Cloverfield

Cloverfield is one of my favorite films of all time. Not only is the concept of creating a mysterious film that nobody knows about already something that peaks my interest to the extreme, but having said experience of finally watching that film for yourself and having an incredible time is the icing on the cake. This film tells a huge story in a small way. What would be the premise for an otherwise big budget blockbuster about a monster attacking New York, is told through the lens of a small camera. Therefore, we only see Clover (the monster) whenever Hud turns and captures either a slight glimpse or up close and personal look at it. The film virtually re-invented found footage, which essentially reached its peak at the time this film was made, and combined that with a genre that was long thought to be dead: the monster movie genre. Not to mention that Cloverfield takes the time to focus on and flesh out every single one of the main characters, and takes the incredibly bold risk of putting your human characters first and putting the monster and overall attack WAY in the background. The plot isn't to escape from a city under attack, the plot of Cloverfield centers around Rob trying to rescue his ex-girlfriend that's trapped in her apartment. This is a film all about broken relationships, and by the end of the film, all of the relationships have been rekindled. Beth and Rob are broken up and at a rough patch in their life together, but by the end of the film before the bridge collapses, they yell how much they love one another. Hud wants to be with Marlena, but she's obviously way out of his league. Tragically, both of those characters are killed in the film, and...ironically and horribly, end up together in a way that they unfortunately didn't expect. The list doesn't stop there, and it just goes on and on. These characters are developed so well in the midst of this giant attack that it's honestly insane how well Matt Reeves, JJ Abrams, and the entire production crew pulled this off. There's also so many little things that you wouldn't catch unless you played along with the viral marketing campaign and ARG back in 2007, or researched it online years after release. For example, there's a woman that you briefly see sleeping on a couch at Rob's going away party to work for Slusho!. BUT...What you probably didn't know was that this woman was in a relationship with a man named Teddy Hanson, who worked for Tagruato (which owns Slusho!), the company that ultimately released the Cloverfield monster through their nefarious scheme. That woman you see isn't sleeping-she's dead due to poisoning from seabed nectar...the secret ingredient in Slusho! slushes, which, if eaten too much of, results in brain damage followed by death. THAT'S INSANE that something so subtle could be related to ultimately what released the monster in the first place. Not to mention the very ending of the film, which I won't be giving away, which sparked a TON of questioning on the forums back in the day. But the ARG and viral marketing isn't what makes Cloverfield great. On its own, it's a really solid film and a GREAT horror/thriller that works with a fast pace and characters that we care about. The monster, though frightening, isn't what we fear. There's a sense of dread that lays over the entire film, and each character being so human and knowing that at any point and time that they could die is what elevates this film for me, personally. There's so much more I want to say about Cloverfield but I can't sit at my MacBook Pro all day and just type a review for hours upon hours. Plus, nobody would read a super lengthy review! But just know that this is one of my all time favorite films, and a film that inspires me to want to tell stories of my own. Long live Bad Robot. 10/10