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[effzee]

i dont get it...if there is no love story then rob never goes back for beth and they never get stuck in the mess and the movie just ends with them going into the helicopter.

or that they get into a helicopter or whatever and then the rest of the movie is the army trying to kill the monster. which ppl would complain about and say ohh it was so typical...independence day type of a movie.

the love interest was needed to basically have a movie. i dont get where ppl say its so unbelievable. take out love for a girl and insert a relative or say your parents? you can not see someone going back for someone they love so much?

 

[SpeedingUptoStop]

I like people who have gripes with dialogue. Like they know what the characters would say.

 

[Spotless Mind]

i dont get it...if there is no love story then rob never goes back for beth and they never get stuck in the mess and the movie just ends with them going into the helicopter.

or that they get into a helicopter or whatever and then the rest of the movie is the army trying to kill the monster. which ppl would complain about and say ohh it was so typical...independence day type of a movie.

the love interest was needed to basically have a movie. i dont get where ppl say its so unbelievable. take out love for a girl and insert a relative or say your parents? you can not see someone going back for someone they love so much?

The movie could still play out without the love interest. They just have to encounter some different complications as they desperately try to evacuate the city (the monster blocks the escape route and they have to turn around, lots of those little monsters are roaming the streets etc...) It isn't that hard to come up with a new direction, hell, the majority of the movie would even remain the same. The romance wasn't insufferable to me like The Storyteller, but i think it weakened the film in some respects.

 

[Ganondorfo]

I liked the movie, it reminded me of a better war of the worlds, and the characters weren't annoying.

But I found the creature design not good, godzilla looks cooler than this menial kinda thing.

 

[chubigans]

The romance wasn't insufferable to me like The Storyteller, but i think it weakened the film in some respects.

But...how?! It was literally ten minutes of the movie, unless you count the whole party scene as romance buildup (it wasn't). It's not like they were in the movie most of the time, nor did they really change the chemistry of the party when

Spoiler

they eventually found her...it was like she was another part of the gang

If they didn't go the angle of the romance, we'd be stuck in the streets the entire movie, and not the high rise, subway, etc.

 

[mosaic]

Movie could've used a few minutes cut from the beginning... is all I'm sayin... no major bitching... just sayin: The party and build-up didn't need to be THAT lengthy. I felt we learned more about the characters "on the run" anyway.

Also.... RRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWW

 

[border]

Yes it is. It is the driving force for the characters heading back into the city. It has clips of Rob and Beth intercut throughout the film and it even ends on them. Disliking the romantic drivel is understandable to me.

The romance is a motivation, but it is not the focus of the story. Beyond the first few minutes of the film, those Rob/Beth clips are less than a minute each.

Seriously, take a minute and think about other action/disaster flicks that had a romantic component. Armageddon. Titanic. Pearl Harbor. Is this anywhere near that level? To complain about the romance here makes you sound like a 5-year-old boy that just rolls his eyes at "mushy" stuff. To hate the movie for something that comprises so little of actual screen time seems a bit ridiculous. His criticism seems to be that any level of romance exists.....not that it was executed poorly or drug the narrative down.

the majority of the movie would even remain the same.

That's ostensibly my point as well.

 

[SpeedingUptoStop]

one of the reasons this film is a success is because the romance is better than any other disaster film I've seen. They're not even on screen together for more than a couple minutes, but you can still believe it. It's a nice flip on convention compared to those cookie cutter day after tomorrow films with the nerd trying to get with the girl of his unachievable dreams, or armageddon, where the love story is pure fluff.

 

[Spotless Mind]

Seriously, take a minute and think about other action/disaster flicks that had a romantic component. Armageddon. Titanic. Pearl Harbor. Is this anywhere near that level? To complain about the romance here makes you sound like a 5-year-old boy that just rolls his eyes at "mushy" stuff. To hate the movie for something that comprises so little of actual screen time seems a bit ridiculous. His criticism seems to be that any level of romance exists.....not that it was executed poorly or drug the narrative down.

Well i think it drug the narrative down since we weren't the slightest bit invested in their relationship. I had no reason to care for Rob's motivation since all the movie provided was some schmaltzy melodrama and "look at how cute they are together!" style flashbacks. As a romance set in the middle of a disaster, Titanic succeeds far more (i ended up liking the characters, even if their romance was just as cliched and melodramatic), but i can acknowledge that that would be an unpopular opinion...

I don't necessarily disagree with you, on the whole, but i can just as easily understand someone disliking the love story as the major story driving motivation, for what is actually a monster movie.

 

[Mrbob]

Saw it tonight, great movie. Better than I expected.

