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Todd McCarthy of ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' called the film an "old-fashioned monster movie dressed up in trendy new threads", praising the special effects, "nihilistic attitude" and "post-9/11 anxiety overlay", but said, "In the end, [it's] not much different from all the marauding creature features that have come before it."<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117935799.html | title=Cloverfield review | publisher=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] | author=Todd McCarthy | date=[[2008-01-16]] | accessdate=2008-01-17}}</ref> Scott Foundas of ''[[LA Weekly]]'' was critical of the film's allusions to the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]] and called it "cheap and opportunistic". He compared its "stealth" attempts at social commentary unfavorably to the films of [[Don Siegel]], [[George A. Romero]] and [[Steven Spielberg]], saying, "Where those filmmakers all had something meaningful to say about the state of the world and […] human nature, Abrams doesn't have much to say about anything."<ref>{{cite news | author= Scott Foundas | url=http://www.laweekly.com/film+tv/film/cloverfield-is-a-horror/18158/ | title= Cloverfield Is a Horror | publisher=[[LA Weekly]] | date=[[2008-01-16]] | accessdate=2008-01-17}}</ref> Manohla Dargis in the ''[[The New York Times|New York Times]]'' called the allusions "tacky", saying, "[The images] may make you think of the attack, and you may curse the filmmakers for their vulgarity, insensitivity or lack of imagination", but that "the film is too dumb to offend anything except your intelligence." She concludes that the film "works as a showcase for impressively realistic-looking special effects, a realism that fails to extend to the scurrying humans whose fates are meant to invoke pity and fear but instead inspire yawns and contempt."<ref name="ManohlaDargis">{{cite news | author=Manohla Dargis | url=http://movies.nytimes.com/2008/01/18/movies/18clov.html | title=We’re All Gonna Die! Grab Your Video Camera! | publisher=[[The New York Times]] | date=[[2008-01-18]] | accessdate=2008-01-18}}</ref> Stephanie Zacharek of ''[[Salon.com]]'' calls the film "badly constructed, humorless and emotionally sadistic", and sums up by saying that the film "takes the trauma of 9/11 and turns it into just another random spectacle at which to point and shoot."<ref>{{cite news | author=Stephanie Zacharek | url=http://www.salon.com/ent/movies/review/2008/01/18/cloverfield/ | title=Cloverfield: Do we really need the horror of 9/11 to be repackaged and presented to us as an amusement-park ride? | publisher=[[Salon.com]] | date=[[2008-01-17]] | accessdate=2008-01-18}}</ref> Michael Phillips of the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' warned that the viewer may feel "queasy" at the references to September 11, but that "other sequences […] carry a real jolt" and that such tactics were "crude, but undeniably gripping". He called the film "dumb", but "quick and dirty and effectively brusque", concluding that despite it being "a harsher, more demographically calculating brand of fun", he enjoyed the film.<ref name="roar">{{cite news | author=Michael Phillips | url=http://chicago.metromix.com/movies/movie_review/movie-review-cloverfield/286254/content | title=Movie review: Cloverfield | publisher=[[Chicago Tribune]] | date=[[2008-01-16]] | accessdate=2008-01-22}}</ref> Bruce Paterson of ''Cinephilia'' described the film as "a successful experiment in style but not necessarily a successful story for those who want dramatic closure."<ref>[http://www.cinephilia.net.au/show_review.php?reviewid=3720&movieid=3767 Cinephilia]</ref>
Todd McCarthy of ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' called the film an "old-fashioned monster movie dressed up in trendy new threads", praising the special effects, "nihilistic attitude" and "post-9/11 anxiety overlay", but said, "In the end, [it's] not much different from all the marauding creature features that have come before it."<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117935799.html | title=Cloverfield review | publisher=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] | author=Todd McCarthy | date=[[2008-01-16]] | accessdate=2008-01-17}}</ref> Scott Foundas of ''[[LA Weekly]]'' was critical of the film's allusions to the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]] and called it "cheap and opportunistic". He compared its "stealth" attempts at social commentary unfavorably to the films of [[Don Siegel]], [[George A. Romero]] and [[Steven Spielberg]], saying, "Where those filmmakers all had something meaningful to say about the state of the world and […] human nature, Abrams doesn't have much to say about anything."<ref>{{cite news | author= Scott Foundas | url=http://www.laweekly.com/film+tv/film/cloverfield-is-a-horror/18158/ | title= Cloverfield Is a Horror | publisher=[[LA Weekly]] | date=[[2008-01-16]] | accessdate=2008-01-17}}</ref> Manohla Dargis in the ''[[The New York Times|New York Times]]'' called the allusions "tacky", saying, "[The images] may make you think of the attack, and you may curse the filmmakers for their vulgarity, insensitivity or lack of imagination", but that "the film is too dumb to offend anything except your intelligence." She concludes that the film "works as a showcase for impressively realistic-looking special effects, a realism that fails to extend to the scurrying humans whose fates are meant to invoke pity and fear but instead inspire yawns and contempt."<ref name="ManohlaDargis">{{cite news | author=Manohla Dargis | url=http://movies.nytimes.com/2008/01/18/movies/18clov.html | title=We’re All Gonna Die! Grab Your Video Camera! | publisher=[[The New York Times]] | date=[[2008-01-18]] | accessdate=2008-01-18}}</ref> Stephanie Zacharek of ''[[Salon.com]]'' calls the film "badly constructed, humorless and emotionally sadistic", and sums up by saying that the film "takes the trauma of 9/11 and turns it into just another random spectacle at which to point and shoot."<ref>{{cite news | author=Stephanie Zacharek | url=http://www.salon.com/ent/movies/review/2008/01/18/cloverfield/ | title=Cloverfield: Do we really need the horror of 9/11 to be repackaged and presented to us as an amusement-park ride? | publisher=[[Salon.com]] | date=[[2008-01-17]] | accessdate=2008-01-18}}</ref> Michael Phillips of the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' warned that the viewer may feel "queasy" at the references to September 11, but that "other sequences […] carry a real jolt" and that such tactics were "crude, but undeniably gripping". He called the film "dumb", but "quick and dirty and effectively brusque", concluding that despite it being "a harsher, more demographically calculating brand of fun", he enjoyed the film.<ref name="roar">{{cite news | author=Michael Phillips | url=http://chicago.metromix.com/movies/movie_review/movie-review-cloverfield/286254/content | title=Movie review: Cloverfield | publisher=[[Chicago Tribune]] | date=[[2008-01-16]] | accessdate=2008-01-22}}</ref> Bruce Paterson of ''Cinephilia'' described the film as "a successful experiment in style but not necessarily a successful story for those who want dramatic closure."<ref>[http://www.cinephilia.net.au/show_review.php?reviewid=3720&movieid=3767 Cinephilia]</ref>

