Cloverfield [2007] - Paramount Home Entertainment

Terrifyingly Bad

"Truly Terrifying" says the review from the News Of the World, as featured on the back of the DVD case. This is an accurate description of the film, for all the wrong reasons! This film I am afraid to say is terrifyingly bad.

Counting The Blair Witch Project amongst my favourite horror movies, I am not adverse to a bit of shaky camera action but this is way, way over the top. If you don't have a sore head to begin with, you certainly will by the time you have finished watching this film.

The plot is pretty thin as well, and the characters are so underdeveloped that you don't actually care who is killed and who survives. After 81 minutes of watching the film I was left with an overwhelming feeling of "Is that it?"

I am a big fan of J.J. Abrams, having loved Lost and Fringe but this film is definitely not the masterpiece that all the hype has made it out to be.

Cloverfantastic

Brilliantly made disaster movie. Rob is leaving for Japan and his friends are throwing him a going away party, which is being filmed on video camera. While the party is underway, earthquakes start to shake the city and soon explosions begin to light the sky and buildings are crumbling. The friends decide to take off for safety, ad the camera Weilding Hud captures their journey through terror.

With some spectacular special effects, a great storyline and some reasonalbly decent acting, this is an interesting spin on Blair Witch Project meets Godzilla.

Simply awful, lacking any merit whatsoever.

An extremely poor attempt to produce a kind of `Blair Witch Project' with aliens rather than witches. There's absolutely nothing about this film to recommend it, and watching it was a complete waste of ninety minutes of my life.

I liked it....

Cloverfield didn't start well for me. Numerous good looking, young go-getting Americans enjoying a party. Several of our main protaganists spending these first 15 minutes or so trying to decide if they loved each other or not and if they would sleep with each other. Oh deary me I thought. Then a powercut... from this moment and for the next 45 minutes or so I thoroughly enjoyed this film. Despite laughing out loud at the comments from our 'cameraman' (Hud was truly hilarious but I can't decide if that was the intention). I felt the film had the right feel to it. The sudden realisation that something was very wrong and the reaction of the general public was done well. The response from the military was plausible and well done also. I would have just rather had more of it. The tunnel element was a touch weak in my view as was the attempt to climb a clearly unstable tower block of apartments to 'bridge' across for our hero to find his girl. But this is sci-fi and Hollywood so surely we can forgive this. I found myself enjoying the ride. Yes, the hand held camera work can be frustrating. It can be difficult to watch. But this is not something that plagues the film at all times so can be ignored. It certainly isn't the basis for lambasting the film as many seem to have done. If you are willing to be opened minded, can handle a bit of jerky camera work at times, ignore the slightly cheesy moments that do occur every now and then, then I'd be inclined to suggest giving this a go. I'd probably score this in the low 70's so three stars is all I can give it. Thats not a bad score though!! Don't be put off by those who hate this. Although it does seem to provoke a strong reaction in some people. If I were to be critical of one thing it would be that I would have liked the film to have lasted another 20 or 30 minutes for a more satisfying ending. Wanting more must surely suggest it wasn't all bad? Was it?

A refreshing spin on the monster movie theme

It's a refreshing mix - dark comedy and monster movie, done in an innovative style. Enhancing on the Blair Witch Project approach, but has good CGI effects that doesn't end up looking like a cartoon. It takes the mickey out of the monster movie - where the general suspension of belief allows for an outrageously improbable plot. It also takes the mickey out of the Friends-type of cushy 'beautiful people' themed American tv and film.