CLOVERFIELD
dir: Matt Reeves
My name is Elizbaeth McIntyre. I don't know why this is happening. And we're going to wait here until this passes. - Beth
Brief Synopsis
A group of young people try to escape New York City when it goes under attack from some sort of giant beast.
Why It's Here
Early on "Cloverfield" was written off as a "Blair Witch Project" rip-off and a distasteful metaphor for 9/11. Sure, "Cloverfield" can be both of these, but the ambitious project moves past those roadblocks through it's excellent hype and execution. "Cloverfield" brought the "Blair Witch" formula into the 21st century by introducing it to the futures most powerful and cost-efficient market: the internet.
Constructed by J. J. Abrams and a few other "Lost" masterminds, these filmmakers used their trademark interest in mystery and put it to full effect by capitalizing on the internet and the web-junky's constant search for information and reversed it. The internet is a tool used for knowledge, but the "Cloverfield" team instead used it to create an elaborate viral game that constantly makes the film more mysterious. This risky marketing paid off huge, no one knew a thing about the movie and yet people lined up to see it. A monster movie is a hard-sell in today's competitive market, but forcing New Media practices on the audience sparked debate and interest in a project that no one knew anything about.
The film itself was the first to bravely head back to New York to feature a disaster film. It's mysterious monster kept even more mysterious by the handheld camera that remains the viewpoint through the entire film, literally keeping the audience in the eyes of the protagonist characters, while creatively using old footage on the camera to jump us back into the back story of these few survivors. This gritty viewpoint doesn't take the cheap "Blair Witch" route and consist of people screaming and blurred running, the video becomes a plot device and drives the story and characters.
Through this, "Cloverfield" is also to create one of the most seamless visual effects experiences ever filmed. The destruction of a familiar city through a static and motion blur filled video camera create a sense of realism rarely realized on film. The experience is one that is better through a theatrical viewing, acting almost as an amusement park ride. The rarely seen creature keeps the sense of realism and suspense high giving major payoff when the creature is glimpsed at more and more. It's the only instance where I left the theatre and looked around and could literally imagine the buildings crumbling down before my eyes. A good horror film capitalizes and exploits the insecurities of it's audience, and while "Cloverfield" isn't a straight horror film, it (arguably, in bad taste) played on the insecurity of attack on America and the choas that comes with no information on the assailants, with bits of biohazardous terror sprinkled in for good measure. Whether or not you agree with the films tactics, upon seeing it, it becomes difficult to argue with it's impact.
"Cloverfield" is pure eye-candy, it's substance comes only to those who participated in it's viral campaign and are able to reek the reward of subtle background details, including that of the films final moment. J. J. Abrams designed a modern day "Godzilla" that capitalized on the growing cyber-culture and is one of the most significant and important examples of this growing trend of interactivity in the movie theatre.
Constructed by J. J. Abrams and a few other "Lost" masterminds, these filmmakers used their trademark interest in mystery and put it to full effect by capitalizing on the internet and the web-junky's constant search for information and reversed it. The internet is a tool used for knowledge, but the "Cloverfield" team instead used it to create an elaborate viral game that constantly makes the film more mysterious. This risky marketing paid off huge, no one knew a thing about the movie and yet people lined up to see it. A monster movie is a hard-sell in today's competitive market, but forcing New Media practices on the audience sparked debate and interest in a project that no one knew anything about.
The film itself was the first to bravely head back to New York to feature a disaster film. It's mysterious monster kept even more mysterious by the handheld camera that remains the viewpoint through the entire film, literally keeping the audience in the eyes of the protagonist characters, while creatively using old footage on the camera to jump us back into the back story of these few survivors. This gritty viewpoint doesn't take the cheap "Blair Witch" route and consist of people screaming and blurred running, the video becomes a plot device and drives the story and characters.
Through this, "Cloverfield" is also to create one of the most seamless visual effects experiences ever filmed. The destruction of a familiar city through a static and motion blur filled video camera create a sense of realism rarely realized on film. The experience is one that is better through a theatrical viewing, acting almost as an amusement park ride. The rarely seen creature keeps the sense of realism and suspense high giving major payoff when the creature is glimpsed at more and more. It's the only instance where I left the theatre and looked around and could literally imagine the buildings crumbling down before my eyes. A good horror film capitalizes and exploits the insecurities of it's audience, and while "Cloverfield" isn't a straight horror film, it (arguably, in bad taste) played on the insecurity of attack on America and the choas that comes with no information on the assailants, with bits of biohazardous terror sprinkled in for good measure. Whether or not you agree with the films tactics, upon seeing it, it becomes difficult to argue with it's impact.
"Cloverfield" is pure eye-candy, it's substance comes only to those who participated in it's viral campaign and are able to reek the reward of subtle background details, including that of the films final moment. J. J. Abrams designed a modern day "Godzilla" that capitalized on the growing cyber-culture and is one of the most significant and important examples of this growing trend of interactivity in the movie theatre.