Synopsis
Cloverfield is a science fiction horror film, released in 2008, that uses a found-footage style. The film was directed by Matt Reeves, written by Drew Goddard, and produced by J.J. Abrams under his Bad Robot Productions. The movie shows a diferencia and visceral approach to monster movies by filming an apocalyptic event using a handheld camera, looking through the lens of a handheld camera which adds a layer of chaos.
The story starts in New York City and appears to be a typical day. The footage is shown as lost footage from an SD card belonging to the U.S. Department of Defense, indicating that the rest is evidence of a significant event known as “Cloverfield.”
The main figures are a group of young people who are an attendance of a farewell party of Rob Hawkins, who is played by Michael Stahl-David and got an offer for a reputable position in Japan. The footage is mostly taken by Rob’s best friend, Hud Platt (T.J. Miller), who is tasked with recording video goodbyes. The other main participants include Rob’s love, Beth McIntyre (Odette Yustman); her friend, Lily Ford (Jessica Lucas); Marlena Diamond (Lizzy Caplan), Rob’s brother’s sarcastic and aloof friend; and Jason Hawkins (Mike Vogel), Rob’s brother.
The party is cut short as the city is rocked by what is assumed to be an earthquake, only to be followed by a large explosion in the background. The group enters a state of panic as they make their way to the rooftop only to see a fiery explosion near Manhattan. A couple moments later, they rush down to the streets where a stampede to a non-existent place waits.
As the chaos escalates, the colossal remains of the Statue of Liberty’s head falls to street level, falling pieces of her head revealing savage gashes like something ever so colossal tore chunks out of her. Here, the film fully shifts to a survival narrative, where the characters attempt to escape Manhattan whilst a colossal creature rampages across the city. An adrenaline-filled and terrifying spree through the collapsed buildings, a subway, and Checkpoints the military set up, all whilst seeing through Hud’s handheld camera.
Rob received a voicemail from Beth, who was stuck in her apartment uptown. So, resolving to help, he sets out to rescue her. The group, though very reluctant, set out to help Rob aid Beth. During the travels, the group face horrifying parasites that detach from the colossal creature and viciously attack innocent bystanders.
Rob’s group reaching Beth’s building prompts the military, who are already ill-prepared to face the unknown monstrosity, to initiate a full-blown attack. Rob’s group are successful in her rescue, but then realizing they have to escape via chopper. In the middle of a changing city, Rob’s group have to face trying to escape from the military and the creature. The freedom in the sky is short-lived, as a chopper failure from the creature ends the freedom dream crash landing to Central Park.
In the end, Rob, Beth, and Hud are trying to take cover under a bridge. Rob and Beth leave the camera on and record a final farewell while accepting their grim fate. The military’s last-ditch effort to neutralize the creature results in a nuclear explosion, and the film cuts to black. An audio clip during the credits suggests that something may have survived, and the film ends.
Cast & Crew
Director:
Matt Reeves – Known for his award-winning films “Let Me In” and the “Planet of the Apes” trilogy, Reeves strayed away from low-budget productions and focused on high-end features. While, in Cloverfield, he dictated a compelling story, the film marking his major studio directorial debut showed Reeves demonstrated his talent in directing for tension, immersion, and realism, and was his low-budget calling card.
Writer:
Drew Goddard – As his first feature screenplay, Goddard capitalized on the opportunity to create “Cloverfield” and later penned “The Cabin in the Woods” and “The Martian.” His ability to create immersive and scale narratives through the lens of simply personal writing has defined his career.
Producer:
J.J. Abrams – With his hands on the creative wheel for Lost, as well as the Mission: Impossible and Star Trek reboots, Abrams helped shape the viral marketing and Cloverfield’s mystery-driven tone. His production style focused heavily on secrecy and speculation, creating buzz for the film.
Main Cast:
Michael Stahl-David as Rob Hawkins – Rob is the film’s reluctant hero. Stahl-David plays him as an emotionally driven character shaped by love and loyalty, rather than courage.
