Cloverfield Review
by Homer Yen (homer_yen AT yahoo DOT com)January 31st, 2008
¡°Cloverfield¡± ¨C Shakes ¡(r)n¡¯ Bakes
by Homer Yen
(c) 2008
Some films are rated G or PG or R. This one
needs to be rated SITB. That stands for ¡°Sit in
the Back¡±. As good as it is and as fun as it
is to watch, I felt dizzy for some time
afterward. Even though the film is less than 90
minutes, at some point you have to wonder how
long you can take the effective-but-aggravating
cinematography. This is not to deter you from
watching the film. It is actually quite good.
It¡¯s suspenseful at times, tense at others, and
always watchable. Just be forewarned that during
the first weekend of its release, many theaters
posted signs warning guests that the hand-held
camera movements may cause motion sickness. Like
at an amusement park, there should be someone out
front with a yardstick with the sign ¡°you must
be at least this tall to ride¡±.
New York City seems to be the target for all
manner of monster. There was Godzilla. There
was Osama. And, now ¡°Cloverfield¡± features a
30-foot behemoth of a creature. There is only
one scene where the audience actually gets a
close-up look at it. No matter¡its presence on
screen is far more menacing when it is not shown
in full view, hidden behind the upward-thrusting
skyscrapers of the Big Apple. But the screaming
New Yorkers, the pursuing military vehicles, and
the head of the Statue of Liberty that winds up
tossed onto a main thoroughfare creates an
atmosphere of pandemonium.
The film is populated by various good-looking
20-somethings who try to survive the attack. For
all of them, the evening started nicely enough.
They are all at an Upper East Side party. The
main characters include: Rob (Michael
Stahl-David) who has just landed a great job in
Japan; Beth (Odette Yustman) who becomes the
damsel-in-distress; Hud (T.J. Miller) who starts
off as the videographer of the party but then
documents their dogged attempt to flee the city;
Lily (Jessica Lucas) who hosted the party but is
basically an extra party member; and Marlena
(Lizzy Caplan) who stopped at the party on her
way somewhere else but now wishes that she had
just gone straight there. None of the main
characters are A-list actors, although most have
had minor supporting roles on various television
shows. They all perform their roles nicely, the
banter is droll, and this will be a nice notch on
all of their resumes.
I was impressed with the love-it-or-hate-it way
in which the film was shot. Every second that we
watch the movie is like watching a frantic
homemade video. Hud says leeringly, ¡°people are
gonna want to know... how it all went down.¡±
Only this hand-held camera angle is used. The
creativity of how they documented the evolving
catastrophe is terrific. The parts where
they¡¯re running for their lives as the camera
shakes violently may make you feel queasy. In
one frightening sequence, they walk down a dark
subway tunnel. The group hears an ominous
clicking noise. Marlena: ¡°What was that?¡± Hud
turns on the narrow beam flashlight and sees
nothing. Then he tries the infrared setting¡
At some point, we see so many monster/alien films
that you want to look for something different.
For me, I was wondering where did they get this
awesome camera and battery pack? It gets
dropped, slammed, and even eaten. Then, it
becomes engulfed by a military strike. But, it
manages to survive. I see from the IMDB website
that the camera is actually a Panasonic HVX200.
According to the Panasonic website, this
particular camera model has a US price tag of
$5,995! Boy, it¡¯s good to be a well-to-do,
good-looking 20-something. That is unless, of
course, you live in New York when monsters
attack.
Grade: B
S: 0 out of 3
L: 2 out of 3
V: 3 out of 3
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