You have to be logged in to comment! If you don't have an account register now for free! Your account allows you to post comments and reviews, upload videos and images, access or our forums, write personal blogs, and maintain your profile.
After finally deciding to watch this film, I'm happy to say I was very impressed.
The home camera idea (similar to Quarantine and REC) was actually well done. The recording of the film and how much it moved, made it feel like it was a home film.
The acting surprisingly wasn't that bad. Although I do think it could have been improved.
Blood and gore was minimum (considering the fact it's PG-13) but even though you could only see a couple of seconds, the scene where one of the main characters explodes was entertaining.
The storyline was definitely different but still well done.
Overall to me it's a good film and I hope you feel the same way. My score: 9/10
A handycam done right is a handycam that looks realistic. This is the main point of using this concept.
Try to film while you run & walk and you'll see that Cloverfield (Blair Witch, Rec & Quarantine) is way better executed than this last Romero piece of shit that some of you praised in your comments.
I love the shaky cam flicks, but this one just doesn't hold up. But I do hope that the sequel comes out for the people that enjoyed it. They can get that, and I'll get [Rec]2, and we can all be happy.
Overhyped vomit inducing joke!If you get motion sick easy don't bother.A great Idea but the execution is terrible.Yes the monsters in the subway are cool and the main creature is cool when you can focus on it.The handycam is terrible the acting is even more terrible.Your glad when these terrible actors bite the farm.If you want to see handycam done right watch Romero's Diary Of The Dead.Fuck this piece of Shit!Hopefully the sequel decides to use a a Tripod.
Posted By: Verbal Kint at 9:40pm, November 4, 2009
Watched it but didn't really fet into it I liked the host better.
Posted By: DrunkDrawing at 12:14am, September 29, 2009
This was pure genius...cant quite tell you why but this movie was addictive as hell. Focusing on looking realistic as possible. The hand held cam has never been used more successfully. May not be very scary, but what is? But it grabs you and makes you wanna see whats next...when will that be?
Posted By: ShadowHuntr at 1:32am, September 7, 2009
I love this movie. As far as horror it's so-so but it makes a wonderful popcorn movie with a compelling plot and inventive viral marketing. Also, I'm a sucker for such a cute monster. <3
i enjoy movies that are shot like this. makes it feel more real and personally, i think it's scarier. i wish we could have seen the actual monster better, but i still enjoyed myself.
Lets start off by saying amazing. I followed this movie for about year or more before its elease and was there for a midnight showing. This movie is what influenced me to start writing movies and i have even come up witha sequel idea to this. I cannot wait for j.j. abrams to make a cloverfield 2, wether that be a prequel, contiuation, or from the view of a differet attack in a a diffrent location other than manhatten
I didn't know anything about this film before I watched it except that it was about some kind of monster attack on NYC. I have not been on the edge of my seat during a film so much for years. What a intense and to quote *freakin scary* film from start to finish. Made all the better by the fact that you don't know where the monster comes from or anything about it and you don't get the stock hollywood, america saves the day *happy ending*
How I wish I had seen it when it camne out on the big screen now ...
I loved this movie it was a little dizzy at some points it was kinda like a blair witch with the cam it was a good good movie i can not wait until cloverfield 2 comes out i would like to see were going to go with this one
This is the kind of movie you crave to watch in theaters. That first explosion and that first roar is something that needs to be felt.
Some will argue that the beginning is "slow." That is stupid, it is all about character development. Some will say that the camera guy was annoying. Not to me! He was the leading character in my eyes, just because he is supposed to represent the viewer. And some of the best moments are when Hud is videotaping during the party and his famous announcement in the subway tunnels.
This is one of those monster movies that will be forever remembered, and surely remade in thirty years!
Posted By: horrorbuff28 at 11:44am, August 1, 2009
the best creature movie ever made.
it was intense and freakin scary.
the clover was so inventive and the destruction of this film was absolutely magnificnet.
one of my favorite horror movies.
if your a fan of the blair witch project or REC, you will sure love this movie.
ok so i just recently saw this movie for the first time even though its been sitting on my computer for like months. This was a very intense movie. that thing was Fucken UGLY!! seriously. all i gotta say is thank god i dont live in that city.
This is like Godzilla meets Alien. It's amazing. The effects are superb and it scared the hell out of me. I saw it twice in the theatre. One hell of a movie experience.
One hell of a ride. This movie lets you feel what it would be like to experience a wholey unbelievable event, and it really is an experience. If you have a nice home theater setup all the better for this flick, and if you have the ability I recommend the Blu-Ray version much more than the DVD. The BD comes with a feature exclusive to it, called enhanced viewing mode which gives you a lot of supplement info on the events in the film. This feature really takes the movie to another level & if you saw it & didn't like it, I'd recommend trying it again with the enhanced viewing mode, it's a whole different level.
where do I start...ohh here we are. Cloverfield pulled it off! After the wreckage the Blair Witch project created, Cloverfield managed to pull first person films out of the gutter. Matt Reeves had it right, where is America's monster? Here we go and when you really think about it this monster also known as "clover" is the toughest creature the world has ever seen. "Clover" took thousands of hits and still didn't die. My favorite aspect of this film is that they weren't afraid to show the crowd the monster, you see it up close and personal. This is a great film I remember this is the only movie I watched for a straight month!
