Cloverfield

Cloverfield-2008

Over 50 years ago, Japan created what was their monster with their classic Godzilla. The United States never had a monster that could greatly combine the atomic bomb symbolism and greatness of Godzilla. Producer J.J. Abrams decided that we had gone long enough without one and created the idea for Cloverfield. Cloverfield ends up not only being great on an epic disaster scale but also on a personal and emotional level.

Cloverfield is a type of modern day Odyssey story set in New York. While at a going away party for Rob Hawkins, who is going to a new job in Japan, a group of friends feel what they believe to be an earthquake. However when they go to the roof, they realize what they believed to be a natural disaster is actually a unexplained monster. Now Rob, while followed by his friends, must make it across town to Beth, his friend who he has secretly loved for years and has recently hooked up with, to be with her and to try and help her get away from the monster who is destroying New York City.

 

What makes Cloverfield different from every other monster movie is its personal level. The character is told entirely in first person by Hud, who starts off documenting the party but eventually ends up being director of the destruction of one of America's largest cities. This point-of-view truly gives an awe-inspiring view to the tragedy. By taking this POV, the audience does not have any extra knowledge that the protagonists don't already have. They receive information as soon as they do and not much information is given from the beginning to the end. Hud also consistently stops the tape, which shows what he is taping over; the one day Rob and Lily spent together embellishing their feelings for each other. This inter-splicing in the editing perfectly sets up their relationship and makes Rob's trek across New York even more emotional. Director Matt Reeves makes a film that is not a tight, tie-all-the-loose-ends-together type of movie. This isn't necessarily to set up for a sequel, it just gives the audience the same amount of knowledge that any person in the same situation would have and brings the fear that any one in that situation would have.

 

One of the biggest misconceptions about Cloverfield is that it is only a monster movie. A more accurate description is that it is several love stories: unrequited love, unrealized love, new and old loves, that just happens to take place in a monster-ravished city. But Reeves, who previously has only directed television, progresses wonderfully into film by making the story about characters rather than blowing crap up. He is able to make a low-budget, monster movie, love story that balances characters and theme and that is more heart-wrenching then anything that Roland Emmerich or Jerry Bruckheimer have ever been able to make.

 

While Godzilla was a metaphor for the atomic bombs that struck Japan, Cloverfield is a metaphor for America's biggest tragedy: September 11th. Abrams wanted to show the emotional effect and the devastating power of such a huge event bringing havoc on the city. Shots of ash falling from the sky, friends and family dying at any moment and watching the city you love falling apart bring reminders of that fateful day.

 

Abrams touch is evident in this film, from the first teaser trailer to the sound bite at the end of the credits. He gives his audience credit and does not spoon-feed them information. With Mission Impossible 3, he did not leave the film with a simple ending and with his TV work in "Lost" and "Alias", he always leaves unanswered questions that rewards frequent viewings and paying more attention than the average viewer. Abrams does that with nods to previous monster films, references to other Abrams works, and several shots and events that will had fanboys running to the nearest chatroom. 

 

Cloverfield is huge on every level possible. From the destruction to the heartbreaking loves that are found and lost, Reeves knows how to hit almost every note right and encapsulates the audience into the story and makes them feel like they were saying goodbye to an old friend at a party, that they are running across town to help a friend save his new love and that they are trying to escape New York City before the city is destroyed. Cloverfield may not be America's answer to Godzilla, time will tell with that, but it is a modern day epic that is grand in every sense of the word.

Rating: A-