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Product Description: Five young New Yorkers throw their friend a going-away party the night that a monster the size of a skyscraper descends upon the city. Told from the point of view of their video camera the film is a document of their attempt to survive the most surreal horrifying event of their lives.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE/THRILLERS UPC: 097363520641 Manufacturer No: 352064Amazon.com: One of the first things a viewer notices about Cloverfield is that it doesn't play by ordinary storytelling rules, making this intriguing horror film as much a novelty as an event. Told from the vertiginous point-of-view of a camcorder-wielding group of friends, Cloverfield begins like a primetime television soap opera about young Manhattanites coping with changes in their personal lives. Rob (Michael Stahl-David) is leaving New York to take an executive job at a company in Japan. At his goodbye party in a crowded loft, Rob’s brother Jason (Mike Vogel) hands a camcorder to best friend Hud (T.J. Miller), who proceeds to tape the proceedings over old footage of Rob’s ex-girlfriend, Beth (Odette Yustman)--images shot during happy times in that now-defunct relationship. Naturally, Beth shows up at the party with a new beau, bumming Rob out completely. Just before one's eyes glaze over from all this heartbreaking stuff (captured by Hud, who's something of a doofus, in laughably shaky camerawork), the unexpected happens: New York is suddenly under attack from a Godzilla-like monster stomping through midtown and destroying everything and everybody in sight. Rob and company hit the streets, but rather than run with other evacuees, they head toward the center of the storm so that Rob can rescue an injured Beth. There are casualties along the way, but the journey into fear is fascinating and immediate if emotionally remote--a consequence of seeing these proceedings through the singular, subjective perspective of a camcorder and of a story that intentionally leaves major questions unanswered: Who or what is this monster? Where did it come from? The lack of a backstory, and spare views of the marauding creature, are clever ways by producer J.J. Abrams and director Matt Reeves to keep an audience focused exclusively on what’s on the screen. But it also makes Cloverfield curiously uninvolving. Ultimately, Cloverfield, with its spectacular effects brilliantly woven into a home-video look, is a celebration of infinite possibilities in this age of accessible, digital media. --Tom Keogh
Customer Reviews:
- Good but had flaws, and the camera made me nauesous: I'm not a big fan of giant monster movies, though I don't hate them either. I watched this mostly because I like J.J. Abrams, the producer. The first twenty minutes or so are pretty boring, and I wanted to turn the movie off. The cameraman, Hud, panning the audience during the party, created some moments of queasiness, but overall wasn't that bad - especially compared with later camera effects. I found Hud to be really annoying and insensitive, and I found myself hoping he would die so I wouldn't have to listen to him anymore.
Other than the constant camera jerking, supposedly made to look like a hand-held video camera in a real-life situation (good job by the creators in making it real), I only found minor flaws, or things I didn't like for some reason. Spoilers, so don't read if you want to be 100% surprised.
One, the head of the Statue of Liberty seems much too small when it comes flying down the street. And all the people taking pictures of it? I think I'd be running away from it.
Rob's need to run right past the monster (who is everywhere they turn) into the city to find his best friend, Beth, was believable on one level -he loves her, after all. But, I think there comes a point when most people would cut their losses and run away. Of course, if Rob did this, there wouldn't be a movie.
Beth's ability to run while seriously injured (down 57 flights of stairs, no less) amused me. I felt she should have been carried or dragged more than she was.
Why is it that in every monster movie, the entire city has to cross a major bridge? Don't they know the bridge will collapse for some reason? I wanted to smack them all. I realize they're on an island, but dang - this is very sterotypical.
One thing my husband pointed out that I was thinking also... Rob's phone call to his mother didn't seem emotional enough, but then he immediately broke down and became more emotional than Lilly. It was weird that she was remaining more calm while he was not. Given the relationship in question, I can see why he was so upset, but something about the emotions didn't seem real.
Oh, and how the heck do they NOT see the monster (which I really liked the look of, by the way - I expected Godzilla and was surprised to see something new and creative) in broad daylight until it was standing right over Hud? Several moments like this, even in the dark made me realize this was definitely a movie, not very realistic. I think I would have seen that thing miles away, even in the dark, and not been surprised to find it so close to me.
All in all, I liked this. I will probably never watch it again, though, because the camera angle really got to me. My husband didn't have a problem with it - it really is subjective. I recommend this movie to people who like suspense and haven't eaten recently or don't become easily nauseated. - Rob is soooo annoying: How annoying is he? By the time they got out of the tunnel I was rooting for the monster.
- Home movie sold as Hollywood title...: I'm just glad I didn't pay to see this movie at the theatre. The constantly shaking camera work would have given me motion sickness. The movie would have been semi-OK if they had mixed in some professional production work along with the sickening POV stuff. SPOILER ALERT: At the end of the movie we are no closer to finding out what the monster was or where it came from - very disappointing.
- Avoid this movie.....: I was hoping this movie would have been good, but it just didn't work for me. It was: boring, nauseating, with an uninteresting storyline. I didn't watch it all, but what I did catch was mostly feet, armpits, and the sidewalk. Sorry.
- STINKERFIELD or I WANT MY MONEY BACK !!!!!: i wasnt shure to get this movie . i looked once / twice and i bought it . WHAT A WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY !!!!!!!!!!!! i had more fun in my 50 y of life getting trashed on the sofa watching car wax commercials at 2 am . YOU GOT TO BE OUT OF YOUR MIND TO ENJOY ANY MINUTE OF THIS RUBBISH . from all the playing time you have to see the monster for 10 minutes max - the rest is filmed on / or it looks like - a cellphone with a camera . WELL MAYBE IN OUR NEW GENERATION , IF THIS IS WHAT YOU CALL "" FILMING "" THEN IT WILL FIT RIGHT IN WITH THE NEW YOUNG GENERATION . WOAH DOESNT EVEN CUT IT ANYMORE . SOMEONE GOT RICH AND I WANT MY MONEY BACK . the good side of the story , i sold it to a young guy at work for $5 less AND 2 DAYS LATER HE GAVE IT AWAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
if i had a chance to rate this movie from 1 - 10 - IT WILL BE 100% A -50 . OH GOD - SO BAD - SO SAD . buy yourself a beer and you will thank me for it .
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