The review from the newspaper I write movie columns for:
What is “Cloverfield”?
This is usually the first question to come from anyone’s mouth when they hear about the Paramount and Bad Robot film directed by Drew Goddard and produced by the up-and-coming J.J. Abbrams (TV’s “Alias” and “Lost”). “Cloverfield” is the government-issued nickname for the videotape found in Manhattan Island, New York after a giant monster attacks the city. That answers that question.
Now, what is “Cloverfield”?
“Cloverfield” is the creative, suspenseful, monster movie starring Michael Stahl-David, Jessica Lucas (“The Covenant”), Lizzy Caplan (“Mean Girls”), Odette Yustman (“Transformers”), and a 300-foot-tall monster. I watched the movie opening night, after waiting six months for its release, and was immediately astounded by the delicacy with which this movie was made. It is not anything like most movies, and while the majority of the people I have talked to thought this movie was really great, there are those who disagree because of these differences.
Some would say the movie gave no answers. I will again tell you that the movie is told exactly as it was “recorded” by the people who experienced the attack. If a monster were to attack our city right now, we would not have any answers as to why or what it is, just that we would want to survive. And therein lies another difference to most movies that is almost unique to “Cloverfield”: the realism.
The camera was shaky, yes, but if you are running away from a giant monster, are you really going to have a steady-cam? If the statue of liberty’s head was torn off, most likely people would not run screaming, they would get out their cell phones and take pictures. “Cloverfield” deals with such realizations as these with seriousness that it sacrifices the steady-cam and the mindless, screaming people and gives us the technologically advanced generation.
The beginning was long and boring some might say. Keep in mind, this is supposed to be a real videotaping. Meaning that when the characters in the movie got up that morning, they did not plan on having a monster attack, they planned on documenting their friend’s going-away party. Also, this first twenty minutes serves to do something else movies nowadays don’t do: character development. This movie actually cares enough to have 3 dimensional characters and not a bunch of dimwits running around getting scared. They seemed more like real people and less like actors.
The creators of this Monster movie even went out of their way to bring even more depth to this film than some may have noticed, for instance the movie is 80 minutes long; the length of an average video camera tape. Pay close attention to the last scene of the movie: it gives you some of those answers you were looking for (and when I say pay close attention I don’t just mean on the actors, I mean on the entire frame). Stick around for the end of the credits, they sneak in a tidbit just to let you know what the outcome of the attack is.
This movie is so much more than most of the movies Hollywood produces today, and while it may not be the best, the most expensive, or the scariest ever, it sure delivers what it came to, and I can safely count it as one of my favorites.
Half and half.
Bad Things:Blair Witch wannabe, green screen overload, not enough violence, and stupid Beth girl was still alive.
Good things:, few mega intense scenes, the footage at the end, the subway scene, Marleena, and the storries of a few survivors fighting to get out done very nicely.
Damn that camera has a lot of memory and an assload of battery.
I don't know about this film. Seeing it in the theater gave me a pounding headache and kind of made me a little sick with the camcorder moving around all the time. I didn't hate it, but I just really didn't like it that much..
This movie was alright, just really overrated. After the Blair Witch Project used the first person camera technique and got all popular for it, of course there are going to be more just like it, this movie is one of those.
This movie is like a mix of Blair Witch, cause of the camera (or should I say Cannibal Holocaust because they originally did the first person camera thing), and Godzilla, oh I wonder why Godzilla. Just don't buy into the hype of this movie, it really isn't all that good and it will probably give you motion sickness if your sitting too close.
The only real reason I gave this movie a 5/10 is because im a sucker for first person camera movies :D. SO, i guess this gets a 5/10 even though it, to me, deserves alittle lower. 5/10~
Brilliant. From the execution, to the scares, to the marketing. Nothing short of sheer adrenaline. I can't think of a more appropriate popcorn movie. The camcorder style makes it feel so much more real and intense.
Regardless of whether or not you're one of those pansies who gets "camera sick", you can still appreciate it for being one of the greatest monster attacks city movies ever made.
I loved this movie, i went in having fairly high expectation, and i was happy. it was fun, had lots of excitement and i complety loved the ending, most realistic thing that could have happened to them.
I'm not a big fan of the hand held "shakycam" style of film-making, so I had my reservations against this. When I learned that JJ Abrams was involved I became more optimistic, because I am a big fan of Lost and Fringe. The movie was far better than what I had expected from a giant monster movie and the "docu" style actually worked in its favor. A decent and entertaining monster movie.
Look out Godzilla, look out Kong, heres Clovey!! This movie had the best advertisement I've ever seen for a film. It was fun as hell tryin to find out what the hell that monster was. Something different and refreshing in the genre, hope the sequel comes out soon.
This is a masterpiece. I think one of the reason’s the film did so well was the way the promoted it. They didn’t release it’s name until the very last second of screening and instead it was called 1.18.08. This was a smart move by Matt Reeves.
The directing was so well done and the style of how it’s filmed was so accurate. The monster looked so real and the actors looked as if it was happening.
The plot is something you pick up on straight-away as at first it’s a nice gentle ride and then the scaring begins.
