Cloverfield 02/09/08

This movie can be summed up in one word: Ingenious. Just the concept is a fantastic idea and I'm sure the creators were excited when they finally set out to make the film. This is a moment in cinematic history. For the first time ever we have a blend of the grainy images of camcorders we are all familiar with and multimillion dollar special effects. Combined they prove to make a monster movie something it has never been before: Basically Human and very Personal. 

Now how could a story about a gigantic monster descending on New York City be personal? Haven't we seen countless movies about large scale disasters (Armageddon, Godzilla) that prove the contrary. This movie solves this problem by not being about the monster, which stays in the background mostly the entire time. It isn't about how they plan to kill the big monster or theories on how the monster could have gotten there. This film doesn't care about that because it doesn't matter. Basically the monster is a MacGuffin, just a device to get the film rolling and into what it does care about. And that is a quest by Rob and his "twentysomething" friends to rescue the woman he loves but hasn't shared his feelings toward. She is trapped in an apartment building and they travel into a very dangerous situation to rescue her. Does that sound heroic? Yes it is. 

Given that we are suspending our disbelief in order to pretend that a big monster is attacking the city, the rest of the story is realistic. The camcorder is jumbled and bounces around alot when people are running, the characters aren't exaggerated or do superhuman feats. They don't find the secret weakness in the monster and defeat the beast themselves. At one point in the movie, a characters mom calls (Something all moms due during a crisis). That's when I knew I was watching a different movie.

They made an intelligent decision when they cast the movie with unknowns. This is but one of many techniques that help personalize the movie. We don't feel like were watching a blockbuster. There is plenty in here you haven't seen. Bless my heart, but this movie is also surprisingly romantic. The ending is perhaps the most touching I think a monster movie can be.