Rated: PG-13 (for violence, terror and disturbing images)
Featuring: Michael Stahl-David, Lizzy Caplan
Director: Matt Reeves
Genres: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Thriller
Length: 84 Min.
A Monster Success
The hype has settled. Mysterious previews that once plagued us with anticipation and flooded our systems with adrenaline have vanished. Viral sites leaving clues for rabid fans are losing viewers by the hour. The theaters themselves have been vacated, making way for films like Jumper and Be Kind Rewind.
The fireworks that signaled the drop of J.J. Abram’s inventive monster movie into the box office may have vanished long ago, but Cloverfield still left its massive footprint in filmmaking history. Its concept alone (what if a monster attacked a major city and someone happened to capture it on their Handycam?) is the first semi-fresh idea to come out of Hollywood since its sibling, The Blair Witch Project (1999). Top that off with imaginative literary choices, realistic characters and flawless effects, and the movie sets a new bar for the monster movie genre.
Unlike many modern films, Cloverfield succeeds on a small scale first. Twenty minutes before the mysterious monster (which is wisely kept secret from those who haven’t seen the movie) is mentioned, we are intimately introduced to the main characters. Here, the filmmakers score their first point by casting Hollywood newcomers to all the lead roles, thereby preventing our perspective from being distorted by star power. Through the camera lens of twenty-something-year-old Robert Hawkins (Michael Stahl-David) we get a glimpse into the personal lives of his friends and his possible love interest (Odette Yustman), proving that they are flesh and blood human beings and not disposable mannequins. We are made to care about their fates before their lives are put on the line. And placing us in the lone perspective of their video camera transforms us into one of them.
Then, the monster attacks. And devastatingly so. Though the creature design seems vaguely familiar, it is certainly a nice alternative to the typical giant gorilla or lizard. It proceeds to destroy the city formulaically, but unlike most monster movies, Cloverfield decentralizes its beast. Instead of focusing on its rampage, the film centers on the characters’ struggle to rescue a friend and flee the city with their lives. Each time one of them is lost, it’s an emotional event for them as well as us.
Luckily, the terror and adrenaline are balanced out by bits of humor from the cast, especially cameraman, Hud (T.J. Miller). Even when things look bleak, there are laughs to be had (Example: Someone, when seeing the monster for the first time, shouts, “What is that?!” Hud responds, “I don’t know. Something terrible.”)
Even aspects as miniscule as the irony in Robert’s final statement, “If you’re watching this, then you know more than we do,” elevate Cloverfield to greatness. All the small things we get, which are usually forgotten in creature features, prove that even special effect extravaganzas can have depth. Kudos to you, Mr. Abrams! I only wish Hud knew how to hold a camera steadily.
-Anthony Kozlowski
