The worst going away party EVER!
Written: Jan 18 '08
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Product Rating:
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Pros: A tense, well-done monster mash with dazzling CG and a likable cast.
Cons: I still can't afford a camcorder
The Bottom Line: Shell out the cash, CLOVERFIELD is worth it! One of the best monster flicks I've seen ever.
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| hbala's Full Review: Untitled J.J. Abrams Project |
Son of a - ! Pal, you have got to see this one! This is a bonafide summer extravaganza masquerading as a wintertime release. And, yes, it's eardrum-shattering loud and special effects heavy, but, amazingly, CLOVERFIELD also has heart. At a frenetic hour and a half, this film of survival in the face of the unthinkable doesn't have time to get mired in big-budgetism or blockbuster-itis. So what we get instead is a taut and compelling pseudo-documentary style monster movie. Kind of. That's actually the backdrop. The film actually is more a focused story on a group of young people attempting to live thru a cataclysmic and unfathomable event. And that's the key right there. CLOVERFIELD doesn't forget about the people, makes you pull for them to come thru okay, makes you all caught up in the throat when they don't. Least it did me.
The film opens innocently enough as a group of young Manhattanites throw a farewell party for their friend, who's spending his last night in New York before he jets out to Japan for his new gig. The next 15 minutes or so clue us in with relevant scenes as we get to know the main characters and what's important to them. But, soon enough, news on television begin to cover an oil tanker just capsized in the New York harbor, and that's the start of it. Then comes the tremor, followed by a power outage. If you've caught the trailer, then you've seen folks scampering out to the roof, then pouring out into the streets, where the crap truly hits the fan.
"People are gonna wanna know how it all went down," declares the goofy would-be documentator as he holds fast to his buddy's camcorder and records the next several harrowing hours. It is thru this camcorder that we see this movie, treating us to a ground's eye view of the mounting panic and confusion and noise and fear and just the utter destruction left in the wake of the rampaging whatever-it-is. Because of the camcorder device, raw and shaky and frenetic, and utilized amateurishly enough to be realistic, there's an element of credibility which curtails the cheese factor of a typical monster movie. There's certainly a sense of immediacy here, and a decided impact felt. Bridges collapse, buildings topple, the head of the Statue of Liberty caroms off the side of an edifice, hurtling onto a crowded street. The military do their best, but don't fare too well. And there are other worrisome things out there to fret about, as evidenced by a frightening sequence in the subway tunnels. Reduced to witnessing events at a street level vantage point, pressed in squarely with the frantic victims and onlookers, a palpable feeling of helplessness and insignificance sinks in.
CLOVERFIELD is a disaster movie as experienced thru the eyes of a young group of friends, never mind that the disaster is an unnatural one. No over-the-top heroics here by the cast, no vanquishing the behemoth or saving the city. Situations like this, the things that matter are quickly become well-defined. These Manhattanites are no world savers. They're mere mortals, concerned with personal survival and the survival of their loved ones. The brunt of the plot involves one character who means to brave the warzone to rescue a trapped loved one. His friends are loyal enough to accompany him. And because the movie takes the time to establish its cast, we're right there with them.
Several SPOILERS follow.
Exceptional CG work, of course, with most of the pretend stuff focusing on the wrack and ruin of Manhattan. And how does the monster look? Well, for most of CLOVERFIELD, there are only fleeting peeks at the raging monster, a tail here, a few limbs there, then a blurry shot of what might be the monster's head. Not until almost near the film's end do we get a close-up look of the big honking creature. This is all good, as, personally, the film-long tease ratcheted the suspense way up. I also liked that there wasn't an explanation provided for the monster, what it is, where it came from, all that. And when the closing credits roll around, we're left in the dark regarding the big picture. Was the monster ever vanquished? We know parts of New York are thoroughly devastated, as indicated by the film's introductory on-screen text. But I like that I might never find out. Meanwhile, now and then, we glimpse cutaway sequences of a happier time in the lead character's life (recorded on the same tape in the camcorder). These provide brief and bittersweet counterpoints to all the terror and is a reminder that, despite the f/x and the cool concept and the awesome featured creature, it's the moments of humanity in the film which keeps us invested, and sometimes on a visceral level. Go see this one.
And if you end up enjoying CLOVERFIELD, you might also want to give THE HOST a go.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
hbala
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Reviews written: 46
Trusted by: 1 member
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