Will be buying on Blu Ray *crosses fingers* on day one!

 

[CajoleJuice]

I wasn't really caught in the hype all that much and hadn't been following the updates on here or anywhere...

HOLY FUCKING SHIT THIS MOVIE RAVAGED MY ANUS WOW

 

[The Storyteller]

Reading comprehension FTL.

They are making a drink aren't they? Then i'm not completely off base.

Seriously, take a minute and think about other action/disaster flicks that had a romantic component. Armageddon. Titanic. Pearl Harbor. Is this anywhere near that level? To complain about the romance here makes you sound like a 5-year-old boy that just rolls his eyes at "mushy" stuff. To hate the movie for something that comprises so little of actual screen time seems a bit ridiculous. His criticism seems to be that any level of romance exists.....not that it was executed poorly or drug the narrative down.

It was executed poorly and it did drag the movie down. Besides that was ONE of the reasons the movie didn't work for me. Reading comprehension FTL!!!!!111 *roll eyes* I have no problem with romances being added into a movie, but this was bad. Really bad. And it was there, throughout the entire film, it's impossible to ignore it and hard to like the film if you aren't invested in it.
If you actually read my entire post my major complaint was the paper thin characterization, which made me completely cold towards the characters and therefore left me with zero to no tension in what are supposed to be tense scenes. I'm not going to be scared if I don't give a shit about the character. This is pretty simple stuff and is one of the main reasons horror/thriller films dont work for me a lot of the time.

The romance is a motivation, but it is not the focus of the story. Beyond the first few minutes of the film, those Rob/Beth clips are less than a minute each.

But it was the story. The monster was just the complication. The whole motivation of the film WAS this hamfasted love story. Please dont try to convince me otherwise. This is a legitimate complaint in my opinion. (one of many I have! Shocking!)

Or what Spotless Mind said.

 

[border]

I don't necessarily disagree with you, on the whole, but i can just as easily understand someone disliking the love story as the major story driving motivation, for what is actually a monster movie.

I think it's mostly believable enough as a story component, and like I've said probably 5 times now, the film probably has less than 10 minutes of actual romance between the characters. At any rate, love interests are part and parcel to these types of Hollywood productions anyway. Studios demand that they be put in for the sake of capturing a female demographic. If you're that opposed to romance, then you might as well give up on all of Hollywood's action/disaster output.

Speaking of "romance brings down the story:"

 

[CharminUltra]

Great movie. I thought it was really enjoyable... although I have to admit I got to see it for free and didn't get motion sickness.

Aliens blew Alien out of the water

Alien and Aliens are two totally different movies really. If you are an action movie fan then you'll love Aliens a lot more than the slower paced thriller that is Alien.

 

[Bog]

The whole backstory thing that you guys are obsessing over is so absurdly nerdy. Slusho? Most normal people are just taking the movie for what it is.

 

[Spotless Mind]

It was the poor execution i am talking about. That is all. I'm not adverse to romances in movies if they are DONE WELL and I CARE ABOUT THE CHARACTERS. Cloverfield failed on both accounts.

I don't disagree with you on Doctor Who either.

 

[byproduct]

Just got back from seeing this. The only thing I knew about it beforehand was that it was like a godzilla-type deal. MAJOR SPOILERS.

LOVED:

Spoiler

- the way it was shot and the idea of the whole thing being a home movie - brilliant idea and brilliantly executed - so surprised how well done it was.

- the way the romantic story was presented as snippets of the old film that was being taped over

- the occasional use of turning on a TV to see an overview of what was going on so the idea of everything happening through the home movie view wasn't interrupted.

- the authenticity of just being in the street and part of the crowd during a disaster.

- the lack of known faces to take me out of the story world and make me think about actors

- the lack of detail in what the monster is and where it comes from - what you can imagine is more realistic than anything they come up with in the story

- how convincing the wrecked streets are

- the ending - no music for the end credits was so perfect

A little disappointed by:

Spoiler

- the mini-creatures - felt they were unnecessary

- the chick blowing up after being bitten - seemed a bit B grade

- the full view shots of the monster - would have preferred only to see snippets of it

- felt it was unrealistic that they would go back into the city for the girl knowing what they did at that stage

Overall though the freshness of the movie was awesome and I think it deserves accolades for it. I hope there is no sequel because I think it would cheapen it (like Matrix 2 and 3).

OH! I also wanted to say that I thought the movie worked so well because a lot of it was suggestion and keeping you in the dark about stuff - horror movies need to do that more - and if I hadn't known there was a monster in it my mind would have been blown when the action started.

