Cloverfield
Directed by: Matt Reeves
Rated PG-13
85 Minutes
Review by Giraldo Barraza
In today’s world of marketing blitzkriegs, it’s not rare for a film to raptly seize public attention six months before release. What is rare however is when a product is actually as good as advertised. When Cloverfield grabbed us by the collar when its then untitled teaser last summer, everyone paid attention but few thought it would equal the hype surrounding this mysterious project. Now that the film has finally been released, I am pleased to say it is just as thrilling as the ads promised. Equal parts The Blair Witch Project and Godzilla with hints of Jaws and 9/11 fear, Cloverfield is a breath-taking and terrifying ride, and is poised to be the first monster hit of the new year.
Yes, hype is a fickle thing. Duds are commonplace. Remember the Edsel? Microsoft Zunes? Heck, remember 1998’s Godzilla movie? That one with Ferris Bueller in it? Yeah, neither do I. Hype often only sets up disappointment and creates fleeting experiences, leaving emptiness in its wake. Today, it seems only Apple can deliver in innovation with products that deliver. But even iPhone riots cannot equal the panic found in the Big Apple in Cloverfield, a disaster movie told through the lens of some twenty-something partygoers who document their panic when a giant creature lays waste to the city around them.
The concept of the film may seem pretentious, but the execution is perfect. The movie plays as an evidence tape after an unexplained attack on New York City. What begins as a farewell party testimonial shows a group of young people preoccupied with relationship gossip and flaunting their electronic devices. It may look fun, but it’s a self-serving affair (much like “Sex and the City,” now that I think about it). In short order, the film becomes a documentation of destruction and panic. The resulting carnage is made more jarring because it’s contrasted with the metropolitan (if empty) lifestyles we’re exposed to at the beginning of this movie.
Cloverfield wisely eschews the bombastic ambition of most disaster movies. Films like Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow always are obliged to create grand scale destruction and mayhem, blowing up every monument possible to shamelessly elicit audience response. Thankfully, this film does nothing of the sort (with the exception of a decapitated Statue of Liberty). All chaos is contained within the small frame of the camera’s viewfinder, but localizing the panic makes it more personal and traumatic. Call it “Destruction Verite,” if you will. Audiences are far more apt to be emotionally involved in this film because we are there with them, helpless in the streets… scared, confused, and without answers.
The special effects present are never necessarily the focal point of the action, yet these effects are very convincing. Far more so than the recent I Am Legend, where the large scope and shoddy visuals hinder the experience of disaster. This movie’s “camcorder format” adds a palpable sense of fear in its grainy visuals, but I concede that it does have the same limitations attached to this style of filmmaking. Those who were driven to nausea by The Blair Witch Project will not appreciate the shakiness of this film’s frame. Empty that popcorn bag quickly in case you need it to remedy your motion sickness. Complaints of this sort are standard for films shot on digital video, and Cloverfield is a film that will likely play better on DVD or BluRay than in a multiplex.
Now, when your film is based around a monster attacking Manhattan, no one expects characters to rival Tolstoy or Shakespeare. Cloverfield doesn’t provide deep characters, but does a capable job of evoking audience empathy. Wisely avoiding any “name actors,” the audience is allowed to invest in the characters with no baggage attached. We do care about these people, and not just because we’re riding shotgun for the ride. Granted, the establishing of characters is a bitty choppy in the beginning, but once chaos ensues we quickly become their allies. We understand their fear easily, and that’s understandable, but we also understand their motives and the brave (if naïve) choices they make in the face of danger.
The most surprising element in Cloverfield is that there is a great deal of heart amidst the rumble. A separate storyline is literally interwoven. Scattered on the tape we are viewing is a recording of a beautiful day at Coney Island between a couple in love. It’s a beautiful moment that is recorded over by the going away party and the subsequent disaster. At first it does play as a shameless tactic to manipulate the audience, but as the film progresses, the snippits we see of the Coney Island day become more poignant, and help drive the emotion behind the actions of our small band of survivors. It’s a beautiful counterpoint to the overwhelming tragedy we witness.
Cloverfield works because it simultaneously delivers and still surprises us. Yes, it’s ultimately a mere popcorn movie, but it’s a damn great one. I’m sure some will hate this film; particularly those who always need a neat and tidy answer for everything. It should be noted, however, that this movie isn’t about tidy answers or even happy endings. It’s about smaller moments.
Life’s surprises are rewarding, but keeping life’s promises is even more rare. Whether it’s delivering on marketing hype or keeping one’s word to never give up during unbelievable madness; the promises made from one person to another is always strong. Vigor and candor rarely go hand in hand, but when it does it’s a powerful thing to witness. Even in an escapist popcorn movie, it’s identifiable. The evidence tape known as Cloverfield is a testimonial to human spirit. It reminds us that grand events may overshadow us and may be beyond our control, but life’s little moments are always in our hands. Do we choose what’s easy? Or do we rise when challenged? Nature’s forces can be monstrous, but our individual choices can wield just as much power, if we choose.
