Cloverfield - Movie of the Week

I don’t go to the movies much anymore. With screaming children and dumbasses who talk throughout the film, I’ve found it much simpler to just get my movie fix from Netflix. However, a film occasionally comes along that causes me to leave the confines of my house and make the trek to the local cinema.

Cloverfield is one such movie.

But did it live up to the hype? Was it Godzilla for a new generation? Well, read on and find out.

CLOVERFIELD - PLOT AND CHARACTERS

Rob (Michael Stahl-David) is about to leave New York behind and take a job in Japan. His brother Jason (Mike Vogel), best friend Hud (T.J. Miller), Jason’s girlfriend Lily (Jessica Lucas) and many others throw him a surprise party. During this event, we learn that Rob slept with longtime friend Beth (Odette Yustman), and the relationship between the two has become strained. This becomes particularly evident when Beth shows up to the party with another guy. Things go downhill from there, and Beth and her date eventually storm out.

Meanwhile, Hud has been stuck with filming goodbyes to Rob from the various party-goers. In between, he tries unsuccessfully to flirt with Marlena (Lizzy Caplan), a friend of Lily.

While Rob sulks about his relationship with Beth, and his friends try to comfort him, all hell suddenly breaks loose. Nobody knows what’s going on at first, but it soon becomes clear that something is attacking Manhattan. Something massive and seriously pissed off.

That’s when the video camera wielded by Hud comes in handy, as he begins documenting the mayhem and rapid breakdown of society. People die, the military opens fire, and the thing stomps about the city and flattens everything in its path.

But there’s more to this film than random action. Rob gets a call from a frantic Beth. She’s trapped in her apartment, bleeding, and needs help. In a fit of heroism, Rob decides to journey across a city-gone-mad and save his true love. Think Saving Private Ryan with a romantic angle and less Nazis.

The journey to rescue Beth eats up most of the rest of the film’s less-than-90-minute run time. There’s a little more to the story, but I won’t spoil it for you.

POSITIVES

1. While things get going in pretty short order, you still learn plenty about the characters and come to care about their individual fates. It just goes to show that characters can quickly be established through solid scriptwriting.

2. The creature is pretty cool, although you won’t get a really good look at him until near the end of the film. I’d hate to see that thing coming down my street!

3. And the creature is not alone. He sheds these weird tick-like creatures off of his body. These little bastards are fast and tenacious, and they seem to love to pounce on regular folk like you and I. I also loved the sound they made. Relentless.

4. Imagine being right in the middle of a showdown between Godzilla and the military. That’s Cloverfield in a nutshell. While they don’t seem to have a lot of success, the military still looks cool blazing away with their ineffective ordinance. With all the racket, this is a great one to see in a theatre with the volume turned up.

5. Nothing to complain about with the acting. Solid performances all around.

6. Hud. This big goof films the action and provides us with a measure of narration. Through most of the movie, we see what’s going on through his eyes. It also doesn’t hurt that he’s funny as hell. Whether he’s trying to impress Marlena in the middle of the chaos or talking about flaming hobos as the group travels through the subway tunnels, Hud is the one guy that you’ll want to see make it through the movie intact.

7. The movie takes place at night, in a loud environment, with the main characters surrounded by a city full of strangers. What better way to enjoy the movie than in a darkened theatre, surrounded by strangers, with the volume turned up?

8. The movie is only slightly over an hour long. Even if you don’t like Cloverfield, it’ll be over soon enough.

NEGATIVES

1. If you get motion sickness, don’t even try to see this one at the theatre. There’s so much herky-jerky movement that you’re bound to be running for the bathroom at some point. Trust me, I’ve already heard a number of stories of this happening to people.

2. While the monster is cool, it’s no Godzilla. Don’t go in expecting some new movie monster icon, and you won’t leave disappointed.

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

I thought Cloverfield was a solid movie experience. It was something unique, at least until studios start trying to rush out other movies to cash in on its success. Plenty of action, some well-timed humor and it wasn’t any longer than it needed to be.

Don’t watch this one on a television set. It was made to be enjoyed on the big screen.

J.J. Abrams, the film’s producer (and the man responsible for shows like Alias and Lost), once again displays his Midas touch.

Cloverfield - Movie of the Week