===Cloverfield and Terrorism===
Cloverfield has been related to terrorism, particularly in its use of a post-9/11 Manhattan setting, and invisible enemy.

The [[Columbia Chronicle]] claims the film "capitalizes on 9/11 for its cheap thrills" and "Its numbing effect on today’s youthful target audience may also reflect the current generation’s apathetic indifference to apocalyptic threat."<ref>[http://www.columbiachronicle.com/paper/arts.php?id=4631]</ref>. Other have noted the "eerie way in which ''Cloverfield'' centers around terrorism, hence the post-9/11 label applied earlier"."<ref>[http://media.www.trumanindex.com/media/storage/paper607/news/2008/01/24/Trulife/cloverfield.Falls.Short.As.Monster.Movie-3165386.shtml]</ref>.


==Shaky camera==
==Shaky camera==

Revision as of 18:13, 7 February 2008

For the place in Washington State, see Cloverfields.
Cloverfield
American theatrical poster
Directed byMatt Reeves
Written byDrew Goddard
Produced byJ. J. Abrams
Bryan Burk
StarringMichael Stahl-David
Mike Vogel
Odette Yustman
Lizzy Caplan
Jessica Lucas
T. J. Miller
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release dates
January 17 2008
(NZ[1] and AU)[2]
January 18 2008
(US and Canada)
February 1 2008 (UK)[3]
Running time
84 min.
CountriesUnited States
Japan
LanguageEnglish
Budget$25 million[4]
Box office$83,748,371 Estimate)[5]
(as of January 27, 2008)

Cloverfield is a 2008 monster/horror film produced by J. J. Abrams, directed by Matt Reeves, and written by Drew Goddard. Prior to the film's release, Paramount Pictures carried out a viral marketing campaign to promote the film. The campaign included viral tie-ins similar to the Lost Experience.[6] The film follows five young New Yorkers who throw their friend a going-away party on the same night that a gigantic monster attacks the city.

