Release Date:
04/22/2008
The Skinny: America finally gets its own Godzilla when an enormous monster destroys the crap out of New York City, while a bunch of hipsters keep their video camera rolling as they run for cover.
Reminded Us Of Godzilla, Independence Day, The Blair Witch Project, The Host, a vacation video shot by a guy jacked-up on a case of Red Bull
The Good: It's a classic monster movie done very well. It's got big scares, humor, and is only an hour and 15 minutes. Even if you're not that into it, it's over before you know it and leaves you wanting more. As for the jiggly camera work, it settles down a bit as the movie progresses so you can actually focus on what's going on.
The Bad: Since it's told completely from the perspective of a found SD card, exactly like the videotape in Blair Witch, what you see is all there is. It almost feels like a cheat, since the filmmakers weren't forced to come up with any backstory. Hopefully it encourages a sequel, because we're still intrigued.
Keeping It a Secret: The actors didn't get a script until they signed on, and it was shot primarily in L.A. When they were in NYC, they called the movie Cheese to throw off the prying Internet nerds.
Best Extra: "The Making of Cloverfield" is very in-depth, candid, and breaks down the entire movie. There's also a commentary and a bunch of other cool featurettes. The only lame extras are the alternate endings, which are no different than the actual ending.
Reminded Us Of Godzilla, Independence Day, The Blair Witch Project, The Host, a vacation video shot by a guy jacked-up on a case of Red Bull
The Good: It's a classic monster movie done very well. It's got big scares, humor, and is only an hour and 15 minutes. Even if you're not that into it, it's over before you know it and leaves you wanting more. As for the jiggly camera work, it settles down a bit as the movie progresses so you can actually focus on what's going on.
The Bad: Since it's told completely from the perspective of a found SD card, exactly like the videotape in Blair Witch, what you see is all there is. It almost feels like a cheat, since the filmmakers weren't forced to come up with any backstory. Hopefully it encourages a sequel, because we're still intrigued.
Keeping It a Secret: The actors didn't get a script until they signed on, and it was shot primarily in L.A. When they were in NYC, they called the movie Cheese to throw off the prying Internet nerds.
Best Extra: "The Making of Cloverfield" is very in-depth, candid, and breaks down the entire movie. There's also a commentary and a bunch of other cool featurettes. The only lame extras are the alternate endings, which are no different than the actual ending.