Interesting Experiment in VFX and Giant Monsters

Rating: 7/10 (2 August 2009)

Although I liked this film it wasn't as successful a variation on the giant monster genre I was hoping it would be. The VFX were integrated into the film flawlessly, and by my mind, were some of the most impressive I've seen in a film. More impressive than the Cloverfield monster itself was the completely convincing creation of Manhattan under siege. The fact that the film was shot on sound stages in Los Angeles is mind-blowing.
Some have complained that the script was thin and the plot not much to write home about, and I would concur, however, a more polished and scripted affair would have reduced the sense of realism. And that is what this film has going for it, its sense of capturing a rampaging monster "by the seat of your pants" so to speak, via the clever use of seeing the whole story from the viewpoint of a single video camera lens.
The 9/11 video cam realism manufactured by this technique was extremely effective indeed, but I have to add that it also had the effect of distancing me from the on screen violence. I was never scared, even during the film's most harrowing sequence where the characters are attacked in the subway tunnel by fierce crab-like creatures. I guess the hand-held camera only catching glimpses of the action and moving all over the place toned it down for me. It felt like another proscenium arch that made the whole thing once more removed.
This is strange because I'm sure the filmmakers intended just the opposite reaction from an audience. I found myself much more involved in the Korean film "The Host" than I did in "Cloverfield." And of course, "The Host" is more conventionally told, showing the monster clearly and creating a more melodramatic product by its obviously scripted dialog.
Yet, "The Host" had characters I got deeply involved with, even though they were people from a culture I know very little about. With "Cloverfield," even though the main characters were American and relatively believable in their reaction to events and each other, the nature of the idea of keeping everything close to reality (with an unscripted feeling and unpolished camera work) lessened the melodramatics, making me want more from the characters.
And finally, most everyone dying in the end, though clearly an attempt to maintain the "Blair Witch Project" found footage idea, was very unsatisfying. People do survive horrendous things, even in real life.
Yet, as someone who grew up on films like "Godzilla" and "Gorgo," "Cloverfield" has a lot going for it. I was often impressed with how harrowing the whole thing was, even if I did feel somewhat removed. And Michael Giancchino's "Roar" overture that plays over the 9.5 minute end credits is killer. If giant monsters on the rampage is your thing, "Cloverfield" is worth a look.