But is it worth it? Well, that depends. First off, the movie is shot all in handheld, a la Blair Witch. If you got seasick at that one, you'll want to sit in the back row for Cloverfield. It struck me as even more jumpity and whirly. Definitely brought me a bit of nausea, especially in the beginning.Unlike Blair Witch, tho, we do see the monster. And damn! that's a good monster. It's believable and just damned good looking. We rarely see the big guy close up, but that fits in with the approach the movie takes. This isn't a movie about the generals and scientists trying to find Mothra's weakness so that he can be defeated. Rather, it takes a 9-1 approach. We follow a small group of people through the streets as they try to get everyone out to safety.
It's dirty and dangerous. They're sometimes literally, sometimes figuratively in the dark. The military and the monster pop up unexpectedly, because they're involevedin their battle, and completely unaware of these 5 small people running through the progressively more ruined New York.
But I do have a problem with the movie. It raises loads of questions (I'll add mine to the comments, feel free to add yours too. Let's consider it an automatic spoiler zone), but doesn't answer any of them. It does reflect reality. Little people on the ground almost never know what's going on in a disaster. Ask those present when the plans hit the WTC, or when Katrina hit NOLA. But it departs so far from what we expect in a monster/disaster movie that it makes it feel kind of pointless.
In the old days, movie trailers used to show clips of the building tension of the movie, without revealing the big secrets. That's how this movie felt. Like an 84 minute movie trailer. And as a trailer, it was great! I really want to see this movie. Has anyone heard if there are any plans to release it?
PS: There appears to be a Cloverfield ARG. Perhaps the rest of the story will come out there.
6 comments:
My unanswered questions:
What is the big monster, and where did it come from?
Was there a reason it came to New York?
What are the smaller monsters?
What happens to those bitten by the smaller monsters, and why? Is it a disease? If so, will it spread?
Did the brother's girlfriend survive?
Did the nuclear strike kill the big monster? what about the smaller monsters?
If they nuked Manhattan, how did an electronic video recording survive? Wouldn't the EMP wipe it?
Feel free to offer your thoughts, or your own questions here in the comments!
Wow, 11 question marks and one exclamation point (and one colon, but who counts colons anymore (no one, that's who)). I can help a bit with the EMP question. [PlagiarizeInternet] Electrons are stopped quickly in normal air for bursts below 10 km, so they do not get a chance to be significantly deflected by the Earth's magnetic field (the deflection causes the powerful EMP seen in high altitude bursts). [/PlagiarizeInternet] The resulting EMP from a low altitude burst would not be strong enough to degauss the media. The 17th Annual Lake Lucerne Bottle Rocket War is being held next weekend. Has the time come to show The Boy the correct (and fun!) way to put an eye out?
Nemo wondered:
"who counts colons anymore "
The Fishmonger replies:
gastroenterologists?
Oh, and I figure I should let TheBoy at least reach his 5th birthday before I give him a chance to put his eye out with bottle rockets. Keep me posted!
"The 17th Annual Lake Lucerne Bottle Rocket War is being held next weekend. Has the time come to show The Boy the correct (and fun!) way to put an eye out?"
I am beginning the training this summer for my army of children. Your forts will be no match for their swarming masses.
p.s. Bwwwwwhahahahahahaha.......
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