flick.

Cloverfield totally blew me away...and 24+ hours later, I'm still thinking about it, a lot. It's really the story of Rob and Beth (and to a lesser extent, Jason and Lilly, and Hud and Marlena) but there just happens to be a living nightmare destroying everything around them, just out of the frame.

I was sitting in front of a row of douchebags, who at least settled down after the previews, and were stone dead silent like the rest of the theater when Rob got the call from his mom.

Where Blair Witch completely failed was that they spent the movie telling us how scary the boogeyman was, but never gave us a reason to care for the humans. In Cloverfield, you get invested heavily in the characters, while the monster establishes for itself just how frakking nightmarish it is - and it is...I was leaned back in the seat, nearly jumping out of the seat, raising arms and hands defensively, and I never ever do that at a movie.

Blair Witch was like 10 years ago, right? I couldn't tell you anything about the characters...but 10 years from now, I'll remember Rob, Beth, Jason, Lilly, Hud, Marlena...and IT!

I love that they didn't try to wedge in some backstory about the monster (until a little bit at the verrrrry end.) It would've ruined the movie. The story fit the device perfectly.

Unfortunately Wil, I think we've got a franchise on our hands, especially considering the staticky audio post-credits that, when reversed, clearly says "It's still alive"

[Easycure]

Wil, you sure are a handsome devil.

[Katie]

I loved this movie. I love the "shaky camera" kind of film that seems to be pretty common nowadays (LOVED Bourne, LOVED 28 Weeks Later), and I only noticed that I felt queasy after we were in the car, and I almost threw up. Of course, as a teenager, my reaction to my body's betrayal was "WICKED! That movie really WAS awesome!" I didn't cry, surprisingly. I just wanted to scream "WHY DID YOU LEAVE THE CROWBAR?!", and spent the remainder of the movie holding in a smoldering resentment for these hip cats who apparently have never played Half Life, and also HAVE NO BRAINS. Seriously. Come on now.

Wanna know what's better than Cloverfield? The Star Trek teaser. I was watching the welding, intrigued, ready to love this apparently new space movie, when I heard "Space: the final frontier", and lost all control. I slid down, out of my seat, and onto the floor. But before the sliding, there was a gasp of joy and a breathless "OH MY GOD!", and everyone near my was either amused or disgusted by my shameless knee-jerk fangirl reaction. Mostly disgusted. The adrenaline rush that trailer gave me was intensified by the movie, so maybe THAT'S why I almost threw up...either way, I'm awesome, just like that movie. And that trailer. <3

[Queco Jones]

The only thing I enjoyed about this movie was the teaser trailer for the new Trek movie. :(

[davelog]

I must be the only person on the planet that truly enjoyed Blair Witch - particularly because of the camera work. Because of it you were totally immersed in the movie - you only saw it from the perspective of one of the characters. I thought that was terribly slick.

I look forward to seeing Cloverfield for the same reason. BWP left me physically exhausted, as the perspective kept me white-knuckled through most of the movie. Hopefully this will be a similar experience.

[nurbles]

I just /tried/ to watch this movie. I really wanted to see it, and really liked the concept -- save one thing: my ticket should've come with a serious amount of Dramamine. I survived about 40 minutes before I was forced to leave the theater, and much of that was spent with my eyes closed or looking the other way. But, when I was certain I was going to lose my lunch very soon, I was forced to bail. That is the FIRST TIME I have EVER left a movie before the end. And as I said, I was getting into the story and really liked what I saw (except for the fact that it was way toosick-inducing). I've survived all of the roller coasters and poor motion capture rides (there are NO good ones, save Spider Man 3D) I've been on, either here in Florida and at Cedar Point, I can deal with being in a small boat (under 50') on the Atlantic Ocean for 18 hours without getting sick (even when other on the boat *are*), but Cloverfield was overpowering.

At a minimum, there should be a statement/warning in the advertising or at least at the theaters stating that the entire film is "shaky-cam" and may make some people sick. Heck, that might even sell MOER tickets, since more might challenge it than are discouraged...

I sure hope that JJ discovers steady-cams by Christmas 2008 or the new Trek movie will be an abomination! So far I've heard nothing to indicate that, but if Cloverfield is successful...

[ErkDude]

Saw some of it, before walking out with groups of other people. Highly disappointing. Groups walked out. Some asked for their money back, which the poor customer service gal provided after everyone declined return passes for a different day.

What a waste of a film. Go back to film school Jeffrey Jacob Abrams and stop wasting our time with this garbage.

[Miss Ali]

I still don't understand what the monster is, and that's all I really care about regarding this movie. Perhaps I will see it after all.

