Cloverfield

With all the hype, anticipation, and viral marketing surrounding Cloverfield, one would think that the liklihood of this film being a success was pretty good. Due in part to this “YouTube” generation of today, critics and moviegoers alike were drawn to this unique phenomenon and the end result was definitely worth the wait. Debuting this past year before Transformers, the trailer for Cloverfield sent people into a frenzy for more info; however, nothing more than the release date could be found. Surely part of an ingenious marketing plan, producer J.J. Abrams and company risked more than they had bargained for but after pulling in $41 million at the box office this past weekend, I’d say that it all paid dividends where it counts. Still, that has nothing to do with how this movie was received and after all the buildup and speculation, fans on message boards and those through word of mouth are still talking about this movie.

So, here’s the set up. For those of you who are not familiar, Cloverfield is about a group of friends who are gathering for a friend’s going away party. The only problem is, before the night is over a giant monster attacks the city, resulting in sheer and utter chaos. Starring a group of mostly unknowns, the film works in that it allows the story to balance evenly from one character to the next. No one character is allotted more screen time than the other and besides, the shaky camera, 1st person point of view wouldn’t allow it so it all makes sense in the end. Believe me, the Blair Witch camerawork is annoying at times and seems illogical considering the terror that’s taking place all around them but people are intrigued when it comes to things of this nature so it’s not a fallacy that someone would try to get all this on camera. Stupid? Maybe, but then we very well wouldn’t have a movie so it’s a double edge sword, take it or leave it.

Anyway, Cloverfield is one of those movies that you know very little about going in and afterwards you leave knowing just enough. For those of you who haven’t seen it, I’ll spare the details because you really have to experience this for yourself to get the full effect of what I mean. Me personally, I enjoyed the film and thought it was very well made. Just the whole idea of this film coming together and seeing it for myself was enjoyable. I may not have gotten all the answers I had hoped but it all makes sense in the end when you think about it. Like I said, the film is shot from a 1st person point of view so obviously you wouldn’t know what was going on either if you were in the middle of all this going on.

Keeping that in mind, Cloverfield is a success in my book and if you’re smart then I’m sure you can piece together some of the clues J.J. Abrams and his team hid throughout the movie. Bloggers and fan boys are running rampant with all the hidden “easter eggs” in the film but until I get an actual answer, I just take it for what it is. The movie was good and I recommend it to those that just wanna relax and enjoy something different from what we’re accustomed to. Don’t get me wrong, Cloverfield is nothing more than a giant monster movie but there’s more to it, if that makes sense. On the surface it may appear to be one thing, but beneath all that lies something totally different. And if you’ve seen the movie like me, then you’re probably still scratching your head and wondering the same thing I am...what the hell just happened?

Rating: 3 inkblots out of 5