Release

First publicized in advance screenings of Transformers, the project was released on January 17 in New Zealand and Australia, on January 18 in North America, and on February 1 in Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Plot summary

The movie opens with a "Property of the U.S. Government" watermarked screen declaring that the viewers are watching a "Digital SD Memory Card" of video pertaining to U.S. Case Designate "Cloverfield", found in an area "formerly known as Central Park". The found footage that follows makes up the rest of the movie, all shot via a hand-held camera point- of-view.

The movie follows the journey of four friends after the shock attack from an unidentified entity on the city of Manhattan as they initially attempt to escape the city and subsequently try to rescue a friend caught in the attack in a different part of the city.

The plot of the four friends reveals details about the eponymous monster but has no true insights into actual events, as many aspects and plot details are left unclear; leading to much speculation about events and the creature itself.

The film ends with three of the four escaping via helicopter as the military attempt to bomb the creature. After surviving the initial bombing, the creature promptly attacks the escaping helicopter causing it to crash. Although the three survive they are again attacked by the creature (resulting in Hud's death) and the remaining characters escape to the underpass of a bridge, where they are subsequently caught in an explosion and trapped beneath rubble. The film ends with the camera cutting out.

Post credits, there is a garbled message heard.

Cast

  • Michael Stahl-David as Robert Hawkins. The film's central protagonist. On the night of the incident, his friends are holding a surprise party for Rob in celebration of his promotion to vice president of Slusho!'s advertising division. He is in love with his friend Beth McIntyre, and clips of their one date are shown throughout the movie (previously recorded on the same tape). Rob survives the helicopter crash and is with Beth under a bridge in Central Park when the army bombs the city. It is unknown if he survives.
  • T. J. Miller as Hudson "Hud" Platt. Rob's best friend. He is given camera duties by Jason to film the party. During the party, he tries to gain the attention of Lily's friend, Marlena. He survives the helicopter crash, but dies after being attacked by the monster in Central Park.
  • Jessica Lucas as Lily Ford. Jason's girlfriend. She planned Rob's surprise party with Jason. After Jason dies, she decides to go with Rob, along with Hud and Marlena to go save Beth. She is last seen being airlifted to safety by helicopter after the group reaches the army's pickup point.
  • Odette Yustman as Elizabeth "Beth" McIntyre. Rob's love interest. During jump cuts in the movie, we see clips of Rob and Beth on a date at Coney Island. She brings a date to Rob's surprise party, upsetting Rob, and leaves when Rob confronts her. When the monster first attacks, Beth is injured and trapped in her apartment. Rob and his friends go to rescue her. She survives the helicopter crash and is with Rob under a bridge in Central Park when the Army bombs the city. It is unknown if she survives.
  • Lizzy Caplan as Marlena Diamond. A friend of Lily. She doesn't know Rob personally and the only times Rob has seen her, she was "drunk". She is Hud's love interest in this movie and at certain points Hud tries to get her attention. She sees the monster during the initial attack, and is extremely reluctant to go on the trip to save Beth (however, she does not leave when she has the chance). While walking through a subway tunnel, she is severely bitten by one of the monster's parasites, and eventually dies (she appears to explode).
  • Mike Vogel as Jason Hawkins. Rob's brother and Lily's boyfriend. He is seen wearing a Slusho t-shirt, which was given to him by Rob. He dies when the monster's tail crushes the Brooklyn Bridge.

