After all of the hype, marketing and buzz following the announcement of a new project by the creator of "Lost" and "Alias," J.J. Abram's new film "Cloverfield" has finally crept its way into a theater near you.
"Cloverfield" is a new-generation monster movie starring a few fairly unknown actors including Michael Stahl-David, Odette Yustman and Jessica Lucas. The film follows a group of young New Yorkers as a monster attacks the city.
One of the more interesting aspects of the film is the way it is shot: through a hand-held HD camcorder. This home-video feel makes for some creepy looking bloodshed, much like in "The Blair Witch Project" (1999), but also makes the plot choppy and the motion hard to follow.
As "Cloverfield" opens, we find that a tape has been seized by the U.S. government, and it contains footage of a case designated "Cloverfield" because it was found in the area US-447, formerly known as Central Park. Next, the audience is introduced to Beth (played by Yustman) and Rob (Stahl-David), as Rob videotapes the morning after spending a little "quality time" with Beth the night before.
This side story is interrupted as we find that Rob's brother Jason (Mike Vogel) and his girlfriend Lily (Lucas) used the same tape to record Rob's going away party a week later.
Throughout the movie, the remains of the material that was erased pop up as the camera is stopped or rewound. As the party progresses, a loud noise is heard and the building shakes. As the people in the buildings empty out onto the streets, tall buildings collapse, and the face of the Statue of Liberty is thrown to the streets.
What ensues is massive destruction of New York City, while its inhabitants struggle either to escape or simply to survive.
Revealing any more about the plot would be a spoiler and an injustice to the film. The cast, crew and production company tried their hardest to create the biggest viral marketing campaign by releasing very little amounts of plot information to the public. Teaser trailers, Web sites related to the movie, and alternate-reality-based games - like those created for "The Dark Knight" (2008) - all helped to raise plot speculation and media buzz surrounding the film.
Even the cast was left in the dark at first. In a conference call with the Daily, Lucas said, "We didn't get a finalized script until really close to shooting, and then we finally knew it was a monster movie."
As a whole, the movie is entirely gripping. The intermittent scenes of Beth and Rob having a wonderful time, mingled with the scenes of terror, sadness and distraction are chilling. The film does have a few problems, but often they add to its chaotic feel. Since the film is shot from a first-person perspective, it shakes and moves quickly. This has posed a problem for some people who experience motion sickness, and those who can't take all of the shaking may be forced to look down at the floor for most of the movie. It also brings up a pressing question - who wants to watch a movie where half of the frames cannot be seen?
The unconventional style also posed a challenge to the actors. Stahl-David told the Daily, "In first reading the script [I thought], 'Oh whoa how are we going to kind of pull this off?' And we were able to improvise a lot ... and when I saw the style that we were shooting when the trailer came out, I thought, 'Okay, wow this is really different."
At 84 minutes, "Cloverfield" is shorter than most feature-length films. This works well for the story; nothing seems too drawn-out or over-emphasized. The PG-13 rating of the film may also turn certain filmgoers off, yet the lack of graphic violence in the movie is intentional. The mere suggestion of the violence happening off-screen is cringe-worthy.
This movie is for anyone who has followed the hype and back story on the Internet, loves monster movies, or enjoyed the Blair-Witch style of filmmaking. Those who get motion sickness, are easily scared, or are fans of traditional Godzilla-style flicks might want to go see something else next weekend.
