I went to see "Cloverfield" today. And it's not your Daddy's "Godzilla" that's for sure. Well not, at least, until the closing credits. What could have been a blase, run of the mill giant monster story, turns out to be an exciting & scary "in the moment" action flick. And there's a touch of humor & love thrown in to make it connect with the audience.
I avoided spoilers and reviews prior to seeing the movie, and that helped a lot. I had no pre-conceptions of what was going to happen and was therefore genuinely surprised and thrilled by the ensuing carnage and not-quite-nausea inducing footage.
Using all hand held "camcorder" footage adds to the paranoia and realism of the story. Watching from the perspective of someone caught up in the unfolding terror makes for a much more intimate viewing experience. Like the characters in the story we, the audience, don't know what the heck is going on. Quick glimpses of NYC being pummeled, flashes of something rampaging through midtown, and dirt and dust filled scenes keep the viewer just off balance enough to keep you nervous, engaged and curious. I don't know what it is about wrecking New York City that so fascinates us, but it works it's movie magic here again.
You can't escape the flesh crawl eeriness of 9/11-like destruction and fear. Nor can you escape the homage to "Godzilla", "Beast from 20,000 Fathoms", and many other classic monster movies. And I think that's why it succeeds where most fail, It takes the familiar and spins it. Giving you what you might have been expecting, but in an unexpected way.
"Cloverfield" was produced by "LOST"s J.J. Abrams and directed by "Felicity" alum Matt Reeves. And while I missed Greg Grunberg ("Star Trek" maybe?), I did get my daily dose of Michael Giacchino.
I give it a solid B+
While I haven't yet had the opportunity to see it, it's been on the plate since I saw the trailer at the front of Transformers. "Awesome," I thought. "A new extraterrestrial invasion flick." I admit I'm a sucker for viral marketing, anything that really pushes you far past 'anticipatory glee' and into the realms of 'deeply obsessed'.
ReplyDeleteI hear some fairly brilliant things about Cloverfield, including the cinematography that leaves you reminiscent of good old Blair Witch, and I'm deeply heartened that just like BWP, you never learn the truth. Suspension of disbelief is the most important thing in films that focus on the supernatural and unknown.
That's really what ruined Signs for me.
I saw it the day it came out and really enjoyed it for me it just did it for me...many people were disappointed with it but i thoroughly enjoyed it...sorry I have not been keeping up on the email sending but this blog looks like it will be a lot of fun and ill keep coming back to this site for sure...I saw the Darjeeling Limited which was great not Wes Anderson's funniest and I do not think he was going for that...I need to see No Country and There Will Be Blood...
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