Cloverfield - Paramount

Cloverfield Rocks

For a movie that was supposed to be seen once, the blu-ray was great, picture sound and every thing, I have to admit being able to go back and catch the things i missed in the theater was great! The extras provide more insight to the story. I would definitely recommend this to others of the big monster genre!

A Jaded Young-Man

Seemingly I must apologize for liking this movie. Everyone I went to see it with got sick, hated the camera work and etc. I, however, did not get sick. I was on the edge of my seat for this film. The helicopter crash has to be one of the most invigoratingly exciting things to watch in a theatre, it made me feel like my young life was soon coming to an abrupt end. Being a film student myself, I oft enjoy the guerrilla style of film making and am impressed when it is done well. This movie does it well, without once destroying the fragile world in which it is created. Not only does it excite the viewer, it makes one laugh. And purposefully. Pick it up on DVD, you won't get sick as it isn't in the huge ratio that it was in theatres.

Intriguing concept -- almost works

The idea behind the film is clever, even if it is a bit obvious -- to the point where it's surprising nobody has done anything quite like it, or at least nothing on a similar scale. Somebody thought, let's make a monster mayhem flick but instead of a blockbuster make it an indie, shot amateur style: Godzilla meets the Blair Witch. That allows them to economize on the special effects, using sparing effects that would work on tv but not on the big screen -- but when shot on a consumer video camera by a guy who can barely keep it aimed long enough to get a clear picture who can tell the difference?

As far as that premise goes, the film kind of works. It keeps you on the edge of your couch, it moves at a fast pace with a healthy balance between emotional drama and massive monster mayhem.

The shoddy camera work does detract from the experience of watching it. I wish the filmmakers had come up with some reason to put the camera in the hands of a slightly more competent videographer. I understand that without hand held camera work this would be a different film -- and probably not novel enough to fly -- but I wish that they'd gone more in the direction of independent film handheld work (as in, say, the Dogme 95 films of Lars von Trier or Thomas Vinterberg or Harmony Korine) rather than the direction of "totally clueless guy who for some reason never lets go of the camera but doesn't make much of an effort to point it in coherent ways."

The emotional drama of the film centers around a bunch of good looking 20 somethings who have all gathered to say farewell to a buddy who is going to Japan. It turns out he just slept with his gorgeous best friend and then, because he didn't know how to deal with their relationship before he left, decided not to call her again, but is extremely upset when she shows up to his party on the arm of another guy. His need to rush into extreme danger to save her didn't have the emotional pull for me that, say, the much better Korean monster flick The Host delivered in a family that pulls together to save their missing child. The problem here is that there isn't enough to show that the characters we are supposed to be rooting for are really all that likeable.

In spite of all this, I had a good time watching the film. I do think that the "do it yourself" aesthetic of this film is intriguing and reveals a lot of possibilities that this film didn't exhaust. Worth a watch -- by no means a classic.

either love it or hate it

I'm definitely in agreement with most of the previous reviewers. You will either love or hate this movie. There won't be much middle ground. (ex. I loved it, and my wife hated it) Something you SHOULD know before watching this movie, is that it is shot entirely from a handheld video camera. Entirely. That means there is alot of moving and shaking and bouncing all around. (think Blair Witch Project, but in NYC) I personally liked the personal frame of reference. I guess it just made it feel more real, and me feel less detached from it. The dialogue in some of the scenes didn't quite fit. Characters cracking jokes at times, and in situations, where they obviously wouldn't. There is no bow on this one tying everything together folks. The end is just the end. There's no twist, and there are no explanations. It's pretty simply. Monster attacks New York, and people run for their lives.

pathetic

i bought this on the strength of the reviews written on the cover, I think it is the worst "movie" that I have the displeasure of viewing, I will sue the writters of the good write ups if I can