Cloverfield works both as a found footage film, and even more as a monster film. It's a fresh take on the monster film genre and it is completely welcome. The first time I watched the film I remember hating it. It was the first time I had ever seen a found footage film. I didn't appreciate what this approach was doing to the filmmaking process. It was not until I watched Diary of the Dead and then the original Paranormal Activity did I truly understand what the genre was. I later revisited the film after seeing Paranormal Activity and was completely astonished by how great Cloverfield actually is.
The film opens with on April 27th and follows the lives of Rob and Beth. They seem to have a cute relationship based on these first few minutes. Abruptly the film cuts to May 22nd. This is because this footage has been found as is and has been recorded over. It's an interesting how only four years have passed and taped recording for personal use is almost all but obsolete. Now the film would have been saved on a hard drive and the footage would never be structured this way. May22nd is Rob's going away party. Apparently during this past month Rob and Beth had a falling out which caused Rob to easily take a job in Japan. The next fifteen minutes or so we follow Hud, Rob's best friend, as he records farewell's for Rob. This is until there is an apparent earthquake in New York, momentarily cutting the power to the apartment building. When the power is restored the local news station reports that there is a capsized vessel in the harbor. Curious, everyone at the party travels to the top of the roof for a better look.
Up until this point if you have never heard of the film then what happens next will come as a surprise. At the top of the building a large explosion occurs off in the distance. This seemingly random event causes panic and evacuation of the party. On the city streets the pedestrians are in a panic when all of a sudden the head of the Statue of Liberty rolls down the street.In the moments that follow this evoke memories of September 11th. Director Matt Reeves is wise to show the realities of a situation like this but not try and recreate 9/11. The scene is effect and is chilling.
What works the best about this film is the lack of explanations. The director of photography does a nice job making the film look like it as shot hand held in the moment while still keeping the film looking cinematic.However this also happens to be my biggest gripe with the film. In certain situations that the film presents, a normal human being would not have the courage or the audacity to continue filming. For example after a series of events, the group ends up in an empty subway tunnel. They decide to travel down the subway tracks, and are ambushed by fleas(that come from the monster). As everyone is attacked Hud still manages to record the action taking place, even when he is attacked himself. I know that if I was being chased by creatures that were unknown to the world previously to this incident, I would not be thinking about recording.
Luckily films like Cloverfield only come around every so often. The film is a roller coaster from start to finish which is fantastic. There are talks of a sequel to this film, but I really would rather not see one be made. Personally too many movies have unwarranted sequels. Not every movie can be like the Toy Story franchise or The Dark Knight. However if one is made, it would be interesting to see what is made since the monster in Cloverfield survived the final bombing. What's more interesting is the monster is only a baby.
3.5/4 Muffins
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