Cloverfield Review

J.J. Abrams latest cinematic endeavor resulted in the visceral Cloverfield. The film is about five young professionals in Manhattan throwing a going away party. However, the angst and excitement of the evening are soon interrupted when a massive creature descends upon New York, destroying everything in its path.

Many have called Cloverfield “The Blair Witch that Ate Manhattan.” While that is funny, it does not do the movie justice. Cloverfield is much more than a monster movie shot in the camcorder way that The Blair Witch Project was constructed.

Drew Goodard’s script is actually a mish-mash of genres. When Abrams pitched the idea of Cloverfield to Paramount he described it as, “A Cameron Crow movie meets The Blair Witch Project meets Godzilla.” This is definitively more apt than “The Blair Witch that Ate Manhattan,” and it should not turn moviegoers away.

Matt Reeves’ visual style taps into people’s post-9/11 fears as landmarks are destroyed, the United States Marines canvas the street detaining people, and dust envelops people trying to run away from the chaos. Is this a shameless ploy on Reeves and Abrams’ behalf? I would say that it is not as they try to recreate in the most visceral of ways what a monster attack on New York would be like.

The acting in the film is done by a cast of unknowns who spend most of their time running for their lives and screaming, “NO!” or “OH MY GOD!” Perhaps it is for the best that this was a cast of unknowns because if it had been Will Smith and Reese Witherspoon running around, people would say that they were not doing a decent job. I feel the relative anonymity of these young professionals makes the docudrama nature of this production more enthralling because I did not go into the movie with any expectations regarding their skill.

Finally, the monster itself. Do you see it? Yes. Is it scary? Legitimately so. Are the special effects well done, or does it go into the I Am Legend territory of ridiculousness? The special effects – and sound effects for that matter – are quite well done. Cloverfield cost $25 million to produce and I imagine that the bulk of that money was spent in post-production.

Overall, the product that is put upon the screen in quite good. I would recommend seeing it in theatres because this movie is dependent upon the scope of the frame and the dazzling sound effects that pours in through the speakers.
When to See It: Before It Leaves Theatres