When i saw this i’d never seen an ad for it, i just rocked up to the cinemas and saw the poster. The poster is what really hooked me. The cinema was quiet the whole time and no-one i recall left for potty run or food binges.
The acting was believable and the casting crew were smart in casting relatively unknown actors. The only ones i really recognise were Lizzy Caplan (Mean Girls) and Mike Vogel (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre).
Overall it is a superb thriller that will put you on the edge of your seat. Its a great date movie because there’s alot of jump-out-of-seat scenes that will scare the heck out of you.
My Rating- 4/5.
this movie is quite frankly one of the best creature movies i have ever seen. Second to only the alien franchise and predator. Everything about the movie was great, and i cant wait for a damn sequel
Posted By: nitewise84 at 3:45pm, February 14, 2009
The look of this movie was awesome, it gave me a little headache. I look forward to a sequel!
I enjoyed this movie. It was a new aprouch to the monster movies of yesterday. This movie was verry solid even though the the first person aprouch is passay but I thought this movie was completely bananas. I also enjoyed the going away party at the begining of the movie with the guy holding the camera spreading rumors. This movie was verry creative and refreshing. I think that it was a deffinate facelift on the monster movies of yesterday.
When I went to go see Transformers, I walked away from that film with two very particular things on mind. 1) I want a Camaro. 2) What the hell was that trailer all about?
Over the following months, I was one who followed the viral campaign. I watched as different ties ins such as slusho and tagruato were tied into this very mysterious film. In the days prior to the film, they came out with these shadow shots of the creature, which only served to build the suspense of the film.
When I finally saw it, I LOVED IT. From the handheld camera to HUD's stupid comments to the first really shot of Clover, this movie really hooked me in and kept me there.
The only real problem I had with the movie was the beginning. With 20 some minutes of character build up, I really couldn't help but roll my eyes. But when held up with the rest of this monumental film, it was well worth it.
I can only hope that this film is the one to revitalize the monster movie franchise, one film franchise that I think has not been treated kindly over the past forever. Cheers J.J. Abrams, you made finally made something I throughly enjoyed.
i love j.j. abrams for his ability to bring originality to unoriginal ideas, and i hate abrams for his lack of ability in bringing satisfying closure to said ideas. this seems to be a consistent theme in all his work. he takes a worn out idea, spy dramas(alias), cheesy monster movies(cloverfield), sci-fi mysteries(lost), and makes them ridiculously interesting early on. but the problem with his originality is that it's so original, that even he can't tie up all the lose ends in a satisfying or believeable way. alias' first season was awesome. but the second season and on, not only slope downward continually, but random and nonsensical twists are thrown in just for shits. same for lost. i love lost season 1, and 2, while not as good as 1, is still entertaining as the train hasn't completely gone off the rails yet. but lost season 3, and on, abrams seems to just be pulling random shit out of his ass in an attempt to keep the audience interested in his never going to be solved mysteries.
my bad, this has been more of a review of his tv shows then cloverfield, but i believe all his work is related. all his projects start out awesome, and ridiculously interesting, then just kind of get wrapped and lost in it's own mythology. cloverfield isn't terrible, but it's not good. i didn't care about any of the people. i didn't like the monster, that was a let down in terms of creativity at the end, it just looks like a slightly different version of a classic raptor. i hated how there was closure in no way. we don't know where the monster came from,or how it got here, or even if it's still alive by the end of the movie. i hated the final send off from the two main characters at the end. only thing i can't really complain about is the camera. i don't mind the hand held, i actually prefer it in disaster/apocalypse movies as it comes off like documentary footage and adds to the realism. one last thing that irritated me, why was the statue of liberty's head so small? i mean i know not everyone lives in the tri state area of ny/nj/pa like i do, but it's not like its a tri state secret that you used to be able to go on a tour through the statue of liberty, including her head. so her head's big enough to hold dozens of tourists, but it's the same size as a minivan? why that inaccurate? they weren't a little off, the statue of liberty's head was literally as small as a minivan. didn't someone on any level notice this before post production? anyway, like another recent blockbuster, 300, this movie wasn't terrible, but it was ridiculously overrated.
Posted By: WickedIrish at 7:39pm, January 25, 2009
Can J.J. Abrams do any wrong?
Posted By: JigSAWJunkie at 10:45pm, January 16, 2009
I heard nothing but great things about this film, I had known some people to even watch it multiple times in theaters.. but I am sorry, I think this movie was horrible. When I watch a "scary/horror" movie.. I WANT to see whats so scary.. this movie didn't focus enough on the "bad guy" for my taste..
Posted By: MikeIsEvil at 11:41pm, January 15, 2009
What a fantastic movie. Was surprised it surpassed the hype(atleast for me) asI was going into the theater not expecting much after reading some poor reviews on it. My my did it surpass my expectations. Style is great(worked well with the idea), realistic acting, great effects and awsome monster. You can tell this was put together with the thought of making a great movie instead of just a cheap cash in. I praice JJ Abrahms and Matt Reeves. Hell, I aplaud everyone and everything that had to do with this movie. Fantastic.
Frankly I was disappointed with this movie. It never lived up to all the hype in my opinion and I do feel this movie is overrated. With that being said it is still an enjoyable film.