To prevent the leaking of plot information, instead of auditioning the actors with scenes from the film, scripts from Abrams's previous productions were used, such as television series Alias and Lost. Some scenes were also written specifically for the audition process, not intended for use in the film. Despite not being told the premise of the film, Lizzy Caplan stated that she accepted a role in Cloverfield solely because she was a fan of the Abrams-produced television series Lost, and her experience of discovering its true nature initially caused her to state that she would not sign on for a film in the future "without knowing full well what it is." She indicated that her character was a sarcastic outsider, and that her role was "physically demanding."[7]

Production

Development

The poster for Escape from New York (1981) inspired the scene of the decapitated head of the Statue of Liberty in Cloverfield

J. J. Abrams conceived of a new monster after he and his son visited a toy store in Japan while promoting Mission: Impossible III. He explained, "We saw all these Godzilla toys, and I thought, we need our own [American] monster, and not King Kong, King Kong's adorable. I wanted something that was just insane and intense."[8] In February 2007, Paramount Pictures secretly greenlit Cloverfield, to be produced by Abrams, directed by Matt Reeves, and written by Drew Goddard. The project was produced by Abrams' company, Bad Robot Productions.[9]

The decapitated head of the Statue of Liberty was inspired by the poster of the 1981 film Escape from New York, which had shown the head lying in the streets in New York. According to Reeves, "It's an incredibly provocative image. And that was the source that inspired [producer] J.J. [Abrams] to say, 'Now this would be an interesting idea for a movie.'"[10]

The film was titled Cloverfield from the beginning, but the title changed throughout production before it was finalized as the original title. Matt Reeves explained that the title was changed frequently due to the hype caused by the teaser trailer, "That excitement spread to such a degree that we suddenly couldn't use the name anymore. So we started using all these names like Slusho and Cheese.[11] And people always found out what we were doing!" The director said that "Cloverfield" was the government's case designate for the monster, comparing the titling to that of the Manhattan Project. "And it's not a project per se. It's the way that this case has been designated. That's why that is on the trailer, and it becomes clearer in the film. It's how they refer to this phenomenon [or] this case," said the director.[12] The film's final title, "Cloverfield", is the name of the exit Abrams takes to his Santa Monica office.[13][11]

Filming

The casting process was carried out in secret, with no script being sent out to candidates. With production estimated to have a budget of $30 million, filming began in mid-June in New York.[9] One cast member indicated that the film would look like it cost $150 million, despite producers not casting recognizable and expensive actors.[7] Filmmakers used the Sony CineAlta F23 high-definition video camera to film nearly all of the New York exterior scenes.[14] Filming took place on Coney Island, with scenes being shot at Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park and the B&B Carousel.[15] Some interior shots were filmed on a soundstage at Downey, California.[16] The film was shot and edited in a cinéma vérité style,[17] to look like it was filmed with one hand-held camera, including jump cuts similar to ones found in home movies. T. J. Miller who plays Hud, has said in various interviews that he filmed a third of the movie and mostly half of it made it into the movie.[18][19] Director Matt Reeves described the presentation, "We wanted this to be as if someone found a Handicam, took out the tape and put it in the player to watch it. What you're watching is a home movie that then turns into something else." Reeves explained that the pedestrians documenting the severed head of the Statue of Liberty with the camera phones was reflective of the contemporary period. According to him: "Cloverfield very much speaks to the fear and anxieties of our time, how we live our lives. Constantly documenting things and putting them up on YouTube, sending people videos through e-mail – we felt it was very applicable to the way people feel now."[20]

Creature design

Main article: Cloverfield (creature)

Visual effects supervisor Phil Tippett and his company Tippett Studio were enlisted to develop the visual effects for Cloverfield.[21] Because the visual effects were incorporated after filming, cast members had to react to a non-existent creature during scenes, only being familiar with early conceptual renderings of the beast.[22] Artist Neville Page designed the monster, thoroughly creating a biological rationale for the creature, even if many of his ideas would not show up on screen. The key idea behind the monster was that he was an immature creature suffering from "separation anxiety". This recalls real-life elephants who get frightened and lash out at the circus, because the director felt "there's nothing scarier than something huge that's spooked".[23]

Marketing

Filmmakers decided to create a teaser trailer that would be a surprise in the light of commonplace media saturation, which they put together during the preparation stage of the production process. The teaser was then used as a basis for the film itself. Paramount Pictures encouraged the teaser to be released without a title attached, and the Motion Picture Association of America approved the move.[20] As Transformers showed high tracking numbers before its release in July 2007, the studio attached the teaser trailer for Cloverfield that showed the release date of January 18 2008 but not the title.[9] A second trailer was released on November 16, 2007, which confirmed the title.[24]

