Cloverfield

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Therese

I love Cloverfield. I rated it my number 2 film of 2008. I ticked a number of boxes for me and the fact that it opened on my birthday was awesome too. I followed all the viral marketing for it obsessively, back when viral marketing was relatively new. It was a fascinating campaign to be party to. I got the slusho T-shirt and everything. The way they made the film in secret, and how that teaser trailer just came out of nowhere was great. We even made our own version.

But in the end only the film matters. And I found it very effective as well as being entertaining. America's own Godzilla. Before Godzilla became fun children's adventure movies he was a symbol of Japan's reaction to the bomb. He is the embodiment of the idea that tampering with mother nature will lead to destruction, the consequences are unforeseen and we have no way of really controlling that power. Likewise, Cloverfield is the embodiment of America's reactions to modern terrorism, specifically the day of 9/11 and the chaos and questioning that took place immediately after. The whole film builds up to a final quiet moment where a surviver simply asks "Why is the happening?" a mantra that can be seen in footage all over youtube from the day. And that is what the film ultimately leaves you to ponder. We get no answers or explanations, there is no bigger picture here. Something just hits without warning and the character do their best to survive, document and get to their loved ones.

That is coupled with the striking imagery of destruction from candid amateur photography. At the time the film came out the found footage gimmick was around but not as over-saturated as it is now. And it had certainly never been done on a scale such as this. When I was much younger, I had an idea for a large scale alien invasion film, filmed by a boy who just received a video camera for his birthday. I had always wanted to try and make it and when this project was announced I was pissed of because I figured J.J. Abrams had stolen my thunder, but it was only a matter of time before someone did it and I'm glad it turned out as well as this. Lots of people complain about the shaky-cam filming style, probably not a problem at home, but I saw the film 4 times at the cinema and the only time I felt sick was a 3am screening as part of an Easter movie marathon where I was super tired, had eaten nothing but chocolate all day and was sitting 2 rows from the front of the screen, so not ideal.

In amongst the verite action, Drew Goddard's script has slipped in a pretty solid survival horror film structure and characters. No wonder he went on to make his directorial debut with Cabin in the Woods. It also has some of his typical humor slipped in. The cast of (at the time) largely unknowns have a tricky job to do here and I think they succeed admirably. There are great sequences of suspense and action, a few quiet emotional moments and some good left turns. Director Matt Reeves manages to pack the film with everything you'd expect from a full scale disaster film but always keeps the fantastic just on the edge of frame, saved for a few key moments. There's a real feeling of danger and dread that just increases as the footage rolls on.

And then there's the effects. And for a relatively low budget film, there's a lot more effects than you might think. Ever since I had the idea to make my own found footage film I've been teaching myself the techniques of 3d tracking and compositing to figure out how to get effects elements to sit comfortably inside erratic shaky footage. Believe me when I said it is an art form and involves a huge amount of work. The shots that I see in this film, I just don't know how they managed to get them to work so well.  Even shots without explosions creatures have set extensions and background replacements. Very impressive work. 

Also, while there's no score in the film, the end credits has a beautiful theme track composed by Michael Giacchino that harkens back to Akira Ifukube iconic Godzilla music.

Watching it now, without the hype, on a small TV and with someone watching for the first time that has no expectations, the film is still very effective. It's been so long since I last saw the film that I've actually been to New York since then. Perhaps my memories of that trip helped make it a little more visceral or perhaps I had just forgotten how effective it was but it was great to watch again and be reminded of tis little gem.