CLOVERFIELD
Director: Matt Reeves
A friend is capturing a farewell party on video when the city is attacked. He, with a small group of friends, attempts to rescue loved ones and escape, while still recording it all on camera.
The first people out the doors of the cinema, only seconds after the first credits appear, usually make statements like; “That’s the worst s**t I’ve ever seen” and “I don’t know why you put on movies like that!” However, the feelings slowly change as the later leavers make their way out, and finally the ‘credit watchers’ give comments like “That was so awesome! I loved it!”
The best way to describe Cloverfield is to simply think of The Blair Witch Project but switched genres. Imagine Godzilla, but from the acting extra’s point of view and experience; all the confusion, non-understanding, and frightening bewilderment. In Cloverfield you don’t really know what’s going on, or why, or what precedes or follows the story, but neither do the characters and it is their story the movie is following.
It is this intended reality that makes it a hard movie to enjoy. It’s frustrating not knowing, or ever finding out, much about what else is going on. And, for me, I wanted to grab the guy shooting the video, punch him repeatedly in the face and scream “For F**k sake hold the bloody thing straight!”
This film, however, is not intended to be enjoyable. Watch it more for the mystery, the experience, or the great visual FX, but don’t expect to come out feeling delightfully merry for the happy ending. I loved it, but it drove me nuts at the same time.
1/2