Running Time: 85 minutes
*Writer's note: Cloverfield is an uncharacteristically secretive film. The viral marketing that preceded it as well as the secrecy that was deliberately used on everyone--including the actors--were designed so that you would go into this movie knowing nothing at all about it. I experienced the movie with minimal information and as such was able to feel as if new discoveries made by the characters were discoveries made by myself, which may have enhanced my experience. If you wish to get the absolute full effect of this film i encourage you not to read this review. If you wish to have a better idea of whether this is something you will enjoy and don't mind having some of the mystery taken away, feel free to continue. WARNING: THIS FILM MAY CAUSE MOTION SICKNESS.*
"I was in Japan a year ago with my son who is eight, and all he wanted to do was go to toy stores - so I know he's my son. And we went to the store and there were still all of these Godzillas, and I thought we need our own monster. We need a monster movie - not like King Kong. I love King Kong - King Kong is adorable - and Godzilla is a charming monster, but I wanted something that was just insane and intense." That is what J.J. Abrams said six months ago to explain the movie that has had audiences puzzled ever since trailers began to roll last summer. Most people have seen the frantic faces of the unfortunate party-going inhabitants of Cloverfield's Manhattan, the frenetic handling of a camcorder as the person (previously unidentified) sought to document the unfolding terror while avoiding soiling himself. And that's all they've seen.
Well, we've certainly got a monster now, and it's neither adorable nor charming. It has a penchant for ripping heads off of statues and chucking them into crowded streets. And that's before it gets nasty.
The film begins innocently enough: Rob Hawkins (Michael Stahl-David) is leaving for Japan (he's recently been promoted to vice presidentship) and his soon-to-be sister-in-law has arranged a surprise party for him. As part of his going away present, Lily (Jessica Lucas) asks her boyfriend Jason (Mike Vogel) to take a camcorder around to get testimonials from the guests à la une wedding. Lazy as ever, Jason hands the camera over to Hud (T.J. Miller), who is personally more interested in getting in the sack with Marlena (Lizzy Caplan).
Rob soon arrives and the party gets off to a good start. Since he's been charged with getting a testimonial from everyone Hud pesters Marlena (who claims to not know Rob enough to constitute leaving a farewell for him) to make one, a thinly disguised attempt to spend as much time as possible with a girl who is clearly uninterested. Soon after, Rob's best friend and (according to dialogue) roommate Beth (Odette Yustman) arrives with her new boyfriend Travis (Ben Feldman).
Apparently all these years of friendship with Beth have led Rob to fall in love with her, and his failure to confess this to her is exacerbated by her having a significant other right when he was ready to tell her. The two have an argument (resulting in Beth and Travis departing from the party) and Hud (filming it all) goes outside with Jason to try to console and/or coach Rob on how to deal with the situation. As they talk a huge tremor shakes the building, and they (with all the other partygoers) run to the roof to see if they can catch a glimpse of what caused the commotion. Suddenly a huge fireball erupts, terrifying the group and sending them running for the streets. They arrive just in time to see the (now iconic) severed head of Lady Liberty.
It's Jason that comes in with the clever idea here: "Let's get out of Manhattan."
So begins a havoc-wrought race against creature and chronos as Rob, Jason, Lily, and Marlena try to find Beth and get out of what quickly becomes Hell; all while Hud faithfully documents the unfolding events on the camcorder.
This is the part of the film that truly makes it unique and enjoyable. Cloverfield could have been a generic monster movie, with all the basic special effects and suspense-laden encounters with danger. Instead we see all these special effects and suspense from the perspective of a single person--rather, a single person's hand. Just as being attacked by a monster would cause a real person to drop his camera and/or forget he's supposed to be filming, Hud occasionally flails the camera too wildly to truly get in-focus. And while we might get quite angry at a friend or family member for making such a mistake, this helps convey a true sense of reality to the movie.
The film keeps a great pace throughout its (by modern standards) short duration (only about an hour and a half), but in that time there are a lot of heart-pounding moments. You WILL find yourself occasionally frightened and/or shocked at what is happening to those on-screen. Thankfully, Hud's remarks serve as comedic relief, meaning that time not spent saying to your neighbor "holy crap what was that" will be spent laughing out loud. This makes for a unique viewing experience in a theater, one that is much easier felt than described.
There is one hitch to the film, however, and that's content. The MPAA gave Cloverfield a "PG-13" rating, and admittedly the content is mostly tame. However, the language is noticeable: my younger brother used a pen to put a mark on his hand every time an s-word was used and when we got in the car i saw that his hand was covered in dashes. Also, there is a single scene in which the violence struck both of us as perhaps too intense for the rating the film received. This may be a concern for those with younger children, though it's true that they've probably seen worse already.
Overall, Abrams has pulled off pretty much exactly what he was going for. The use of no-name actors combined with the utter secrecy with which this film was enshrouded resulted in an outrageously effective viral campaign for what should be a quite enjoyable experience for moviegoers everywhere. Just make sure to watch through to the end of the credits.
Links:
~Cloverfield on IMDb
~Cloverfield trailer on Apple Trailers
~Cloverfield official site
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