About Me

My photo
I have a burning need to know stuff and I love asking awkward questions.

Monday, February 28, 2011

My Favourite Movies: Cloverfield



I don’t normally do hype. Whenever a film is basically advert bombed I avoid it – partially out of principle (I hate being manipulated) and partially out of the experience that hyped films are usually crap so need hyping.


I can’t exactly remember why I broke this rule to see Cloverfield (on my own I think) but I’m glad I did. Although for the first 10-15 minutes I thought it was going to be terrible. That was how long the opening bit lasted or seemed to last. Where the ‘Friends’ wanabees where saying goodbye to their friend going off to Japan for a new job and to escape from the love of his life. Of course, as you should know, all hell breaks loose from then on. Filmed on a handheld camera – a very sophisticated handheld camera complete with image intensification no less – one of the friends ‘records the moment’ when a giant alien creature rampages through the streets of New York with local National Guard units and other military units apparently helpless to stop it.


There are many things I liked about this movie. Not least of which was the way it got you to care about the people running around scared just trying to get through things. It’s definitely a post 9/11 film. Although it could have been made prior to the Twin Towers I doubt if it would have had the same visceral effect that it did – even on me sitting thousands of miles away from both incidents. The shaky camera and the incidents ‘stumbled upon’ by the excellent cast really brought you face to face with the storyline. After a mere 81 minutes in their company it was difficult not to start to care for them despite the fact that superficially they were not exactly nice people. They were actually your average yuppies, not sure about what they wanted or how to get it. They were 21st Century you and me. I think that was a huge selling point to me and what made the whole thing ‘real’. Like most good monster films we didn’t see all that much of the big guy – actually what little we did see of it was, in my opinion, too much – but the brief glimpses we got were suitably alien. I was impressed by the street battle the cast got caught up in. Of course I need to mention the sound track – or actually the rumbling base track to be more precise. Hiding in a subway station whilst battle raged above them was transmitted through the floor and through the seat of my pants by more base than I’d ever felt before. Again an important part of ‘making it real’. Of course we wanted to see the people we were following survive and get out of New York. Some were cut down, some seemed to escape and some might have survived (but probably didn’t). In some cases we just don’t know. That I do like in a movie – the brave ambiguous ending. While not exactly a great film this is a highly entertaining one, full of action, drama and a few surprises (actually shocks) thrown in for good measure. It’s a clever movie on several levels. It knows exactly what its doing and does it well. If you missed it because of the hype – like I almost did – take a deep breath and hire it. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

7 comments:

Sadie Lou said...

I really liked Cloverfield as well. I actually convinced my husband to see it with me in the theater despite critics. I loved the modernized take on the huge monster in the big city. I also thought the action sequences were super realistic. I loved the scenes in the subway tunnels. Good, old fashioned fun!
~S

Sleepypete said...

This is one of the few films that I nearly turned off early ...

A terrible, too drawn out start almost spoiled a passable sci-fi movie. Trouble is, I remember the start too much with the damage done there crippling the rest of the movie.

Not one I'll buy.

Thomas Fummo said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Thomas Fummo said...

CK, couldn't agree with you more. Certainly not the best movie ever, but certainly one of the most entertaining ones I can think of. The only character I felt any real sympathy for was Marlena, but maybe that's just because I fancied the socks off her :-P Sad to see her blow up like that.
I also love an ambiguous ending (John Carpenter's The Thing remains my all time favourite sci-fi/horror flick)

CyberKitten said...

Sadie said: I loved the scenes in the subway tunnels. Good, old fashioned fun!

Indeed.

Pete said: A terrible, too drawn out start almost spoiled a passable sci-fi movie.

I know what you mean. The first time I saw it I was definitely looking at my watch while the did the whole party scene. Only on my second viewing (knowing what was coming next) was it much more tolerable.

TF said: The only character I felt any real sympathy for was Marlena, but maybe that's just because I fancied the socks off her :-P

Oh definitely. Lizzy Caplan is very sexy - and the whole damsel in distress thing helps..... [grin]

TF said: I also love an ambiguous ending...

Me too. Partially because they're so rare.

Sadie Lou said...

"TF said: I also love an ambiguous ending...

Me too. Partially because they're so rare."


Oh yeah. Agreed.
BTW- word verification:
"menstr"

monster?

CyberKitten said...

I liked the end of Inception where the screen went black with the spinning top still spinning. I was saying under my breath "End it now, end it now" and it ended. Obviously the guy a few rows behind me had the same idea. When the screen went black as we had both hoped he actually shouted out "Yes!" [laughs]

An ambiguous is far more realistic that a happy ending - or actually *any* 'ending' as such. Things generally don't end cleanly. That's why most Hollywood endings feel so false - because they are.