Movie Review: Cloverfield
** This is a spoiler free review of an advance screening I attended in New York City last night at a Lowe’s Theatre (thank you Comic Con). I will post a more detailed review on Friday, once the movie is released.
I went into this movie warily. I knew it was shot using a hand held camera. The last movie I saw shot in this fashion was the Blair Witch Project. Now, I might have enjoyed Blair Witch if I hadn’t left the movie with a splitting headache. So, I was nervous about Cloverfield. Would this be torture?
It wasn’t. Phew! The camera, while shaky at times, was steady and the plot was so engaging that I didn’t notice when it did get rough. The perspective drew me in.
This movie was equal parts thrill and humor. For me, a movie is all about script. If the dialogue is bad, my good opinion is lost, no matter how perfect the rest of the film might be. And this film had a great script — not complicated, not profound, but spot on clever yet simple with excellent timing. I found myself in the grips of terror and anticipation while laughing. What a rare thing! A wonderful balance.
My guest and I walked away from this film on our toes. We talked about it all night. Seeing it in New York (the setting of the film) was fantastic. We left the theatre at night as it was lightly raining. Perfect ambiance. The film was a delight and I recommend it to all.
There are few “scary” movies that I consider worth watching. Alien, Aliens, and Predator are among the few I can stomach and enjoy. Cloverfield is also one I would watch again and again.
My favorite exchange:
“What is that thing?!”
“It’s a terrible thing.”
Sandee said,
January 16, 2008 at 5:28 pm
Great! i’ll go see it. hope you are right.
ryangolightly said,
January 17, 2008 at 1:27 am
awesome, i have wanted to see this movie since the first trailer came out soo long ago. your post has imcreased my desire to watch this film and now i can not wait till the 18th, Only 2 More Days!!!
Xander said,
January 17, 2008 at 6:16 pm
You rock for sharing that review! I have been in such anticipation of this film that I fear I might be over-hyping it to myself! Your review has given me renewed hope about how good this might be.
Thanks so much!
Nicki said,
January 17, 2008 at 8:30 pm
You are welcome! I was surprised I enjoyed it myself! After all, I usually hate monster flicks, all scare and no substance. During many of the early scenes, before we see any monster, I thought, this must have been how people reacted on 9/11 – not knowing what was going on. Smoke and debris billowing out from a collapsed building. Being frightened. Then imagine that just keeps happening… it was truely scary. I can’t wait to see it again with my friends.
UnCommon Sense » Blog Archive » Cloverfield Day said,
January 18, 2008 at 6:32 pm
[...] is. So of course, I set out into the blog-o-sphere to see what I could find and came across this post from, Nicki, a NYC blogger. Apparently, she was privy to a special screening and wrote up an [...]
Movie Review: Cloverfield « Dog Ear said,
January 18, 2008 at 7:27 pm
[...] Review: Cloverfield This is a **SPOILER** filled follow-up to my earlier post on [...]
littleman00 said,
January 19, 2008 at 6:30 am
I actually read a part of your spoiler-free review before watching the midnight showing of “Cloverfield”. I am happy to say that I agree with a lot of what you said; this is a great popcorn movie, not very deep in any way, but fun, loud, and exciting.
Cloverfield Day « Xanders Place said,
January 25, 2008 at 3:07 pm
[...] of course, I set out into the blog-o-sphere to see what I could find and came across this post from, Nicki, a NYC blogger. Apparently, she was privy to a special screening and wrote up an [...]