Editorial Review:Description:Five young New Yorkers throw their friend a going-away party the night that a monster the size of a skyscraper descends upon the city. Told from the point of view of their video camera, the film is a document of their attempt to survive the most surreal, horrifying event of their lives
Amazon.com:One of the first things a viewer notices about
Cloverfield is that it doesn't play by ordinary storytelling rules, making this intriguing horror film as much a novelty as an event. Told from the vertiginous point-of-view of a camcorder-wielding group of friends,
Cloverfield begins like a primetime television soap opera about young Manhattanites coping with changes in their personal lives. Rob (Michael Stahl-David) is leaving New York to take an executive job at a company in Japan. At his goodbye party in a crowded loft, Rob’s brother Jason (Mike Vogel) hands a camcorder to best friend Hud (T.J. Miller), who proceeds to tape the proceedings over old footage of Rob’s ex-girlfriend, Beth (Odette Yustman)--images shot during happy times in that now-defunct relationship. Naturally, Beth shows up at the party with a new beau, bumming Rob out completely. Just before one's eyes glaze over from all this heartbreaking stuff (captured by Hud, who's something of a doofus, in laughably shaky camerawork), the unexpected happens: New York is suddenly under attack from a Godzilla-like monster stomping through midtown and destroying everything and everybody in sight. Rob and company hit the streets, but rather than run with other evacuees, they head toward the center of the storm so that Rob can rescue an injured Beth. There are casualties along the way, but the journey into fear is fascinating and immediate if emotionally remote--a consequence of seeing these proceedings through the singular, subjective perspective of a camcorder and of a story that intentionally leaves major questions unanswered: Who or what is this monster? Where did it come from? The lack of a backstory, and spare views of the marauding creature, are clever ways by producer J.J. Abrams and director Matt Reeves to keep an audience focused exclusively on what’s on the screen. But it also makes
Cloverfield curiously uninvolving. Ultimately,
Cloverfield, with its spectacular effects brilliantly woven into a home-video look, is a celebration of infinite possibilities in this age of accessible, digital media.
--Tom Keogh
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
-
Okay Movie Filmed In a Creative Way (B- Grade)
Cloverfield is a tragic love story. It begins with two lovers together and ends the same way. The first part of the plot is about giant alien destroying a city, but the subplot is about our hero trying to get to his heroine and save her.
The movie starts with our hero, Rob waking up after spending a night with his friend Beth. Rob and Beth were friends but they finally have become lovers. The day is beautiful and these two are so happy. They even spend the day together at Coney Island. Fast forward to a month later. Rob has found a job in Japan and will be leaving to go work there. His brother Jason and his girlfriend Lily are throwing a goodbye party for Rob. Originally Jason was supposed to videotape the event, but he gives that responsibility to Jason's best friend Hud. Hud in turn has a bad crush on Lily's friend Marlena. Rob is surprised and a bit sad because this will be his last night in NYC and with that he must leave Beth behind. Something has happened in the past month because Rob and Beth are not talking. She comes to the party, they fight and she leaves.
And this is where the story really begins. The alien monster comes along and begins to destroy everything in its path. Rob, Jason, Lily, Marlena and Hud all try to run and find safety in Brooklyn. They are almost home free when Rob gets a call from Beth. She is hurt, scared and maybe dying. Rob has a decision to make, either continue with his friends to freedom or go into the alien war zone and save the love of his life.
Rob quickly decides he must go back and find Beth, regardless of the fact that he may die or that Beth could already be dead. Now I was thinking what is wrong with this guy?? In the immortal words of Monty Python- "RUN AWAY!!" But the simple fact is, what if it was your true love or if you were a parent and your child called you asking for help? Rob makes the decision and heads to Beth. Because Rob goes, Lily follows and because Marlena is good friends with Lily, she goes also and then there is Hud who because he is such good friends with Rob, will also come along and help his friend. (As for Jason, well Jason doesn't come). These four are now warriors going into a war zone where they may not come out alive. And this is where I realized the underlying story of this sci-fi movie is in essence a love story.
We have a love story between Rob and Beth. We have a true love and friendship with Rob and his friend Hud and of course Lily who is good friends with Marlena. But this is a tragic love story so you probably can guess that some of these people won't survive. But what I can tell you is that our two lovers, Rob and Beth are reunited and end up together much like they way they were at the beginning of the movie. As they declare their love (which they never have said) for each others there is a possibility they may not survive.
This is the type of love that we read in our romances, where the hero will die trying to get to his one true love and save her. And when the hero and heroine believe they maybe separated forever, that is when all feelings come to the surface and they passionately say "I love you". And honestly, that has to be the perfect way to go.
Cloverfield, a love story? Who would have thought it?
Katiebabs
Rating: 
-
Cloverfield
* When previews for this movie first came out, I was confused...it did not have a name. For a while, it was thought that the date it came out was the actual name of the movie. I was intrigued by the cover, and the way they kept you guessing about what the monster of the movie really was. This movie is filled with suspense and a little bit of blood and gore. I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone who is a Sherlock Holmes/thriller movie lover. ...
Rating: -
The Monster is Huge...but the Movie Could Have Been Bigger
PG-13, Run 85 minutes
The story revolves around a small group of ordinary people in the middle of a catastrophic event in the heart of Manhattan. The creature is the equivalent of Godzilla in our own turf. One annoying part of this movie is that there is no explanation where the creature come from. It rampages the whole city, wreaking havoc to everything on its path. The military were using tanks and even stealth bombers to try to stop it. It was a question how the creature can be stop and what would happen to our heroes. The movie ended with the same questions.
The idea for the camera work was supposed to be done by an amateur with a hand held camera to make it more believable, sort of like the "Blair Witch Project". Unfortunately, it was a little bit overdone to the point that it was uncomfortably dizzying. No big names here but acting was pretty decent.
Rating: 
-
Ditto - One of the Worst Movies I've Ever Seen
* Should be negative stars. Can't believe I actually watched this whole movie. The characters were stupid, annoying and unbelievable. I found myself rooting for the monster. Not worth the time and definitely not worth the money. ...
Rating: -
good
all in all not a bad film of its kind , i always find this kind of film (blair witch ,rec, etc) a little off putting but have to admit i enjoyed this.