Posted By: AshWilliams95 at 6:28am, December 27, 2008
I thought that cloverfield was pretty good, not one of the best horror movies I've seen but still enjoyable. The monster looked awesome and I liked the idea of the hand help cam that really showed the events through the characters point of view. It reminded me of the blair witch project with all the hype and the hand help cam view. But the blair which project was just a bunch of fucking bullfuck. The actors displayed their characters well and for the most part the acting was good. The ending was great, after all that trouble, survival and struggle just to be killed, I was pissing myself laughing at the thought. It was good the monster was cgi because if it wasn't this movie would have been the worst thing ever. The monster looked real and I loved the part where you see the statue of liberty's head come smashing into the road and crushing cars. Some of the camera angles in this movie pissed me off because I couldn't really see shit but that did add to the realism and the suspense a bit. The scene in the dark tunnel was awesome, the cam was switched on to night vision and that looked wicked. The atmosphere of the whole movie was great and certain moments were filled with suspense. Overall this movie was fairly good and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The actors did a good performance and everything looked realistic, but it did not live up to all the hype about it. I give cloverfield 7/10.
Posted By: blood_rules1 at 1:12am, December 22, 2008
This movie was simply phenomenal. It definently changed my life. It lived up to it's 1 1/2 year hype. Odette Yustman was sexy as she always is. This movie was amazing. I loved it.
Not enough monster for my liking plus crap acting. It's deninately NOT a 'horror movie'
Posted By: alienfetus at 3:09am, November 11, 2008
Watching the movie for the first time, I was blown away. The acting is pretty hum drum, but the story and the perspective, especially in a post 911 world (God I hate typing that, but it's true), gives this film a lot of momentum. The shaky handycam gives off a pretty good showing of the character's point of view while at the same time hiding the monster's flaws and making it and its lice monsters seem pretty scary. My biggest problem was how jokey the characters acted in such a disaster, well, that and the acting could have been better.
When I watch the movie at home on DVD (2nd time around), I was underwhelmed. The shock and awe of seeing things go boom and people go splat wasn't enough to keep me from seeing just how crappy the CGI monster(s) turned out to be. See, now I could pause and examine...
Anyways, I really liked the movie. It's a somewhat original spin on the monster/disaster sub-genre, and in a time when we're neck deep in remakes and shitty teeny bopper flicks...it's a breath of fresh air.
Posted By: Fridaythe13th at 10:21pm, November 5, 2008
AMAZING!!! The shaky camera is what made the movie! If you got sick because of the camera then there is something wrong with you. Without the shaky camera this movie would have just been good, but with it it was amazing! Made it completely realistic.
Posted By: horrorfan25 at 8:29pm, November 5, 2008
Cloverfield is the perfect monster movie. They showed the monster at the right times and even without the monster it was entertaining. The shaky camera was making me dizzy, but was still in the beginning. Overall I loved Cloverfield and is one of the years best horror films.
Posted By: ajbonine69 at 10:57pm, October 29, 2008
I liked this movie more than I thought I would. Besides some of the more absurd parts, it was very realistic (unlike a lot of films that rely on computer-generated monsters). It seemed like The Mist in the city minus any mist. The shaky cam didn't bother me, but it could have been smoother so as other audience members didn't get seasick from the constant shaking. Otherwise it showed what I would expect in a disaster situation, people making stupid decision based more on emotion than logic.
Posted By: thedescent08 at 2:05pm, October 27, 2008
Posted By: Protecious at 12:37pm, September 30, 2008
Finally a good monster movie that is actually freaking good, after a ten year suffer of the 1998 godzilla piece of garbage that was, we finally found new hope in a new monster, created for the usa, and by the way I wasnt a huge fan of "the host" which is another monster film, but from another country, but this one tops all giant monster movies ive ever seen, a fun intense very powerful and realistic feeling film that when you see in a theater is amazing with sound effects and you feel your there with them, experiencing what they are. a masterpiece of film making that is rare with the giant monster movies!
Posted By: roostergore at 8:03pm, September 28, 2008
Take Blair Witch, the original Godzilla, Alien, the original War of the Worlds and mix it up and you do not get this. Unmix all of those movies and enjoy any one of them over this over-hyped cash cow.
Posted By: MrHorrorfest at 5:59pm, September 24, 2008
It was suspenseful in a sense because the monster wasn't shown for such a long time then seeing the monster was somewhat of a disappointment. I'm thinking it would have been better if they didn't show it at all maybe? I enjoyed how it was filmed through the eyes of the public.. the people who had no idea what the hell was going on and with that, became suspense, room for imagination and some edge. 6/10
Posted By: bloodycarrot at 9:40pm, September 23, 2008
I thought that for a creature feature, it was dissapointing on the creature aspect... I wanted to see the big monster that destroys New York, not the wierd mutated spider things that fell off of it... Although i almost vomited because of the constant shaking, but eh, it is a PoV...
As for entertainment value, i liked it. The story made me think, as it is a baby monster that is just confused and wandering around.
It was worth the wait, and the constant internet marketing attacks, so, yeah...
And im sorry, but it is never a good idea to climb up 50 stories to jump to a falling building to save a girl that might not even be there!
