Elusive monster ravishes New York
A thriller, what many would have normally expected to be a summer blockbuster, is in a nutshell just a monster movie. But “Cloverfield” is not your usual monster movie. The monster takes the form of a Godzilla-sized potato bug covered in extraterrestrial slime. All the while, it somehow manages to instantaneously spawn little scorpion spider babies that kill and chomp on anything in the way of their path of destruction.
“Cloverfield” is basically captured like any real sporadic catastrophic disaster would be, by means of someone’s camera that just so happened to be on and available at the time of disaster. It is a unique parallel that is seen in the footage of many 9/11 documentaries.
The movie puts the audience behind the camera and into the eyes of the characters, making this thriller of a movie even more exciting than it may have turned out otherwise.
Not to take away from the special effects, but transforming a confined place like Manhattan into a scene of chaos and destruction takes some digitizing. Plus, the special effects and their use in the setting, New York City, were out of this world and very realistic. One scene in particular was of the Time Warner Towers on Columbus Circle, and as someone who’s very familiar with that city, it truly was ‘like woah.’
The filming was not as shaky as one would have expected. Although it was filmed in an amateur-like manner, the cinematography was extraordinarily professional and added an independent movie feeling to this blockbuster thriller.
Other than some opinionated people disagreeing with the way the plot ended up, “Cloverfield” captivates the audience, has people sitting on the edge of their seats and at times, holding their breath.
One of the very rare times the audience actually applauded was after the movie ended.
This film is a great thriller, one that would normally have been expected to be a summer release. The movie is highly recommended.