The studio had kept knowledge of the project secret from the online community, a cited rarity due to the presence of scoopers that follow upcoming films. The controlled release of information on the film has been observed as a risky strategy, which could succeed like The Blair Witch Project (1999) or disappoint like Snakes on a Plane (2006), the latter of which had generated online hype but failed to attract large audiences. Chad Hartigan of Exhibitor Relations Co. viewed the several issues with the potential of the film, including a lack of major stars, the underwhelming performance of Godzilla-style films in America, and the film's slated release in January, considered a "dumping ground for bad films".[25]

Pre-release plot speculation

The sudden appearance of the untitled trailer for Cloverfield fueled media speculation over the film's plot. USA Today reported the possibilities of the film being based on the works of H. P. Lovecraft, a live-action adaptation of Voltron, a new film about Godzilla, or a spin-off of the TV show Lost.[26] The Star Ledger also reported the possibility of the film being based on Lovecraft lore or Godzilla.[27] The Guardian also reported the possibility of a Lost spin-off,[28] while Time Out reported that the film was about an alien called The Parasite.[29] IGN also backed the possibility of the same premise, with The Parasite rumored to be a working title for the film.[12] Online, Slusho and Colossus had also been discussed as possible titles.[30] Entertainment Weekly also disputed reports that the film would be about a parasite or a colossal Asian robot such as Voltron.[31]

Visitors of the website Ain't It Cool News have pointed out 9/11 allusions based on the destruction in New York City such as the decapitated Statue of Liberty. The film has also drawn alternate reality game enthusiasts that have followed other viral marketing campaigns like those set up for the TV series Lost, the video game Halo 2, the Nine Inch Nails album Year Zero, and the upcoming Batman film The Dark Knight. Members of the forums at argn.com and unfiction.com have investigated the background of the film, with the "1-18-08" section at Unfiction generating over 7,700 posts in August 2007. The members have studied photographs on the film's official site, potentially related MySpace profiles,[32] and the Comic-Con teaser poster for the film.[25] A popular piece of fan art posited that the monster was a mutated blue whale.[23]

Viral tie-ins

File:1-18-08.JPG
Photos on the 1-18-08.com viral marketing website.

Puzzle websites containing Lovecraftian elements, such as Ethan Haas Was Right, were originally reported to be connected to the film.[26][28] On July 9 2007, producer J. J. Abrams stated that, while a number of websites were being developed to market the film, the only official site that had been found was 1-18-08.com.[33] At the site, a collection of time-coded photos are provided to visitors to piece together a series of events and interpret their meanings; the pictures can also be flipped over - by a swift movement of the mouse.[34] Also, leaving the website open for a period of time (7-10 minutes) plays a recording of the monster's roar.

As part of the viral marketing campaign, the drink Slusho! has served as a tie-in. The drink had previously appeared in producer Abrams' previous creation, the TV series Alias.[35] Viral websites for Slusho! and a Japanese drilling company named Tagruato (タグルアト, Taguruato) were launched to add to the mythology of Cloverfield.[6] When Cloverfield was hosted at Comic-Con 2007, gray Slusho! t–shirts were distributed to attendees.[36] Fans who had registered at the Slusho! website for Cloverfield received e-mails of fictional sonar images prior to the film's release that showed a deep-sea creature heading toward Manhattan.[37]

Producer Bryan Burk explained the viral tie-in, "[It] was all done in conjunction with the studio… The whole experience in making this movie is very reminiscent [of] how we did Lost."[6] Director Matt Reeves described Slusho! as "part of the involved connectivity" with Abrams' Alias and that the drink represented a "meta-story" for Cloverfield. The director explained, "It's almost like tentacles that grow out of the film and lead, also, to the ideas in the film. And there's this weird way where you can go see the movie and it's one experience… But there's also this other place where you can get engaged where there's this other sort of aspect for all those people who are into that. […] All the stories kind of bounce off one another and inform each other. But, at the end of the day, this movie stands on its own to be a movie. […] The Internet sort of stories and connections and clues are, in a way, a prism and they're another way of looking at the same thing. To us, it's just another exciting aspect of the storytelling."[35]