Posted By: bloodycarrot at 9:40pm, September 23, 2008
I thought that for a creature feature, it was dissapointing on the creature aspect... I wanted to see the big monster that destroys New York, not the wierd mutated spider things that fell off of it... Although i almost vomited because of the constant shaking, but eh, it is a PoV...
As for entertainment value, i liked it. The story made me think, as it is a baby monster that is just confused and wandering around.
It was worth the wait, and the constant internet marketing attacks, so, yeah...
And im sorry, but it is never a good idea to climb up 50 stories to jump to a falling building to save a girl that might not even be there!
I was expecting a creature feature,something kind of scary, and saw something completely different.
I honestly wondered for a bit if it was directed by a 3 year old, filmed by a 2 year old, and cast by a 6 year old.
Unfortunately, I don't see a way on this site to give something a negative rating....
the movie was shot in HD so it Completely ruins any notion of reality witch is the whole fuckin point of the POV sub genre isn't it?!
the acting (with the exception of Lizzy Kaplan) was so forced
absolutely nothing in this movie is believable or even logical. everything is completely forced and convoluted its baffling how dumb these people are im just glad they all die in the end.
the monster was interesting but ultimately dissapointing and not the least bit memorable
Posted By: Darkstorn at 10:18pm, September 20, 2008
This movie just isn't that good. If you wanna see a POV movie, just see The Blair Witch Project.
Made me completely sea-sick, and also made me vomit at one point. Around the scene where the girl explodes, I blew chunks onto the guy in front of me in the theater. That's the first time a movie has ever made me do that and it is also the last time. The camera was too shaky and while it was a worth while endevor to try something new, it just didn't work for me.
I liked how the tape was taping over a previous recording of Rob and Beth, the scene at the end on the ferris wheel was a great ending. I liked how Marlena became infected and started throwing up blood. The monster was pretty cool, the cgi on the spider things looked a little crappy at times. It was an overall good movie EXCEPT it stumbled under the enormously weight of it's stupidity. Rob was a complete idiot and his friends were even dumber for following him. There comes a point where you'd have to stop and say you can't go on. Walking up around 50 flights of stairs to a girl who could have been dead was unforgivibly foolish. Maybe it was that the character's acting wasn't enough to pull the foolish plot through, maybe it was the writing. The characters had many oppertunities to be smarter, like carring a weapon for example (Rob had a crowbar once) which they never did. After all the crap they had to go through, all unforgivibly stupid things they ended up doing, they end up dying. I feel bad for what I think this movie could have been with just a few changes, like eliminating the many dumb lines like, "burning homeless people."
Posted By: Sushi Zombie at 10:15pm, August 24, 2008
Saw it
Loved it
bought a shirt from it :P
the movie is incredibley enjoyable, much like a rollercoaster ride, you want to go on itt again when it is over.
This was a pretty good idea using the camcorder but alot of people would have liked it better shot like other movies. Good movie but wish there were more shots of the little monsters killing.
Hugely enjoyable, edge of your seat, top notch entertainment. This film works, sure there are a few silly bits but only a real cinema bore would let that bother them. The monster movie dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st centuary and done to perfection. Cinematic pleasure at it's absolute finest.
Anyone who doesn't enjoy this ought to lighten up!
I know its cool to do the old camera shaking shit at the minute but for fuck sake STOP ALREADY ! fuck , not only that but even if the film had been done with a normal no shakes camera what a shit film bad rip off of godzilla but with more creepy little shits runing around im just happy i didnt pay to see the fucker , save your time stick your head down the crapper .
This movie sucked! It gave me a headache from all the camera movement. When they were in the tunnels they were just making small talk about bullshit when the city above them was being destroyed. Corny and shitty if you ask me. Stick to t.v. JJ.
I saw Cloverfield the other night. I thought it was pretty good. I liked the director's style of filming this picture. You felt like you were among the screaming population running from this creature. The small creatures running around and attacking people made me think of the face-huggers from the Alien films. I'll add this one to my horror vault. "It bit his head off...like a gingerbread man"----From Beyond.
So, first of all, I will just say that no matter how much someone posts their opinion, it doesn't make it any stronger. It may just make it more annoying to get around.
ANYHOW. I can get how people can get p*ssed off. The monster isn't on screen that much, the camera moves too much and sometimes doesn't show what the audience really wants to see, the monster isn't so impressive, blah blah blah. But once you hear the director's side of everything, it makes so much more sense. The movie was shot from one group's point of view so that the opportunity for a sequel could present itself. Also, one has to understand the view of the film. The movie isn't about the creature. The movie is about how people react when a monster spontaneously attacks the city.
So, if you knew the entire backstory to the movie as I did, and if you knew the purpose of every single detail of the movie like I did... The this movie is pretty damn spiffy.
I enjoyed greatly, and I hope others did too.
And I swear, I didn't obsess over the movie for no reason. I was bored.
one of the best movies I have seen and been a part of. Thats right a part of. I say that because watching this movie makes you feel 100% involved in the story witch is the most important part to a movie. Everything all the way to the viral promotion on the net was perfect.
pretty good movie the camera didnt really bother me like people said it did but i guess its diffrent for everyone i didnt think i was going to like it but i did
Great movie i really didnt think this would be so scary and suspenseful(since its a PG13 movie)the actors are really good,good story,good director good everything
This movie was such a huge disappointment on so many levels. There were plot inconsistencies all over, the creature was only on screen for a total of, what, 2 minutes?!?! Hello, it's a CREATURE FEATURE! I get the whole handheld camera, cinema verite thing...but c'mon. It was so annoying and I found myself trying to see around things, wishing the person with the camera would move the damn thing to wherever the action was. Overall definitely not worth all the hype.
