Yesterday I caught a matinee showing of the new movie “Cloverfield” at my local movie theatre. I will be discussing some plot points, but I will avoid any spoilers where possible. Cloverfield, from J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves, is a new take on an old genre - the Monster Movie.
Cloverfield is told from the point of view of someone with a handheld camera taking movies mostly by accident as they become a part of events that will have a larger impact. This plot device necessitates the movie being short and fast paced. Cloverfield comes in at 84 minutes, which is really perfect for this movie. Any longer would have been dragging it out really. The movie does move fast though, and you need to pay attention and avoid distractions.
A big point of this movie is people being caught in huge events, and taking was is in essence a “home video” of the events. The movie avoids a common dilemma of these kinds of movies. How do you get the main characters into the situations that advance the overall plot without it feeling contrived? Titanic suffered from this problem I think. At times, I thought the plot was doing serious gymnastics in Titanic to address this. In Cloverfield the story works well in drawing the characters into the events.
What would a monster movie be without the monster though? We get a great monster here, it is big, mean, and tough as hell. A nice bit here is the use of mystery. I won’t go into full details, but the suspense surrounding the monster is maintained throughout the film in grand style. Matt Reeves and J.J. Abrams did not disappoint here. I have to say the monster is unlike any I’ve seen before.
The rest of the cast was well chosen. The acting was well done, and believable. You can feel the characters emotions coming through. And their reactions fit well within the movie. No one here steals the show I think, but the ensemble works very well. Their story is well told, and you do begin to feel for them. I think that a big part of this movie is about them in an unexpected way.
I liked this movie, out of five stars I give it four. The sound is astounding here; it really puts you in the movie. The characters are well done, and the story is solid. I’ve read some news stories about people getting vertigo due to jerky camera moments, but I did not experience this. At times the camera work did piss me off slightly, but it did fit with the premise. I do expect a number B movie rip offs soon. A final note, this is not a kid or family movie. PG-13 rating aside, this is really for adults.
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Just saw this one and I liked it. Good popcorn movie and I am always up for monsters attacking my hometown. Classic!