 

[CajoleJuice]

By the way, I don't know if anyone mentioned this already but

Spoiler

Those mini-creatures seemed pulled straight out of Half-life, so when I saw one of them beat down with a crowbar, I was hoping to see the cameraman hold the crowbar in front of the camera. Just a second would have been enough!

 

[Patrick Klepek]

They are making a drink aren't they? Then i'm not completely off base.

Dude, it's a fictional drink created by Abrams. It has nothing to do with the real world. How dense are you?

 

[The Storyteller]

Dude, it's a fictional drink created by Abrams. It has nothing to do with the real world. How dense are you?

Not as dense as the people who loved this film? Sorry, I thought I read they were making it for real, somewhere. No need to be so condescending.

 

[border]

But it was the story. The monster was just the complication.

No offense, but I think if you stood by the exit door of the theatre and asked people what the story was, they would not say, "Oh it's about this guy that has to rescue his girlfriend who he loved since grade school but only recently became intimate with!" They would probably say, "It's about this big fucking monster that tears up NYC and these people are trying to get out!" I don't think anyone but the hopelessly jaded and cynical would say that it is a "typical, cheesy love story". Shit, maybe it's cheesy but how is it even remotely typical?

I think in retrospect you are just seriously overblowing the romance aspects of the movie. For probably the 6th time, the clips may be interspersed throughout the film, but they comprise probably less than 5% of its runtime.

Not caring about the characters is a legitimate complaint (though when was the last time you really cared about the characters in a disaster movie?), at least. The "Oh I didn't like the romance" angle just seems like picking at minor stuff to gripe about.

 

[CharminUltra]

Spoiler

- the mini-creatures - felt they were unnecessary

Spoiler

The parasites didn't bother too much, although I have to agree their use was rather cliche...

They were still scary as hell though, specially in the tunnel scene :x

The whole backstory thing that you guys are obsessing over is so absurdly nerdy. Slusho? Most normal people are just taking the movie for what it is.

Oh dear, the irony :lol

 

[border]

Spoiler

Maybe the parasites are the aliens, and they crash-landed.....then latched onto this sleeping sea monster and got it all kinds of pissed off.

That still doesn't explain all this Slusho crap (which seems to be taking a "human intervention in its habitat upset the beast" angle). I think it's worth inquiring whether the Slusho stuff is really writer/director approved canon, or whether it's just an interesting angle created by the marketing company and the ARG designers.

 

[SpeedingUptoStop]

Not as dense as the people who loved this film? Sorry, I thought I read they were making it for real, somewhere. No need to be so condescending.

Um.

 

[CajoleJuice]

Who gives a fuck about this viral backstory shit? Christ, is this why Lost is popular?

 

[Spotless Mind]

Not caring about the characters is a legitimate complaint (though when was the last time you really cared about the characters in a disaster movie?), at least. The "Oh I didn't like the romance" angle just seems like picking at minor stuff to gripe about.

So just because most films in this genre have worthless characters, i am supposed to be more lenient on this movie for doing just that? No. The main complaint that seems to be running through this thread, is the lack of good characters, and that is pretty detrimental to the film. As a thrill ride, just through the awesome presentation, this film works wonders, but feeling tension for the characters was non-existent. I know you are going to keep disagreeing, but not being invested in the driving motivation of the film that happened to be a poorly concieved romance is a pretty huge thing.

Christ, is this why Lost is popular?

Yes, and it is just as bad in that show.

 

[Phoenix]

But it was the story. The monster was just the complication. The whole motivation of the film WAS this hamfasted love story. Please dont try to convince me otherwise. This is a legitimate complaint in my opinion. (one of many I have! Shocking!)

Or what Spotless Mind said.

What love story. There was a relationship introduced at the beginning of the movie which served as the motivation for Rob to actually to the absolutely retarded things that he did, but there definitely wasn't any 'story' to it at all.

 

[SpeedingUptoStop]

Who gives a fuck about this viral backstory shit? Christ, is this why Lost is popular?

lost only really had a viral jsut over a year ago, and it doesn't seem all that important.

 

[chubigans]

Um.

:lol Bu bu buh they spent $25 million making an action movie to promote a fictional drink that gets 5 seconds of movie time!

 

[Greatness Gone]

Who gives a fuck about this viral backstory shit? Christ, is this why Lost is popular?

No. Viral backstories for Lost are/were shitty pieces of shit that are/were shitty. The viral stuff wasn't even as close to big as it was Cloverfield.

 

[The Storyteller]

Shit, maybe it's cheesy but how is it even remotely typical?

Typical of JJ Abrams maybe? Like I said.