This movie would have been so much more effective if they had never shown the entire "monster". I laughed when they showed the full thing. it looks like they stole SFX props from The Mist and War of the Worlds (tom cruise version). I have a few problems with it. Like how that girl could have been impaled by that steel rod and yet somehow magically stays alive and is even able to run with the rest of the group. But overall I actually like it.
I really wanted to see this movie, because there hasn't been a lot of good horror movies going around lately. I heard that this one is a real hit. I was disappointed.
I should start by adding that this isn't a bad movie. It's like Godzilla from first person view, but it's much better. However, it isn't a horror movie at all. I expected big scares and creepy monsters, but I was let down.
So the movie itself isn't bad, but if you're looking for something spooky, than get another movie, 'cause you won't wet your pants watching this one.
i believe cloverfield was a great movie. i usually am very picky about movies and this is one of the only movies that i seen twice. i think all the hype surrounding cloverfield really did help the movie out. also the mystery around the movie was great. jj abrams did a great job on keeping the plot unknown til about 2 weeks before it came out. as for the movie itself it wasfull of suspenese and great visuals. the camera really looked like a average joe picked it up and filmed it.the camera really made you feel like you were there. as for the horror meter goes. its not really that much scary. the only part that spooked me and was probally the most intense part in the movie was when the characters are in the subway station and the parasites come and crash there nice stroll underground. all in all cloverfield is definetly worse a 7 dollor movie ticket. as for the sequel goes. dont woorry about the ending scene worry about the first alternate ending on the dvd.
what made this movie so good was not the monster but the characters and the camera and the intensity of the movie. i have never left the theater feeling so intense b4 in my life and i went back to that movie twice 2 get that feeling but i only got that feeling the 1stbtime. this movi was the best horror or any movie 2 come out this year.
So, I liked this movie. Some people said it was bad. I went anyways. Very good monster. Wanted to see more of it. I did feel a little nauseated during and after the movie, but overall, I liked it.
I hate clichés. I hate when Hollywood takes a story that everyone has known since they were old enough to use the toilet and people think it’s utterly amazing. As far as horror movies go, that includes everything from Disturbia to Sweeney Todd. I am shocked—REALLY shocked— to say that list does not include Cloverfield.
Yes, you’ve heard the story before. (Well, as far as this movie goes, that is. Who knows what the final plot will end up being.) But when it comes to this movie, really, who cares?
The only thing I can compare the way this movie made me feel to was the original Alien. The characters were as realistic as really being at a real party. The camera just simply adds yet another added layer of realism. The plot was realistic, as I would have done nothing different than the main characters. I never once would have thought I would be writing the word “Hollywood” and “realism” anywhere near the same sentence.
The whole adventure is just awesome when I look back at it. I feel like I just witnessed some of the coolest scenes ever captured on film—the bridge, the helicopter, “We have a bite!”, even the party.
I agree, this is a life changing movie. I’ll never think of movie intensity the same way again.
Seriously. Blair Witch Project meets powerful story. Great film. The camera was way too shaky but they did give the actor the camera so thats what you get.
I think its totally worth it. Just make sure you have aspirin with you.
First off everyone told me this movie sucked and not to see it. But I didnt listen and im so glad this movie is so cool. I loved everything about it except for the acting. The special effects were sweet and the creture was awesome. Great movie.
The POV is always a refreshing way to see a film (but, the shaky-cam made me ill)…if you get ill because of the shaky-cam technique I say watch the DVD at your house or computer.
I didn't like this movie at all it made me want to throw up and i got soo sick from the constent motion of the camera! the plot of te movie was good though but i mean honestly it was like a GIANT SHRIMP that attacked Manhattan so i was very disappointed
Posted By: slashersadie at 11:36pm, March 21, 2008
very different and well shot. Need home theatre to view the DVD, cannot wait.
Finally a monster moview that is not Godzilla, King Kong or any of the other old monsters. This movie is refreshing and inventive in that aspect.I find that the POV from a hand held cam simply adds to the suspense and horror but the ending seems to give us a no brainer hint that there just may be a sequal. ( I wanted the monster to go to the White House and destroy Bush.)I live in New York and I love it and this is the only way I want to see it destroyed, only in movies, and lately a lot of that has been happening, I am Legend is another example.
Posted By: kaufmanfan at 10:47pm, February 24, 2008
i liked this movie and thought it was very well done i have to give major props to J.J Abrams also for keeping this movie underwraps so long, it really helped with the magic!!