[Steph]

I saw it at midnight with my boyfriend and two of our friends (funny enough from a myspace contest thing). And we loved it. You hit the nail on the head with saying that it's not about the monster, it's about the people living through the worst day of their lives. I thought it was a great movie.
As for some unbelievable things, the running from Spring to 59th street definitely made my cut, even thogh there were breaks in the filming, that could not happen. Also, escaping from the Brooklyn Bridge after they went about halfway or more across it, running, while it's collapsing? There's no way they would have made it. Or even surviving that helicopter crash... heh But I do want that indestructible camera...

And for the 9/11 stuff, any movie involving the destruction of NYC will probably have those similar images. I mean... that's how buildings collapse. And my boyfriend who sadly lost his mom in 9/11 was able to get through the movie and not let that get to him because it was just that, a movie (though admittedly I was worried for his reaction.).

[Sharfa]

Can't wait to see it! JJ is a genius.

Wil - congrats on making Perez Hilton!

[John M]

Was there only one monster?
From the helicopter we saw a creature that had to be 300 feet tall. In the park, the creature that munched on Hud was only maybe 30 feet tall.

[Samurai Avon Lady]

I went into it figuring it would be this year's Snakes on a Plane - a really bad movie that makes no pretenses of being good, but is a lot of fun to watch (once) in a theater full of rowdy people.

I was quite surprised, then, to find out that it was really actually quite good! I did suffer from the motion sickness, but I would just close my eyes for a moment.

That itself actually allowed me to notice the sounds - there was the distinct lack of musical soundtrack, and the "ambient" sounds were such that I felt drawn into the scenes, even when I had to close my eyes to fend off nausea. (;

[vark]

Didn't see it, won't, monsters not my genre. So didn't see the trek teaser, but paramount spammed me with this link http://www.paramount.com/startrek
looks like an interesting cast.

[Vavu2001]

Quick question Wil,

Who are these "Bushies" of which you speak. Surely you can't be talking about members of the current administration, as they do not seem to care what anyone thinks.

I have also not seen much in the way of pro-Bush (or anti-Wil) sentiment here on the blog either. Perhaps you are getting email from people who shouldn't be allowed near a keyboard, but that stuff hasn't made its way to any place the rest of us can see.

[Heather]

This is the only movie I have ever gotten nauseated in. I was physically shaking from adrenaline afterwards. You feel like you're in the movie. It was an interesting experience, and it does stay with you.

[Mystral721]

I really enjoyed the movie this afternoon. I went to an early Sunday afternoon showing so it was mostly douchbag-free, but one thing was disquieting. A young mother was sitting next to me with her 4-year old daughter. I was amazed that she'd bring a child to this movie! These aren't images I'd have embedded in my own child's head; they're scary enough in my own!

I ended up moving to a different row, partly so I wouldn't see the little girl get terrified and partly because she was so bored during the party scene that she kept staring at me. That was more unnerving than the shaky cam!

[Melanie Fletcher]

I honestly want to see this, but I had to leave UNITED 93 in the first twenty minutes because I was about to throw up from motion sickness. From everything I've heard, CLOVERFIELD is even worse. I understand the reason for using the shakeycam, but unless I really, REALLY want to piss off the person sitting in front of me, I'll have to wait until it's on DVD so I can knit and listen to it.

[ALRO]

I saw it Saturday afternoon... I, like you, Wil went to the first showing of the day to avoid the IDIOTs that come out at night.

My advice to people who do go see it - bring in a bottle of water. It IS a dizzying movie, and i found that drink water settled my nausea.

That being said .. I LOVED THE MOVIE. My wife loved it until the end - she hated the ending... I, personally, loved it!!! They could not have ended it any other way.

You get such a sense of being there the whole time - the sound -- THE SOUND in this film is unbelievably good. When the protagonists are running from the creey-crawlers, and you hear them running behind you -- you're practically screaming for them to run faster...

The movies was a great, albeit dizzying ride...

[Hippielover459]

I read somewhere that if the director made a sequel, it would be the same movie, but told from a different persons point of view.
The movie at the begining was so slow, I almost fell asleep, but when the monster first started attacking, it was so SICK.
I personally enjoyed it. It was the first movie in a long time that made me feel scared after the movie. And the last movie that did that was Jaws when I was five. Haha.

[GhoulashMike]

Wil, great review. Not to be a leech, but now I can tell folks, "What did I think about 'Cloverfield'? Read this (link to you), expressed much better than I could have written."

Two by-the-ways, not meant as boasts but just for those keeping score from the comments:

1. The camera movement did not bother me. In fact, I munched on my bag of popcorn throughout. (This is NOT an iron-stomach boast; I get queasy at the silliest images in movies -- any vomit, mucous, clowns, etc. -- but the movement was no problem.)

2. The day after I saw the movie, I compared notes with a friend who lives/works in NY. He enjoyed it very much and had no problems with any geographic or logistical issues.

Thanks again for the great review.