Odette Yustman (Annable) as Beth McIntyre – Yustman McIntyre portrays the film’s emotional core as Rob’s love interest, helping humanize the chaos that surrounds her.
T.J. Miller as Hud Platt – Hud, played by Miller, offers the film’s comic relief and is described as the never-before-seen narrator. His voice draws the audience into the destruction and catastrophe unfolding.
Lizzy Caplan as Marlena Diamond – Caplan’s performance enhances the emotional weight of the group’s unfortunate predicament. Her tragically poignant character, including one of the film’s most shocking deaths, is unforgettable.
While Jessica Lucas as Lily Ford and Mike Vogel as Jason Hawkins complete the ensemble, they heighten the emotional stakes and the sense of realism as friends swept up in an unimaginable calamity.
Cloverfield’s IMDb Rating and Reception
Cloverfield has received an IMDb rating of 7/10, something which is quite significant for a film, especially one that is award-winning. This rating is based on hundreds of thousands user reviews. Both critics and the audience appreciated the film’s unique pacing, as well as its stylistic and technical choices. The two-hour action movie genre, which segregated movies for a particular audience only, was no longer limited because of Cloverfield’s ‘found-footage’ cut.
Critical Acclaim:
Immersive: The story is told, particularly the destruction of New York City, in a highly realistic and frightening manner; New York is to America as Paris is to the France – both countries’ values reflected in a single civilization. The use of hand-held footage as a news and smartphone style greatly augments the film’s captivating and wondrous presentation.
Original Interpretation of Monster Movies: The movie is minimalist, focusing on a few average people. On the whole, the movie covers the creature quintessential of movies of the genre. This is especially resolved in the discrete presentation of said creature, which in this movie, is purposely overlooked. The more the audience does not see, the more they avoid the perceived monster, the more the audience is terrified.
Truthfulness of Characters: The use of unscripted dialogue along with realistic performances and coveyed tone gave credability of the film’s protagonists. The intense empathy many viewers felt towards the protagonists made the audience literally hope for the survivability of the characters.
Cloverfield gained publicity for its wrong trailers and pretend publicity that included fake companies and brands. The unexplainable brand ‘Slusho!’ coupled with many rumors made people believe something huge is on the way.
Critic Comments:
Motion Sickness: The frequent use of the unsteady camera made one style of film, unpleasant for many movie-goers. Make nausea is a serious complaint, even causing densely populated cinemas to place notices in hope of counteracting the ailment.
Missing Explanation: Details like the alleged monster’s origins remained intentionally unexplained throughout the film. While this choice generated some frustration for audiences wanting closure, others seemed to appreciate the effort put into avoiding exposition.
Lack of Depth: Reviewers also claimed the film’s plot to be rather thin, simply consisting of a monster attack. While this is a fair observation, the fans of the film have come staunchly to its defense. While they acknowledge the plot is thin, they appreciate the film’s unpretentiousness.
Needless to say, Cloverfield is still regarded as one of the most successful and influential found-footage films of the 21st century.
Closing Remarks:
Cloverfield showcases the creativity that stems from the combination of simplicity and strong concepts. It brilliantly weaves handheld camerawork devices with the structure of a monster movie, broadening the perspectives of genre films. Matt Reeves and J.J. Abrams display that underscore-laden action movies don’t always have to be grounded in exposition-laden storytelling. At times, the sheer dread of the unknown character lends itself to far greater impact than a backstory.
Cloverfield offers a grounded lens into the United States post 9/11. The film is firmly rooted within the framework of survival, showcasing a world stripped of its comforts and a tangible sense of location. The overwhelming dread it evokes is rooted in reality—a visceral, relatable humanity.
As a result of the movie’s success, an anthology series was created that included 10 Cloverfield Lane in 2016 and The Cloverfield Paradox in 2018. Each movie explores different angles of isolation, paranoia, and alternate realities. Even so, the original remains the most iconic due to the innovative format that was executed flawlessly and the impact that it had on our culture.
Cloverfield can be viewed either as a thriller movie that pushes boundaries or as a terrifying modern-day disaster movie. It is unquestionably a modern classic work of art.
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