...well, we never really find out what the thing ripping New York a new one is in Cloverfield, but let's call it the Blair Witch Monster (aka the Anti-Snakes on a Plane), because for a film built entirely on buzz, this one delivers. This shakycam story of a Godzilla-esque monster attack and a group of twentysomethings attempting to survive it is a thrilling piece of filmmaking. What starts as a going-away party for a friend turns into a going-away party for the entire city as the monster announces its presence with authority by ripping the head off the Statue of Liberty and hurling it across the Hudson. It lands at the feet of our partygoers, and we follow their quest for safety and to save a friend entirely thru the lens of a camcorder.
It sounds like a gimmick, and it is. Much like the teaser trailer that only released the date (and not the name) of the film. As well as the viral websites that fill in the backstory that's not shown on screen. But here's the thing about gimmicks – sometimes they work. There's a sense of immediancy that the camcorder conveys – I don't really wanna test this theory, but I'd guess this is pretty much exactly what it'd be like to be terrorized by a multi-story monster for an hour and a half.
So put aside your concerns about camcorder battery life or durability and get your tension on – Cloverfield's a killer.
2 comments:
I suppose this is one of those movies that you have to see in the theater?
Yes... and maybe.
Yes because it's definitely a big-screen movie, and even tho it was shot for nothing – it's still about a giant monster destroying the biggest city in America.
Maybe because the conceit of the movie (shot on handheld videocam) might actually play ok at home... where the handheld videocam footage would likely be screened.
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