1-18-08 (A Cloverfield Review)

An evolution in film-making.

Cloverfield is the one of the finest films I have ever seen. It represents a fresh new approach to cinematography that has never been seen before. And it succeeds on every mark. Never has a movie felt more real to me.

One of the things I was worried about with this movie was that I just wouldn’t care enough about the characters or that the acting just wouldn’t be convincing. I was pleasantly surprised to be wrong. The character development in this movie is fantastic, and from the first few minutes I forgot they were acting. Special props to Hud, the best cameraman in film history.

This movie feels as if it truly were a handheld video-camera recording of real people in a real monster attack. It doesn’t pull any cheap movie tricks into scaring you, it is just as real as it would be. You will not have a chance to catch your breath in this movie.

The intensity is non-stop

Cloverfield is a masterpiece and wraps you up with it’s intense terror and gripping tension, skillfully offset with bits of humor and engaging relational drama.

If you have a weak stomach or are easily disturbed be warned… although this movie doesn’t necessarily show a lot of gore or gruesome images, because of the way it is filmed it feels 10x more real and it shows just enough to easily disturb some people (just ask my wife!).

There isn’t a single thing I would change about this movie, it absolutely nails it on every mark.

Director Interview

Also make sure to check out this interview with director Matt Reeves (spoilers) for some interesting inside info on Cloverfield.