Merchandise

A four installment manga series by Yoshiki Togawa titled Cloverfield/Kishin (クローバーフィールド／ＫＩＳＨＩＮ, Kurōbāfīrudo/KISHIN) is being released by Japanese publisher Kadokawa Shoten.[38] The story focuses on a Japanese high school student named Kishin Aiba, who is trapped on a Tagruato freighter ship, and will serve as a prequel to the film.[39]

Based on the successful opening weekend of Cloverfield in theaters, Hasbro began accepting orders for a 14-inch collectible toy figure of the monster and its parasites to be shipped to fans by September 30 2008.[40]

Soundtrack

Main article: Cloverfield Mix

Cloverfield, being presented as if it were a recording by one of the characters, has no film score save for the composition "ROAR! (Cloverfield Overture)" by Michael Giacchino that plays over the end credits and music played during Rob's goodbye party.

Reception

Cloverfield opened in 3,411 theaters on January 18, 2008 and grossed a total of $16,930,000 on its opening day in the United States and Canada. It made $41,000,000 on its opening weekend, making it the most successful January release gross of all time. Worldwide, it has grossed $83 million.[41] As of January 19, 2008, review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 76% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 154 reviews.[42] According to Metacritic, the film has received an average critic score of 64%, based on 35 reviews.[43]

Marc Savlov of The Austin Chronicle calls the film "the most intense and original creature feature I've seen in my adult moviegoing life […] a pure-blood, grade A, exultantly exhilarating monster movie." He cites Matt Reeves' direction, the "whip-smart, stylistically invisible" script and the "nearly subconscious evocation of our current paranoid, terror-phobic times" as the keys to the film's success, saying that telling the story through the lens of one character's camera "works fantastically well."[44] Michael Rechtshaffen of The Hollywood Reporter called it "chillingly effective", praising the effects and the film's "claustrophobic intensity". He said that though the characters "aren't particularly interesting or developed", there was "something refreshing about a monster movie that isn't filled with the usual suspects."[45] Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly said that the film was "surreptitiously subversive, [a] stylistically clever little gem", and that while the characters were "vapid, twenty-something nincompoops" and the acting "appropriately unmemorable", the decision to tell the story through amateur footage was "brilliant".[46] Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times wrote that the film is "pretty scary at times" and cites "unmistakable evocations of 9/11". He concludes that "all in all, it is an effective film, deploying its special effects well and never breaking the illusion that it is all happening as we see it."[47]

Todd McCarthy of Variety called the film an "old-fashioned monster movie dressed up in trendy new threads", praising the special effects, "nihilistic attitude" and "post-9/11 anxiety overlay", but said, "In the end, [it's] not much different from all the marauding creature features that have come before it."[48] Scott Foundas of LA Weekly was critical of the film's allusions to the September 11, 2001 attacks and called it "cheap and opportunistic". He compared its "stealth" attempts at social commentary unfavorably to the films of Don Siegel, George A. Romero and Steven Spielberg, saying, "Where those filmmakers all had something meaningful to say about the state of the world and […] human nature, Abrams doesn't have much to say about anything."[49] Manohla Dargis in the New York Times called the allusions "tacky", saying, "[The images] may make you think of the attack, and you may curse the filmmakers for their vulgarity, insensitivity or lack of imagination", but that "the film is too dumb to offend anything except your intelligence." She concludes that the film "works as a showcase for impressively realistic-looking special effects, a realism that fails to extend to the scurrying humans whose fates are meant to invoke pity and fear but instead inspire yawns and contempt."[17] Stephanie Zacharek of Salon.com calls the film "badly constructed, humorless and emotionally sadistic", and sums up by saying that the film "takes the trauma of 9/11 and turns it into just another random spectacle at which to point and shoot."[50] Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune warned that the viewer may feel "queasy" at the references to September 11, but that "other sequences […] carry a real jolt" and that such tactics were "crude, but undeniably gripping". He called the film "dumb", but "quick and dirty and effectively brusque", concluding that despite it being "a harsher, more demographically calculating brand of fun", he enjoyed the film.[51] Bruce Paterson of Cinephilia described the film as "a successful experiment in style but not necessarily a successful story for those who want dramatic closure."[52]

Cloverfield and Terrorism

Cloverfield has been related to terrorism, particularly in its use of a post-9/11 Manhattan setting, and invisible enemy.

