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Audiophilander

I've read a few of the jerky-cam criticisms and grumbles about how it takes nearly 30 minutes before the real action gets underway, but the hand-held camera is neither distracting nor gimmicky and I'm of the opinion that setting the stage is very important for this technique to work properly, which it does, like a juggernaut! The long and short of it is that this film rocks BIG TIME, ...and more than just the cameras!
While some savvy film-goers will no doubt make allusions to The Blair Witch Project, and indeed that experiment in low-budget film-making may have been a contributory precursor of Cloverfield in both style (hand held camera from start to finish) and plot concept (capturing a catastrophic event on film as a fated accident), that is where the similarities end. While Blair Witch Project leaves the distinct impression of being a college film project gone awry, Cloverfield yields no ground in respect to the richness of it's production values and takes no prisoners it's effort to convey realism on a massive scale.
After an ominous opening that makes no bones about foreshadowing some tragic event there is a relaxed build up. The audience is drawn into the somewhat predictable lifestyle of a group of upscale twenty-somethings committing one social faux-pas after another, all caught on videotape as a going away gift for one of the friends making a career move to Tokyo; then there's a paradigm shift in the action. As unexpectedly as real events can often overtake life, the audience is dropped into the confusion of an earth shattering event without the typical manipulative gimmicks and "gotcha" elements so often associated with the genre, and every moment is caught on the party videotape.
In spite of the amateur camera technique and storm chaser realism, every minute of Cloverfield has the feel of a large scale production. In fact, for the sake of absolute realism some scenes of collapsing buildings can't help but evoke uncomfortable memories of the events that unfolded in NYC on 9/11/2001. That said, this is CGI as it should be used, to enhance realism, not overwhelm it.
It would seem that the filmmakers (Director Matt Reeves and Screenwriter Drew Goddard) studied the tension building elements of BWP and re-imagined the concept as a BIG Budget monster movie, only moving forward when they had an exceptional script, highly competent cast, substantial CGI budget and top notch effects team (Phil Tippett Studios) on board. In other words, they brought together all the ingredients to produce a cutting edge, Americanized 'Godzilla' movie that focused on the impact unexpected catastrophic events have on people, and then didn't blow the opportunity!
Those folks concerned that the ominous beasty of undisclosed origin was deprived of adequate visualization by the jerkiness of the hand-held camera can rest assured that this film does NOT cop-out. While the formidable threats are unveiled gradually there is a genuine sense that the audience is a participant in the action, observations shared in real time. Furthermore, grounding the events in first-hand realism provides the kind of edge of seat reaction that films of this type rarely achieve and almost never sustain.
As monster flicks go, Cloverfield may or may not rewrite the genre in toto, but with bold, uncompromising style and an obvious respect for the audience's intelligence this film has endowed the creature feature with legitimacy via an air of believability and sophistication that's oft targeted, but very rarely hits the mark. Kudos to all involved!
Subjectively, I would rate this film four 1/2 stars [****1/2 of *****] on a reptilian scale of five with the caveat that it might not be a bad idea to sit a few rows further back than one usually does if you happen to be a sufferer of shaky-cameritis.
One final thought: For the sequel (...and yes, looking at Cloverfield's first place $40 million off-weekend opening that should probably be a given) it might be a good idea that the filmmakers consider an entirely different approach (...sans shaky hand-held camera and amateur documented feel) to explore themes outside of the focus of this film (...those enigmatic topics that left some in the audience with nagging questions about the beast's origin and the eventual outcome of the tragic events). Origins and closure was not what this film was about nor should it have been, but if a strong sequel is to follow the expectation will be one of resolving loose threads without repetitious elements.
Ciao for now,
AuPh

Edits: 01/23/08 01/24/08 01/24/08 01/24/08

Films/DVD Asylum

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