Holy s$^t!!! Run!!
Rob is going away to Japan to beome a vice president of a company. His friends and family throw him a large, but mature, going away party that is in mid-town Manhattan. His girl, Beth — who has been a long time love of Rob’s and how he recently spent the night with, has just brought a guy with her to the party. When Rob sees this they have a wonderful argument that ends with Beth leaving shortly after and Rob not caring. Heart-broken, no longer enjoying his party, he finds solace in his friends and brother… then something destroys a large portion of Manhattan. No longer heart-broken, more fearing-for-his-life-and-the-life-of-his-friends-and-family, he runs like hell.
The concept for this film was risky. I think that producer J.J. Abrams knew enough about action films to ensure Cloverfield‘s safety with the critics, but it was still a risky gamble. A gamble that paid off in the end. Matt Reeves put together a masterpiece of horror and action, with a very light bit of comedy. Nowhere in the film was a hero, nowhere in the film was there a true villain, it was just pure chaos. That chaos made the movie brilliant, because the concept and the design was so different. In all of the Godzilla films that I’ve had the pleasure of seeing, has there been a moment where you’re put into the shoes of the people running away from the monster. It’s either the protagonist or antagonist who you’re closely watching, or both. That is what makes this film work, you’re not worrying about how the monster is going to be stopped, but rather how the hell these people are going to get away. It’s not too outrageous of a scenario, that’s what makes this movie so darn brilliant. Plus, the vantage point of a non-traditional movie camera helps that effect a lot.
As for the acting, Rob was great. This guy was about to have a life changing experience through his job, so he was emotionally ready for that. Now he’s thrown into a life changing experience where he has to safe his friend’s lives and his own. While a leader, but not in the traditional sense, he holds himself up pretty well. His companion, Hudson (Hud in the movie), provides the comedy for the film. He provides the small moments where he brings the tension down just so it can be built back up. Those two characters carried the load of the film. Thank Michael Stahl-David (Rob) and T.J. Miller (Hud) for that. The weakest link of the bunch is Beth (played by Odette Yustman), who isn’t a likable character at all. The acting ability is also a bit weak with her, as she is one step away from a role on The Real World. Regardless, the actors came in, did the job and produced a great thrill-ride.
So, if you’re looking for an excellent film, aren’t too sensitive to motion sickness, then Cloverfield will fulfill you’re need for action, horror and the sense to run-like-hell.
Code Blu! Code Blu!
I’m aware of my cheesy titles for each break in the review, you can stop laughing. Anyway, the DVD version of this film was scary. The Blu-ray version of this film is downright brutal to the senses, but in a good way. You get very excellent HD transfer that will make it seem a bit too real. You also get some of the best audio that you could have hoped for in a film like this. The Blu-ray does this film justice.
Here’s what you get on special features side of this Blu-ray wonder:
-GPS viewing mode with creature radar (pretty damn cool)
-Military intelligence and more!
-Commentary by Matt Reeves
-The Making of Cloverfield
-Cloverfield visual effects (little disappointing)
-I saw it! It’s alive! It’s huge!
-Clover Fun
-Deleted Scenes
-Alternate Endings
-Easter Eggs out the wazoo!
The features are terrific, for the most part. The visual effects featurette is a bit short, but still not awful. The movie will spring you into the features, you’ll want to see how they did it all and the features certainly don’t disappoint. The alternate endings are appropriate, the deleted scenes are there for a reason, so it’s a good package.
Is it over yet? My heart can’t take much more!
This is the type of film that deserved to be on Blu-ray. It’s debut in HD only enhances the film, which is the purpose of the format. The special features also help, and the movie itself is just a thrill-ride of entertainment that literally makes you nervous from beginning until the end.
You need Cloverfield on Blu-ray.
