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Starring
Michael Stahl-David
Odette Tustman
Lizzy Caplan
T.J Miller
Directed by
Matt Reeves
Heith's Grade:
BRated PG-13 for violence, terror, and disturbing images
a review by Heith Carnahan
The Rundown
A group of New York twenty-somethings is throwing a going-away party for their friend Rob (Michael Stahl-David), who just landed a primo job in Japan as the Vice President of something. Hud (T.J. Miller) has been charged with documenting the evening's proceedings on a video camera borrowed from a friend. As a series of personal dramas begins to unfold inside the party, something monstrous and destructive descends on New York City and literally begins tearing the place apart.
Shown from the perspective of the video camera, Cloverfield chronicles the attempted escape route chosen by the group as they flee for their lives from the unknown terror even the military apparently can't contain.
What to say . . .
Unfortunately, a film like Cloverfield really defies review; the most prominent thing about it, in the audience's mind, will be the nauseating shaky-cam effect going on absolutely throughout. Be ready for a kind of 'rollercoaster' effect on that front; much like the release of The Blair Witch Project, the theater I attended had signs up at the box office warning people about the movie's unsteady filming method.
And because the story is seen from a civilian video camera's perspective, many of the finer points a "traditional" monster movie might include are omitted here for the sake of realism, and on that front, it is very, very effective. The natural questions that might occur to people all come to the forefront at some point: what is this creature? Where is it from? How can it be stopped? And just like real life, many of them remain unanswered, leaving the characters largely clueless and therefore all the more terrified.
Something about Cloverfield; the characters are very well drawn and believeable, the situation scary and realistic, the monster itself like nothing we've seen before. I found myself clutching my coat several times.
The Bottom Line
It's an effective monster movie without the traditional layout. Be ready for a few surprises, including what your own reaction may be.
-- Heith Carnahan, heith @ movie-popcorn.com