What’s that coming over the hill, is it a monster? (Cloverfield thoughts)
Nov 23rd, 2008 by Los Havros
It sure is, Bob- one heck of a monster.
Sorry to be so abstract, but these are just some thoughts of mine on Cloverfield. For some reason I hadn’t gone to the cinema to see this, it happens. I don’t neccessarily go to see every film out there, although I admit I do try. Heck- even though I know it’s supposed to be decent, I haven’t even seen Quantum of Solace yet!
Anyhow, when walking around HMV one fine day (it was probably raining to be honest), I felt compelled to pick up Cloverfield on DVD and buy it. I’d heard mixed reviews: some thought it was the second coming, whereas others thought it was generic and sub-par. I thought I’d give it a go anyway.
To be quite honest I was initially totally shocked with the opening. It felt suffocating, being restricted to one solitary camera- a shaky one at that (hand-held camcorder). I was also thinking ‘this sucks’ right from the beginning, and right the way through the party- watching and listening to some kind of mindless drivel from all of the guests and especially the guy holding the camcorder. What a tool.
Yes, very boring right up until the point where… something happens. From this point onwards in the film, and right until the bitter end- the whole camcorder perspective makes perfect sense. There’s a point in the film which reminds me of some of the finest moments of Halo and Starship Troopers. With a first-person viewpoint you are totally immersed in the film, and the film as a whole benefits enormously for it.
Again, I’m not going to go into too much detail here with regards to spoilers, but there’s a scene near the end that could have been done so much better. I’ve seen more emotive stuff like this on a Stargate SG-1 episode called ‘Heroes‘.
So, to kind-of conclude: Cloverfield is on the whole, and excellent film, but be prepared for a totally different viewpoint. I’m always interested in different cinematic styles and experiences (I found the film ‘Hero’ to be particularly good) but there absolutely must be a great story to back it up. And Cloverfield has just that, the story of a group of ordinary people trying to survive the carnage of a monster in New york City. Epic.
Anyone reading this seen Cloverfield? Thoughs? Agree? Disagree? Agree to disagree? Beg to differ?
Welcome to my personal blog where I ramble on about PS3-related gaming matters and other snippets that interest me. 
Yeah I saw this film. For some reason my school took me to see it (?).
It is an amazing film, but it is better to watch it on DVD, as when your is the cinema, you can see nothing else but the film, and the jerky camera movements starts to make you feel slightly ill (me being sensitive to these things threw up on my teacher).
I’m glad you think it’s an amazing film. Everyone else thought it was rubbish, and has had really bad reviews recently, but the whole camcorder thing gives it a unique edge which I love.
5 Star brilliant film.
Aiwi.
Xx.
Hey, thanks for commenting. Much appreciated!
With regards to the shaky camera work, I think it adds to the feeling and sense of realism that it was recorded on a camcorder. Personally, whilst shaky, I don’t believe this film is the best/worst (whichever way to you want to look at it!) example of shaky camera work.
I believe The Bourne Ultimatum to have WAY too much shakiness- so much so, that half the time I couldn’t see what was going on as the cameraman seemed to be having an epileptic fit.
I loved Cloverfield as well! The camera work in Quantum of Solace was a lot worse than in Cloverfield. I think that was one of the best things about the film – using a different camera style made what could have been a lame, Godzilla style rip-off, into a truly thrilling experience. Another thing I loved about the film was how it showed the psychological aspects of a horrific event, how different people acted (hiding, running, looting, attacking, crying etc) and I can’t wait for the sequel!
I totally agree with you about Cloverfield. I can’t yet comment on Quantum of Solace; I’m going to watch it this upcoming weekend and will get back to you with my thoughts!