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Cloverfield
(2008)
 
If you ever wondered what it would be like if some of the people
behind television's Lost decided to make a giant monster movie, then
here's your answer: it's one hell of a thrill ride. Producer J.J.
Abrams once again delivers the goods.
Jason (Mike Vogel) and his girlfriend Lili (Jessica Lucas) throw a
surprise going away party for Jason's brother Rob (Michael
Stahl-David), who's also in the middle of a romantic crisis with Beth
(Odette Yustman). Jason gives a video camera to Rob's best friend Hud
(T. J. Miller) and tells him to gather video testimonials at the
party. Suddenly a power outage occurs and an explosion is heard in
the distance, and the party guests are thrust into the chaos of a city
under siege from an unknown but very large source.
Director Matt Reeves (who created television's Felicity in
collaboration with Abrams) uses a narrative device borrowed from The
Blair Witch Project to tell the story, but it works even better here
because of the ubiquitous YouTube videos that we're all so familiar
with by now. It makes it feel that much more immediate by framing the
story as a pseudo-documentary told entirely through the lens of a
video camera wielded by a character, capturing the chaos and horror in
real time. The screenplay by Drew Goddard (a former staff writer on
Buffy the Vampire Slayer and a current writer/producer for Lost)
doesn't break any new ground and character development is sketchy, but
it's clever and entertaining, which is what we really want from this
kind of film.
Cinematographer Michael Bonvillain (Lost) uses practical lighting
to convey a heightened sense of reality, shooting with a high definition camera to avoid a typical film look. One word of
warning: if you dislike Shaky Cam, you probably won't enjoy this.
Most of the music is diagetic, but the end title theme by Michael
Giacchino (Lost, Mission: Impossible III) beautifully recalls the
music of science fiction films of the 1950s and even Alexander
Courage's original Star Trek theme. The visual effects by Double
Negative and the Tippett Studio are outstanding, and they provide the
film with an awe-inspiring creature that's as scary as giant monsters
come. It all looks so real.
While there are no great performances here, the cast is entirely
convincing that they're living through a series of terrible events.
Miller's character holds the camera for most of the film, but he makes
the somewhat dim-witted Hud a likeable and human recorder of events.
Stahl-David, Lucas, Yustman, and Vogel are effective in their roles,
along with Lizzy Caplan as a party guest Hud has a crush on.
Cloverfield has had months of hype leading up to its release. It
more than lives up to it. Giant monster fans, this one is for you!
-Danielle
Ní Dhighe
Other
Thoughts: Mark Moreland
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All contents ©
2004-2009 Thoughtsonfilm.com |
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Director:
Matt
Reeves
Writer: Drew
Goddard
Starring: Lizzy Caplan, Jessica Lucas, T.J. Miller, Michael Stahl-David, Mike Vogel, Odette Yustman
Distributor: Paramount
Pictures
Runtime: 90
min
Rating: PG-13
Release Date: January
18, 2008
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