Freshest, Scariest Horror Film in Years, Critics Be Damned!

Rating: 10/10 (20 January 2008)

Oh. MY. GOD!!! CLOVERFIELD has everything: terror, laughs, pathos, sympathetic characters, a kick-ass Giger-like giant monster covered with what turns out to be even more destructive parasites, and location filming in NYC (and L.A., I'm told) with jaw-dropping F/X and one of the most chillingly apocalyptic endings since Hitchcock's THE BIRDS. What's not to love, at least for us creature feature fans? CLOVERFIELD plays like GODZILLA MEETS THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT sprinkled with a pinch of MIRACLE MILE, except that I found CLOVERFIELD's twentysomething protagonists far more sympathetic than THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT's self-centered overgrown brats. (The whole cast is likable, but Lizzy Caplan stands out as Marlena, who had the bad luck to be at the wrong party at the wrong time, waiting for friends to meet up with her.) The film cleverly presents its harrowing story as found footage taken from a camcorder discovered by the military in "the area formerly known as Central Park." The camcorder in question is wielded mostly by affable dimbulb Hud (T.J. Miller) at a farewell party thrown for his pal Rob (Michael Stahl-David) before he leaves to take a job in Japan (oh, the irony! :-)). The first 20 minutes or so play like one of those indie comedies about young adults getting their bearings. It's all fun and games until the Statue of Liberty's head crashes into midtown Manhattan. :-) Soon, Hud finds himself documenting Manhattan's destruction ("People are gonna want to know how it went down!") as he, Rob and others make their way across what's left of the collapsing, chaotic city to try to rescue Beth (Odette Yustman), the girl Rob loves, after hearing her tearful cell phone message that she's trapped under debris in her family's posh Columbus Circle apartment building. I know, being trapped in a posh apartment doesn't sound so bad, but trust me, Beth's upscale address doesn't seem so inviting by the time our beleaguered heroes reach her.
The found-footage gimmick is used especially well. Seeing the events through the eyes of Hud and his roving camcorder strips everything down to its barest, scariest essentials in the movie's fleet-footed 84-minute running time. No scientists step in to explain the origins of the vicious beasts; the closest we get to an explanation are a few terse words from military personnel and glimpses of TVs in stores (often while said stores are being looted) showing news updates, talking about tankers being capsized and such. Since Hud has accidentally been recording over a tape of Rob and Beth spending a day on Coney Island, the little bits we occasionally see of the couple in happier days sneak in some backstory, as well as providing CLOVERFIELD with one of the most ironic-in-context last lines since the late Ulrich Mühe's "It's for me" at the end of THE LIVES OF OTHERS.
I must say I don't understand all these movie critics who've blasted CLOVERFIELD for its film-making style (though Richard Roeper and the Chicago Tribune critic filling in for Roger Ebert loved it, and rightly so) and for its alleged insensitivity and exploitation due to the plot's parallels to the horrific events of September 11th, 2001. My family and I, born and raised in New York, still lived and worked in NYC on 9/11. While we were lucky enough not to have lost any friends or loved ones in the terrorist attacks, I can tell you the makers of CLOVERFIELD did a splendid job of capturing the feel of a disaster-stricken city and its terrified but determined citizens. People need to get a little perspective, if you ask me. For heaven's sake, Japanese filmmakers have spent decades responding to the destruction their country endured during World War II by making Godzilla movies and related creature features. With nearly 7 years having passed since 9/11, why shouldn't American filmmakers like CLOVERFIELD producer J.J. Abrams, writer Drew Goddard, and director Matt Reeves make a horror movie in which New York City is decimated by a giant monster who makes Godzilla look like a sweetheart, with nightmarish, surreal destruction and loss of life that outdoes even the horror of the World Trade Center attacks? I mean, at least in real life, the entire borough of Manhattan and its people weren't destroyed. In the meantime, those of you reading this who haven't seen CLOVERFIELD yet should drop everything and go see it now, now, NOW!!!
...Migraine and Motion-Sickness Sufferer Alert... It's been said that for some sensitive moviegoers, the deliberately shaky camera-work in certain scenes caused queasiness. To be fair, I can understand why. For me personally, the combination of the Shaky-Cam and the strobe-like effect of the malfunctioning lights in Beth's ruined hallway during the Columbus Circle rescue scene kept threatening to trigger my migraines. However, I don't consider that to be a flaw in the movie so much as a flaw in my brain. :-) Nevertheless, the Shaky-Cam cinematography is appropriate for the film's premise, so hey, caveat emptor! ...End Migraine and Motion-Sickness Sufferer Alert...