The hype doesn't even come close to the reality...
Written: Jan 20 '08 (Updated Jan 20 '08)
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Product Rating:
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| Bang For The Buck |
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Pros: Fantastically realized terrifying scenario captured on "home video".
Cons: Horrifyingly realistic depiction of destruction in Manhattan likely to be too much for some
The Bottom Line: JJ Abrams delivers on the hype and more. This is a must see movie.
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| bob_tomato's Full Review: Cloverfield |
It's very rare for the hype that precedes a movie to be eclipsed by the actual film once released.
JJ Abrams' Cloverfield is one of those rare movies.
For me, the hype began with my first viewing of the completely enigmatic trailer that preceded Transformers last summer. When my son and I left the theater that night, we completely ignored the robotic mayhem we'd just witnessed and instead spent the next hour enthusing over the two minute teaser for a film that, at that point, wasn't even named. All we knew was that we wanted to see "that movie with the party and the explosion in New York City", and last night, every imagination, every fantastic conjecture, and all our expectations were exceeded.
Cloverfield is simply a marvelous film.
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If you're a typical movie-going film fan, then it's very probable that you've already seen the original trailer for the movie, as well as some of the teasers that have come out in the intervening months. You probably already know the premise of the film - a young Manhattan man has landed a vice-president job in Japan, and a video camera is present at his surprise going-away party to capture farewell and good luck messages from his friends. But when a massive explosion rocks the south end of the island, the camera becomes witness first to scenes of shock and disbelief, then turning quickly to horror and fear when the entire city is threatened by...something.
And here's the beauty of this film - and the one thing that might keep some from seeing it: it's all so very, very realistic.
This is a post 9/11 Manhattan. The World Trade Center towers are not in the skyline, and the explosion that rocks the island is right in line with the WTC site. The partygoers react to the sight of the explosion with the same horrified screams elicited by the sight of the second plane erupting in a fireball in the south WTC tower. For anyone who saw that terrifying reality unfold on live television, Cloverfield taps into that memory and creates a new frightening potential for fear - in a world of 24/7 media coverage, where video cameras are common and our society is jaded into thinking they've seen it all - what happens when a massive horror erupts from the Hudson River to menace New York City?
What if you were there? What if you captured your own experiences on camera? All the jerky movement, all the uncomfortable dialog, all the messiness of raw footage - all of it is there, and it's real. So very, very real. All that is needed is the simple suspension of disbelief for the premise of the terror that comes to Manhattan - but in this hyper-realistic format, ignoring your disbelief is easy. Cloverfield will have you convinced right away; this MUST be real...right? And that is where the fear begins...
At first, all we know is (and this line was endlessly discussed in blogs and forums during the months leading up to the release of the movie) "I saw it! It's alive! It's huge!" Oh boy. There's an understatement. I won't spoil anything for you, but the film-makers got this one just right. The menace always seems to be just around the corner - it's rarely glimpsed, but never forgotten, and claustrophobically inescapable. The tension is real, heart-poundingly real.
Don't go that way, you think. Even as you sympathize with the motivations of the movie's main characters (wonderfully well-developed in the extensive party scenes), you want to shake them, re-direct them, turn them from the way they want to go. No! Don't go in there - every bit of you wants to run away, but the realization begins to hit you: go where? How will you get off the island? And even if you thought you could, could you really leave that easily?
Following these friends around Manhattan, you begin to become part of their group. These are people that you want to be with, these are people that you've come to care about - this film would be so much less effective if the party scene hadn't run it's length or offered so much detailed information on the characters - and these are people that you are caught up with, for better or, as seems more likely, for worse. Much, much worse.
I'm sparing you details, because to offer them to you would probably ruin the film for you. The flight from terror happens during the early morning hours after the party obviously breaks up, and remains confined to the sections of the city between lower Manhattan and Central Park. The familiar streets, buildings and subways become a dark labyrinth from which there may be no escape; the tension mounts as you turn every corner, never knowing when you might suddenly be faced with your worst fears.
Cloverfield is more than a movie - it is a unique experience, and a creepy, horrifying one at that. It doesn't rely on gore to gross you out, it doesn't overdo the horror cliches, though there are a few to be found. What makes Cloverfield work so well is that it is so convincingly real. This film fits exactly what one might imagine for such a scenario.
Cloverfield has intrigued me since I first learned of it several months ago. And now, even after having seen the film, I find myself even more fascinated, asking more questions, wanting to know more about this all-too-real event seemingly documented on home video.
The hype doesn't even come close. Go see Cloverfield and experience the terrifying reality for yourself.
Recommended:
Yes
Movie Mood: Scary Movie
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bob_tomato
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