Posted By: MurderCapital at 7:18pm, February 15, 2008
Once again, a Hollywood movie with a lot of hype before it's release. Does it live up to it? Well, I tried to stay away from reading about "Cloverfield" just so I wouldn't get caught in any hype, and I guess I was pretty lucky doing so. This is more or less just the american Godzilla movie mixed with the filming 'style' of "The Blair Witch Project", a gigantic monster invading New York with a group of people recording the happenings with a simple cam recorder. Sure the movie has some good special effects and good 'monster destroying things' scenes, but everything is surrounded by this dull group of people that are so unrealistic in their roles. Cause if one guy's girlfriend is slowly dying in a apartment with it's walls blown off you just have to go help her and bring all your friends even if the US army is about to nuke the place, yeah it doesn't ring true to me either. Maybe worth seeing ONCE, but be sure to know that it's all filmed in first view with a cam recorder so you might get 'sea sick'.
I just got back from my opening night viewing of J.J. Abrams' new project, Cloverfield (as if you couldn't tell from my title). First off, I've just got to say that I find myself a little surprised at the fact that a monster movie was cooked up by the guys behind Felicity (Abrams and Cloverfield director Matt Reeves).
http://www.cloverfieldmovie.com/
Even more sursprising is that they pulled if off and they pulled it off really well. Let me say it: this movie was excellent.
There are a lot of people out there who are still in the dark on what this flick is. Don't get me wrong, people aren't stupid; its just that the marketing on this film was incredibly dodgy. Here's the gist: a monster is attacking New York City and we get to see it the events through a camcorder carried by one member of a group of survivors. 1998 gave us Roland Emmerich's Godzilla and the following year we were introduced to the groundbreaking Blair Witch Project. Is this a new hybrid of both? Let me clear this up right now. If you are going in expecting that kind of result, you'd be both right and wrong. Confused? I thought as much. I see now that I must clarify further. Stick with me.
The film is shot 100% by your everyday camcorder. This isn't a steady-cam moving through a set; one of the actors carries the camera through the streets, recording what he sees... what he experiences. I'll warn you, the footage gets so chaotic at times that motion sickness can occur. Regardless, I suggest, nay, I implore you to see this movie.
Let me give you a "quick" rundown of the plot. Well, actually the plot is actually a fairly thin one. Rob (Michael Stahl-David) is moving to Japan to start his new job. His friends, as a going away present, decide to throw him a party and document it all for his own personal viewing whilst overseas. Hud (T.J. Miller), Rob's best friend and the comic relief (with a name gamers might find the humor in), takes up the camcorder and becomes our eyes. To Rob's dismay, the "documentary" is being shot on his own camera, over the top of a very special tape. This may sound dull but it has an impact on the events of the film so bear with me. From there Rob's love interest, Beth (Odette Yustman), shows up. Things between the two get heated, Beth leaves, Rob is upset, basically its a teeny soap opera in the making. Boring, right? Wrong. From this point on the shit hits the fan. The power goes out, things start exploding, buildings start collapsing, death and destruction is the name of the game (for more details, see trailer). Rob, with Hud, a handful of loyal comrades, and aspirations of heroic deeds, decides to go after Beth (hey, love conquers all). I think we all see where this is going.
What is interesting is that, for a monster movie, the monster isn't seen all that much. At least not in the beginning. This film, always with our main cast of survivors, is always about our main cast of survivors. Don't you worry though, dull this movie isn't. Let me show you.
What could be more intersting than pretty, rich people living the high-life in NYC? The monster? Ah, yes, the monster. What is it, you ask? Who knows? No, seriously, I don't. Is it explained? Negative. This is part of the genius behind this film. Not knowing makes it that much more realistic. You are the survivors. You know what they know (absolutely nothing). You see what they see (a lot of "Oh fuck!" moments). What you see of the monster is, at first, not much at all. It's big but, as many others have stated, it is beyond description. In the beginning we are teased with fleeting gilmpses of said beastie, nothing more. As the movie rolls on we see more of it. I watched the whole movie, from the opening previews to the end of the credits, and I am still at a loss for words if asked to describe it. I saw it, dead center in front of the camera in all its horrifying glory, and still cannot tell you what it was. For any of you that have read H.P. Lovecraft and his descriptions of the Ancient Ones, this is what he was talking about; a horror that is beyond description. It can be seen but never relayed. You have to see it for yourself.
But wait! There's more! As if one giant beastie wasn't enough, it has lice. No, not literal lice, but it does have some sort of parasites the fall from its massive body. They are fast, they are viscious and oh are they deadly. I don't want to give much more away. Hopefully these tasty little morsels will tease you all into heading to the theater.
Let me say that again: I hope you all will head to the theater. This is definitely one to catch in theaters. Not just any theaters but the best at your disposal. The sound in this movie is amazing, almost deafening at times. Again, all to the film's benefit. You're not just viewing Cloverfield, you're experiencing it.
Seriously, if you have any love of monster movies, see this one. A human perspective of a Godzilla attack (but again, this is NOT Godzilla). Chilling, intense, and worth every penny, Cloverfield is not to be missed.