The Columbia Chronicle claims the film "capitalizes on 9/11 for its cheap thrills" and "Its numbing effect on today’s youthful target audience may also reflect the current generation’s apathetic indifference to apocalyptic threat."[53]. Other have noted the "eerie way in which Cloverfield centers around terrorism, hence the post-9/11 label applied earlier"."[54].

Shaky camera

Sign at an AMC theater warning customers

The film was filmed using shaky camerawork, because according to the plot it was filmed with a hand-held video camera by one of the characters, Hud. However, this style of cinematography leads many who view it inside dark movie theaters to experience vertigo, causing nausea and a temporary loss of balance. Some theaters showing the film have posted warnings, informing viewers about the filming style of Cloverfield.[55]

DVD release

According to website VideoETA.com, the film is estimated to have a possible DVD release in June 2008.[56] News reports have surfaced, however, that the DVD will be available in April. No other details have been announced and the studio has not officially released a date.

Sequel

At the premiere of the film, Matt Reeves talked about possibilities on how a sequel will turn out if the film succeeds.[57] Reeves states:

While we were on set making the film we talked about the possibilities and directions of how a sequel can go. The fun of this movie was that it might not have been the only movie being made that night, there might be another movie! In today’s day and age of people filming their lives on their iPhones and Handycams, uploading it to YouTube… That was kind of exciting thinking about that.[58]

In another interview, Reeves states:

There's a moment on the Brooklyn Bridge, and there was a guy filming something on the side of the bridge, and Hud sees him filming and he turns over and he sees the ship that's been capsized and sees the headless Statue of Liberty, and then he turns back and this guy's briefly filming him. In my mind that was two movies intersecting for a brief moment, and I thought there was something interesting in the idea that this incident happened and there are so many different points of view, and there are several different movies at least happening that evening and we just saw one piece of another.[23]

Reeves also points out that the end scene on Coney Island shows something falling into the ocean in the background.[23] Producers Bryan Burk and J.J. Abrams also announces their thoughts to Entertainment Weekly about possible sequel(s). Bryan Burk states:

The creative team has fleshed out an entire backstory which, if we're lucky, we might get to explore in future films.[59]

Also Abrams states that he doesn't want to rush into the development of the sequel right away because of the first film's success, instead he wants to create a sequel that is true to the previous film.[59]

At the end of January, Matt Reeves entered early talks with Paramount Pictures to direct a sequel to Cloverfield, which would likely be filmed before Reeves's other project, The Invisible Woman.[60] Reeves now said:

The idea of doing something so differently is exhilarating. We hope that it created a movie experience that is different. The thing about doing a sequel is that I think we all really feel protective of that experience. The key here will be if we can find something that is compelling enough and that is different enough for us to do, then it will probably be worth doing. Obviously it also depends on how [Cloverfield] does worldwide and all of those things too, but really, for us creatively, we just want to find something that would be another challenge.[61]

