Having been a fan of monster flicks for the past five
decades or so I thought by this time I have seen every variation on a theme
possible. Earlier this year a film came out that changed that point of view, ‘Cloverfield’.
This film may not be to everyone’s taste but it is one of the most innovative
monster movies to come along in decades. Over the years monster flicks have
shown the action through the eyes of the scientists striving to find a way to
defeat the creature at hand. The military frequently took center stage to
demonstrate to the American people that our armed forces where there to protect
us from any threat whether from across the sea or across the stars. In almost
every one of these films there is always a scene where a crowd is desperately
running from the monster. This point of view has been neglected for all these
long years; until now. ‘Cloverfield’ is filmed entirely from the point of view
of one of those panicking people fleeing for their very lives. This movie is one
of the scariest that has come around in many years. Audiences have become so
jaded with mediocre flicks that when one arrives that is truly different it is
bound to bring on some degree of controversy. Many people objected to the shaky
camera work while others, most likely expecting a formula monster epic, wanted
more back story. Like it or not this film is ground breaking and deserves your
consideration.
In most cases the producer of a film is behind the
scenes and not fully credited with the finished product. It would be criminal
not to recognize the producer here, J.J.Abrams. he started out his production
career with a bang working on films like ‘Regarding Henry’ and ‘Forever Young’.
His real claim to fame and source of his fame base has been on television where
he was the creative mind behind such hits as ‘Felicity’, ‘Alias’ and a little
show some out there may be aware of, ‘Lost’. ‘Cloverfield’ represents a
triumphant return to cinema which will be continued with his up coming
resurrection of the original Star Trek film. Abrams is the kind of producer who
enjoys thinking out of the box. It would appear that he looks at the norms of
the genre he is tackling and twists them to his own desires. The film was
written by Drew Goddard who is making his debut in feature films here. He has
worked with Abrams on both ‘Alias’ and ‘Lost’ so the man has considerable
experience in keeping the audience on the edge of their seats. His story here is
genius in its simplicity. A group of twenty-somethings are having a good bye
party for one of their little group when something monstrous attacks New York
City. Rather than lean on the plot devices of his predecessors Goddard
personalizes the story by only letting the audience know facts that are
available to the characters. This is taking the writing device of the first
person present tense to the movies. When you think about it for a minute those
hordes of Tokyo citizens running from Godzilla don’t know about the nuclear
tests that woke him from his slumber and at that particular moment couldn’t care
less. This is the foundation for this story and it works.
The film was directed by Matt Reeves. It should come
as no surprise that a good portion of his resume was as writer, director and
producer of the Abrams cut hit ‘Felicity’. Rather than using the standard camera
setups or even a hand held steady cam for his photography he uses cameras and
angles that emulate small digital video camera and cell phones. This brings the
genre into the new millennium; the age of immediacy in video. If something like
this did happen you can be sure that most of the video documentation would be
made by the people in danger. There was a time when upon hearing of a news
worthy even the news services would have to dispatch with great haste
photographers and camera crews. Now almost every citizen has a digital camera on
their person. This was the technology and social setting that this film requires
and it makes the best use out of it. Reeves is not shy about showing the monster
but the framework of the premise limits how much can be revealed. If something
is knocking down bridges and ripping the head off the Statue of Liberty and is
now chasing you the chances are you will not look back for a lengthy look.
Reeves allots the audience just enough time to get to know the characters. They
are people like we know; like ourselves. Much of the terror provided by this
film derives from the identification the audience has with the characters. There
should be a warning about the constantly jerky camera work. It will make even
the strongest stomachs queasy. If you suffer from bouts of motion sickness
either bring a bucket to watch it or avoid it altogether. The later would be a
shame since this film is so worthwhile.
The film starts with a sound of an old projector. On
the screen are warnings that what is recorded is the property of the Department
of Defense regarding the ‘Cloverfield’ incident and retrieved from the area
formerly known as Central Park. Someone holding a video camera is walking into a
room. It is upscale with a large window overlooking Central Park. Next there are
shots of a party starting up. Most of the recording is done by Hud (T. J.
Miller) who is throwing his best friend Rob Hawkins (Michael Stahl-David) a good
bye party. Rob is off to a new job in Japan and this is his last night in New
York. Rob’s girlfriend Beth (Odette Yustman) who is not sure a long distance
romance will work. Rob is upset because Beth brought another guy to his party.
As Hud is trying to console Rob on the fire escape they hear a noise followed by
the lights of the city going out and car alarms going off all over the place.
The go back to the party and the lights come back on but everybody is screaming.
Most are certain it is another terrorist attack on the city. Typical New Yorkers
then turn on the NY-1 local cable station. The reports are sketchy with talk of
an earthquake and a tanker capsizing near the Statue of Liberty. They all go to
the roof to take a look when missile fire starts to rain down setting buildings
on fire. The party guests take to the street in panic and are almost crushed
when the head of Miss Liberty lands a few feet away.
Beth is separated in all the confusion and Rob goes
off to find and rescue her. Hud tags along to help and manages to keep recording
most of their journey. The only time you seen the monster is from the viewpoint
of the camera, There are no shots external to the personal experience of the
characters. For those worried about the queasy cam display you can get into
pretty fast and accept it as what it is supposed to be; a first hand account of
a disaster of monumental proportions. The sense of immediacy is what gives this
film its unique edge, thrills and scares. You feel that you are in the middle of
the action. This is in many ways an experimental film and as such it is a
success. It is also certain that others will try to emulate this style but mist
likely will not have the creativity of the cast and crew here.
Paramount went all out promoting this film for its
theatrical release. There was a massive viral internet ad campaign, numerous
television teasers and a theatrical trailer first shown during the long awaited
‘Trtansformers’ movie. Now the DVD is released and the marketing continues. The
screener preview disc was sent in a large gray professional video tape box
marked as an ‘Official Government File’ and ‘Cloverfield incident’. The video is
grainy with uneven color by design. The audio is also much lower quality that we
are used to; again to emulate a video camera. There are plenty of extras to keep
you going long after the film is over.