Posted By: TheGreaper773 at 4:15pm, February 5, 2008
such an amazing monster movie
Plot: holy crap...where did this go? anyways it really REALLY doesnt matter with this type of movie, all thats going through your head is "HOLY SH**!" and thats really all that counts....the way they made the back story for this was very well done...it litterally seems like just a typical regular day in the world, and then an Earthquake? woah...woah somethin aint right, there's not supposed to be earth quakes in NY!...and then a huge explosion? followed by the Statue Of Liberty's Head landing 10 feet next to you? ...INTENSE! and the entire time you feel like you're in the movie...i was on the Edge of my seat the entire time...and when i first saw that monster, chills went down my back...5/5
Gore: what happened? i heard that the creators wanted to shoot for a Hard "R" rating...why release a PG-13? oh man...i could see soo many awesome moments when people get stepped on and whatnot, there were some parts that were good (the guy on the table with his stomach removed)..actually...now that i think of it....that was only of the only gore parts...the gore really is not necessary in monster movies, so im gonna let this slide
Downfall: my father and alot of others will agree with me on this when i say "i felt like a was going to throw up watching that movie" i myself did not get motion sickness, i actually thought the shaky cam was what brought the movie to its fullest potential...but for those who have Motion Sickness Problems..this movie isnt for you...and thats a real bummer for some people
Closing Statements: all in all, this is just an amazing movie, and i beg you all to watch this in theaters before its gone..because the experience of watching Cloverfield is 10 times better on a HUGE A** screen...GO SEE THIS MOVIE!
Growing up watching monster movies with my grandfather, I can say that the teaser for this caught my eye and I hoped that it would be at least entertaining.
I was right.
Cloverfield is fun and entertaining. Some moments last too long, but that's in any movie. If you can, go see Cloverfield on the big screen. It's worth it.
For movie lovers, like my self, this is what groundbreaking, breathtaking cinema is all about.
Usually i get personally offended when someone does not like one particular movie, and i mean does great movies, by the great directors with great actors, and you ear - ah... it was ok... - you almost wanna kill them - what the hell is wrong with you ppl?
But then, there are this kinds of films, i just ask what they think, and i don't even feel that think inside of me, if they don't.
Because it's not your usual drama about that little girl that was lost, that mob guy and his story, that iconic musician, that fantastic story about that people and there strugle for freedom.
This is beyond your that... this requires one thing that most people don't have, Imagination.
One with imagination is one with an open mind, and ppl require and open mind if they ear - this is a movie about a monters attacking a city.
I read somewhere that the first 10 minutes or so, could be removed, that is the best part of the filme... why? Because it has nothing... but a 'Gossip Girl' kind of plot... and you get yourself into that just beacause you know that the real action is about to start... at any minute... now?
An you take your self into that simple story without intention, and you laugh with them, and you said - ouch that got to hurt, poor guy.
And then... the abyss comes...
No soundtrack, no slow motion. Just and entire city beeing dragged to an unknown lovecraftian nigtmare, and all of that is beeing watched by this simple camcorder. I was shaking the whole film, but not scared, i'm not easily scared, it was the adrenaline...
Cloverfield is a movie that you'll never be able to experience the same way the second or the third time. It immerses you in the situation you find the characters in, and makes you feel as if you are experiencing the events in the movie, rather than being a spectator watching the movie through a screen. The number one element in doing this is the shaky-camcorder style. Although this style was originated through The Blair Witch Project, the movie accommodating the style is much better here.
The movie follows a group of young adults throughout New York City, as they experience a monster destructing the city and killing countless amounts of people. Rob (Michael Stahl-David) wants to go find Beth (Odette Yustman), a girl he is in love with and who has a boyfriend. So, instead of dealing with things the safe way, he ventures out with a group of people who were at his going away party he was having when the monster struck to rescue Beth. When he and the group rescue Beth, they must escape the area they are in before the military blows it up to exterminate the monster. The general plot sounds very cliché and unoriginal, but the way it is executed is very good.
Despite being a monster movie, Cloverfield feels surprisingly real. Not in the monsters and New York being terrorized by them, but in the way this is executed. The characters react very realistically, and somehow I didn't once feel like saying "yeah right", which is a real accomplishment for a movie like this. It feels very human, which is more than I can say for the majority of monster movies. You constantly find yourself sympathizing with the characters, who are very good and real in this and you also wonder how you would react in a situation like this. The acting is pretty good for the most part despite a few problems, and will likely bring out a few of the unknowns in this movie.
Now, despite all I just said, what is one of the film's strongest points can also at times be its worst. The camera is so annoying in some parts I felt like throwing my popcorn at the screen. If you get motion sickness easily, this is something you definitely do not want to see on the big screen. I was on the verge of throwing up at some points and had a small headache afterwards from following that camera all over the place. The movie can be a bit hard to follow at times due to the camera's flying around. Even in the non-action scenes the camera just wouldn't stay still. The camera was actually operated by the actor 95% of the time according to the director, so that is an explanation. While the shaky-cam adds on to the realism most times, at others it just detracts from the experience.
Cloverfield is an effective monster movie (one of the best ones in a long time) and while not everyone will like it, it's worth at least one watch and is one of the best modern monster movies you'll find out there.
Posted By: cloverfielder at 1:17pm, February 3, 2008
There is rarely and sometimes never a movie that makes me want to go to the movie theater, and see it over, and over, and over. But this is one movie that makes me want to keep going back. Cloverfield is a very powerful movie. Now a days there are not a lot of amazing horror movies, let alone monster movies. The special effects were amazing, and they all looked very real. And i cant believe they pulled off using the shaky camera the whole time. I cant wait to see this on dvd.
THE HORROR HYPE METER Excited to see this movie? Rate it here!