References

  1. ^ "Cloverfield New Zealand Release Date". Paramount Pictures. Retrieved 2008-01-14.
  2. ^ "Cloverfield Australian Release Date". Paramount Pictures. Retrieved 2008-01-02.
  3. ^ "Cloverfield UK Release Date". Paramount Pictures. Retrieved 2007-12-18.
  4. ^ ""Cloverfield" a refreshing monster mashup". Reuters. Retrieved 2008-01-17.
  5. ^ "Weekend Box Office". Boxofficemojo. Retrieved 2008-01-27.
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  7. ^ a b "Lizzy Caplan: The Meanest Girl in Hollywood?". BlackBook Magazine. 2007-11-15. Retrieved 2007-11-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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  14. ^ "SONY'S F23 HIGH-DEFINITION CAMERA CUTS ITS TEETH IN THE MAKING OF "CLOVERFIELD"". Sony Electronics. 2008-01-21. Retrieved 2008-01-22. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ Farrah Weinstein (2007-07-16). "Bait Balls of Fire". New York Post. Retrieved 2007-07-17. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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  18. ^ http://youtube.com/watch?v=VQn2EhQAMU8
  19. ^ http://youtube.com/watch?v=HORMlVMgY1Q
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  22. ^ Ryan Rotten (2008-01-02). "EXCL: Michael Stahl-David Talks Cloverfield Experience". ShockTillYouDrop.com. Retrieved 2008-01-08. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  23. ^ a b c d Max Evry (2008-01-21). "Reeves Runs Merrily Through Cloverfield". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved 2008-01-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  24. ^ Olly Richards (2007-11-19). "Exclusive: The New Cloverfield Trailer". Empire. Retrieved 2007-11-19. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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  27. ^ Lisa Rose (2007-07-09). "Hush-hush project stirs wild speculation". The Star Ledger. Retrieved 2007-07-09. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  28. ^ a b "Trailer for Abrams film lost on moviegoers". The Guardian. 2007-07-11. Retrieved 2007-07-26. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  29. ^ Chris Tilly (2007-07-11). "What is 'Cloverfield'?". Time Out. Retrieved 2007-07-26. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  30. ^ Greg Morago (2007-08-22). "Our summer of mystery ads". Daily Press. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  31. ^ Jeff Jensen (2007-07-26). "J.J.'s Mystery Movie: Secrets revealed!". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2007-07-26. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  32. ^ chapinyoung (2008-01-17). "Cloverfield's" Fake MySpace Pages". Current. Retrieved 2008-01-17. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  33. ^ Harry Knowles (2007-07-09). "JJ Abrams drops Harry a Line on all this 1-18-08 stuff!". Ain't It Cool News. Retrieved 2007-07-09. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  34. ^ Rodney Chester (2007-08-11). "Movie codenamed Cloverfield next blockbuster". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 2007-08-13. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  35. ^ a b Silas Lesnick (2007-12-14). "IESB EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Cloverfield Director Matt Reeves!". IESB.net. Retrieved 2007-12-22. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  36. ^ Larry Carroll (2007-07-27). "Comic-Con: J.J. Abrams' Secret Project And 'The Dark Knight' Go Guerrilla With Marketing Tactics". MTV. Retrieved 2007-12-22. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  37. ^ Will Pavia (2008-01-02). "The cloak-and-dagger approach to hype". The Australian. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  38. ^ Kadokawa Shoten (2008-01-19). "Kadokawa Shoten Official Website". Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved 2008-01-19. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  39. ^ Anime News Network (2008-01-16). "Shonen Ace Posts Cloverfield Movie Tie-In Manga Online". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2008-01-19. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  40. ^ Marc Graser (2008-01-21). "Hasbro toys with 'Cloverfield' monster". Variety. Retrieved 2008-01-22. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  41. ^ Associated Press (2008-01-20). "Creature-Feature 'Cloverfield' Is Monster Hit at Box Office". Fox News. Retrieved 2008-01-20. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  42. ^ "Cloverfield – Movie Reviews". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2008-01-19.
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  45. ^ Michael Rechtshaffen (2008-01-17). "Bottom Line: It's "The Blair Godzilla Project"--and that's a compliment". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2008-01-17. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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  47. ^ Roger Ebert (2008-01-17). "Review: Cloverfield". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2008-01-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  48. ^ Todd McCarthy (2008-01-16). "Cloverfield review". Variety. Retrieved 2008-01-17. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  49. ^ Scott Foundas (2008-01-16). "Cloverfield Is a Horror". LA Weekly. Retrieved 2008-01-17. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  50. ^ Stephanie Zacharek (2008-01-17). "Cloverfield: Do we really need the horror of 9/11 to be repackaged and presented to us as an amusement-park ride?". Salon.com. Retrieved 2008-01-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  51. ^ Michael Phillips (2008-01-16). "Movie review: Cloverfield". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2008-01-22. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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  58. ^ SpookyDan (2008-01-17). "'Cloverfield' Sequel Talk, Violent Plans!". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 2008-01-17. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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Viral tie-in sites

Template:Box Office Leaders USA

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