Cloverfield (2008)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Matt Reeves

Writer (WGA):

Drew Goddard (written by)

Release Date:

18 January 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Some Thing Has Found Us

Plot:

Revolves around a monster attack in New York as told from the point of view of a small group of people.

Plot Keywords:

Apartment | Monster | Explosion | Video Camera | Statue

Awards:

4 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Lizzy Caplan	...	Marlena
Jessica Lucas	...	Lily
T.J. Miller	...	Hud
Michael Stahl-David	...	Rob Hawkins
Mike Vogel	...	Jason Hawkins
Odette Yustman	...	Beth McIntyre
Anjul Nigam	...	Bodega Cashier
Margot Farley	...	Jenn
Theo Rossi	...	Antonio
Brian Klugman	...	Charlie
Kelvin Yu	...	Clark
Liza Lapira	...	Heather
Lili Mirojnick	...	Lei
Ben Feldman	...	Travis
Elena Caruso	...	Party Goer

Also Known As:

1-18-08 (USA) (promotional title)
Cheese (USA) (fake working title)
Clover (USA) (fake working title)
Monstrous (USA) (promotional title)
Slusho (USA) (fake working title)
Untitled J.J. Abrams Project (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence, terror and disturbing images.

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Russian

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS | SDDS

Certification:

South Korea:15 | Singapore:PG | UK:15 | Argentina:16 | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Ireland:15A | Malaysia:U | Finland:K-13 | Australia:M | Czech Republic:15 | Hong Kong:IIA | USA:PG-13 (certificate #44015) | Taiwan:PG-12 | Germany:12 | Brazil:14 | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Sweden:15 | Canada:13+ (Québec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba) | Denmark:15 | New Zealand:M | Japan:PG-12 | France:U (with warning) | South Africa:13V (13LV) | Iceland:14 | Peru:14 | Austria:14

Filming Locations:

Bloomingdale's Department Store, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Bad Robot

Trivia:

According to Annie Pomeranz - visual effects producer - puppets were used in the scene involving the "parasites" inside the tunnel but the scene turned out to be more interactive than originally thought and CGI animation was required. However, Matt Reeves - the director - states that the scenes with the puppets were too "goofy".

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When they are on the slanted roof, their clothes seem to defy gravity.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Rob Hawkins: It's 6:42 AM. Beth's dad's place. He's out of town. And it's already a good day.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)

Soundtrack:

The Ride

Breath of fresh air

It was nice to finally watch movie that didn't seem like anything I'd ever seen before. This, much like Spielberg's "War of the Worlds" and "Children of Men", completely immerses you in this incredible situation with absolutely no knowledge to comfort you. It's very disorienting, which adds to the experience; you never figure out what the hell is going on but you're so into survival that you put it past you. You're placed with a bunch of characters whom you get to know and eventually must join in their frenzied search for a friend while being subjected to some horrifying imagery and new threats.

The effects look great and realistic thanks to the hand-held camera, which isn't too bad-looking if you manage to get a seat further from the screen. The filmmakers came up with some really great creature designs that were menacing yet very much original. If you're bound to be upset over seeing a movie with a lack of music, then stay for the credits, during which a fantastic suite of music composed by Michael Giacchino titled "Roar! (Cloverfield Theme)" plays.

All in all, a fantastic time at the movies. A little more background on the monster would be nice, though the absence of this information is intentional. Everyone in the theater was rooting for a sequel; maybe a second set of footage is found elsewhere? Or perhaps there is more the the viral marketing -- what exactly were Slusho and Tagruato? Also be prepared to suspend some disbelief, but considering the movie is about a monster destroying New York City, that shouldn't be too difficult.