digibutter.nerr

Para · Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 8:15 pm

Well, I'm gonna make this short. There's no spoilers in here, so don't worry.

Presentation- The story is told in a documentary format, as "Hud", one of the main characters, carries around a camcorder, filming the events of the attack. Those of you familiar with the Blair Witch Project's filming style should know what to expect. Though this sort of first-person view gives you a great perspective of how the events happened in cutting-edge, it can get irritating to some. Apparently, nobody in the entire area of Manhattan could afford a freaking tripod. Sitting in the first row isn't advised, and there were signs outside my theater stating that people had gotten motion sickness from watching it. Oh, and take something to cover your ears with. It definitely gets loud at some points, but that didn't hurt its overall effect much.
~6.5

Storyline- I'm sure you guys know how it goes down: Big monster attacks city, chaos ensues, etc. But there is a considerable amount of background plot information. Most of the intro is basically about the celebration of Rob's going-away party (he is leaving for a job in Japan). The rest of the movie is like a giant, hour-long thrill ride. However, there's only so much you can do with a monster movie; some parts are a little predictable. Despite that, the ending was definitely unexpected.
~8.5

Characters- The few moments leading up to the attack introduces you to all of the important characters. You really get a good look at their personalities, which is important, because an audience has to care about the characters for a movie to succeed. One flaw I did notice was how practically everyone was a size 0 covergirl (or guy >_>). This sort of diminished how realistic the film was intended to be.
~7.5

Setting- A film like this taking place in New York may make you reminiscent of King Kong. But don't worry, there's plenty of other things the monster destroys without even having to touch the Empire State Building. Of course, the decapitated Statue of Liberty was seen in the trailers. The use of the Big Apple as the setting almost creates a feeling as if it's 9/11 all over again. JJ Abrams may have possibly chose Manhattan for that exact reason. It connected with me, as I'm sure it did with the rest of the audience. This ideal choice of location is the icing on the cake.
~9

Overall, this innovative take on a monster movie is great for any fan of action, sci-fi, or drama. Cloverfield gets a 7.8 out of 10.

Goomba · Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 9:16 pm

Very interesting!

How was the character's reactions toward each other? Corny or normal?

Also, what was the music like in the movie? Would you put it on your iPod, did you not mind it, or did you hate it?

Para · Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 9:25 pm

Goomba · Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 9:46 pm

Para · Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 10:54 pm

Francis · Elite Nerr

Most of the excitement comes from not knowing what is going on. The benefit of seeing everything from the eye of the characters is that you don't know anything more than they do. In a sense the movie felt like watching someone play a FPS, or going on one of those rides in Universal Studios.

But, that also means it would not be very enjoyable to watch again.

Only wait to watch it at home if you have a loud subwoofer.

Super ShadowArticuno · Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 11:34 pm

I personally like it.

Maybe it's because I wanted to hug the monster. Or the fact that my name's Rob and I'm going to Japan soon.

Tails Doll · Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2008 5:35 pm

Flavio · Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2008 7:36 pm

Super Cyber Mario · Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2008 7:37 pm

I dunno if I wanna see it.