A revitalising experience

Rating: 7/10 (2 February 2008)

First and foremost what I liked about Cloverfield was the hand held home movie camera filming style, which as far as I know has not been utilised before in a monster movie. This is what ultimately makes Cloverfield a unique experience and a unique film. I believe that if it was not for the amateur movie making style this film would have never been made because Godzilla, King Kong among other monster flicks have already been created on large budgets, so for anyone that complains about the shaky camera movement and the fact that it is extremely fast at times you have to remember that this movie would have no merit as a film if it was not for the amateur filming style. The Blair Witch project was the first mainstream film I recollect that attempted this style because it does create a more visceral atmosphere and as time passes, and we as humanity are subjected to more and more violence, such as the news that is always displaying negative material we become more immune to being scared, surprised and frightened. All you have to do is compare the violence in movies today compared to the earlier days and it has increased dramatically. Special effects and visual effects have been incorporated into films to give us filmmakers the opportunity to broaden our imagination to what can be adapted for screen, but to generally scare people, especially older people it is becoming harder all the time that is why film crosses over into the documentary style genre to try and reflect reality. I think Cloverfield was a good idea because it does reflect reality (obviously minus the monsters) ultimately making it more scary, thanks to the amateur film/documentary style.
The fact that terrorism is prevalent in society today and peoples psyches is another reason why Cloverfield is a power film and made for this era to reflect a first person experience of what it would be like in the midst of a major attack and the affect it has on people. Films generally are the most successful when they have an impact on people by incorporating present issues and fears. The story is so simplistic and obvious for those of you expecting a complex plot, but sometimes it is the simplist stories that are the best and Cloverfield works, but again coming back to the filming style which makes it fresh and worth making. Cloverfield also relies on the hidden enemy method to create fear. The less that you see the more your imagination can run free usually making the experience more frightening, just watch Jaws for example. I believe the film/documentary style is the way forward to create generally more scary films or if 3D cinema becomes the mainstream then that will be the way forward. Imagine watching a film like Jaws in 3D. We need fresh experiences in cinema for new eras as technology grows and I believe that Cloverfield is a good example, although if I might add a very obvious one in my eyes.