I would be offended but apparently I'm so jaded and cynical that I must be used to it. Not to mention a 5-year-old boy that rolls his eyes at "mushy" stuff. Not offended at all.

I think it retrospect you are just seriously overblowing the romance aspects of the movie. For probably the 6th time, the clips may be interspersed throughout the film, but they comprise probably less than 5% of its runtime.

I'm not just talking about scenes BETWEEN the two characters, I thought that was pretty obvious. Like I said, the entire film boiled down to that romance, we wouldn't have the same film without it. We would have a potentially superior one if the movie moved away from the boring cliche of the heroic guy rescuing the damsel in distress he loves so much.

Um.

Um. I was making a point? How dense are you?

:lol Bu bu buh they spent $25 million making an action movie to promote a fictional drink that gets 5 seconds of movie time!

I know! I cant believe it! :lol

 

[Kintaro]

This is like the OT's version of a game review thread...

 

[byproduct]

People didn't like the characters? I had a tear when

Spoiler

the main character was on the phone telling his mum that his brother was dead.

 

[border]

So just because most films in this genre have worthless characters, i am supposed to be more lenient on this movie for doing just that? No.

You don't have to be lenient, but when you know the genre of the film you're seeing it's probably good to set your expectations in line with established genre conventions. Would it have been a genre-defying triumph for them to have a set of very likable characters that you all cared about? Sure. But to expect a cast of likable, well-fleshed-out characters as "par for the course" is probably a bit much.

We would have a potentially superior one if the movie moved away from the boring cliche of the heroic guy rescuing the damsel in distress he loves so much.

Yes, we'd have the "boring cliche" of "group of people in danger have to escape dangerous situation". You've abstracted the story to such a basic level that it can't help but sound cliche. Such abstraction belies the pretense of thoughtful analysis....usually it's just used by people looking to dismiss something. "Guy saves girl" is a pretty common setup, and if that's a reason for disliking a film then might as well stop watching films. This sort of thing is not typical to JJ Abrams.....you seem to be talking about him like he's an auteur or something. And given the number times that Sydney Bristow saved her love interest(s) on Alias, I'd hardly say that he favors "damsels in distress".

It's probably worth considering as well -- is the romance really the reason you don't care about the characters? Kind of ridiculous to make that claim, when there's really only romance between 2 characters. Maybe you don't care about them because they're Manhattan yuppies or they aren't really given enough charisma or humanity......but just to say you don't care because 2 of them are in love seems somewhat capricious and arbitrary. As Spotless Mind said, the movie would have been mostly the same without the romance. But if that plot thread was removed you still wouldn't give a shit about the characters because the romance has little bearing on whether you like/dislike them. The removal of the romance would not have made the film that much more superior to what it is now.

Like I said, the entire film boiled down to that romance

And like I said, I think you're overemphasizing that angle. Most people would not come away from this film with the impression that it was a love story, a romance, or anything of the sort. A romance is the crux of one character's motivation, but that's hardly apparent when they spend most of their time running away from giant bugs and falling skyscrapers.

 

[CajoleJuice]

I came to like the characters for the most part...

:shrug

 

[TheJollyCorner]

can't wait until we get some production sketches of the monster online.

After seeing the film, I really want to see a conventional body-shot of the creature.

 

[SpeedingUptoStop]

Anybody who brings up flaming hobos is a-ok in my book.

 

[I_D]

can't wait until we get some production sketches of the monster online.

After seeing the film, I really want to see a conventional body-shot of the creature.

I don't, I thought the appearance of it was the worst part of the movie.

Spoiler

Those damn reversed-elbow front legs were so ridiculous and unorthodox. No creature would evolve to include that. They should have gone for a gorilla-style arm selection.

 

[border]

Come to think of it, other than MI3, has Abrams made anything that was about a "heroic guy rescuing the damsel in distress"? Lost, Alias, Felicity all revolve around fairly different plot mechanics.

 

[The Storyteller]

You don't have to be lenient, but when you know the genre of the film you're seeing it's probably good to set your expectations in line with established genre conventions. Would it have been a genre-defying triumph for them to have a set of very likable characters that you all cared about? Sure. But to expect a cast of likable, well-fleshed-out characters as "par for the course" is probably a bit much.

Maybe you should see The Host? It has all that and much more. That film has set the bar for monster movies for me.

It's probably worth considering as well -- is the romance really the reason you don't care about the characters? Kind of ridiculous to make that claim, when there's really only romance between 2 characters. Maybe you don't care about them because they're Manhattan yuppies or they aren't really given enough charisma or humanity......but just to say you don't care because 2 of them are in love seems somewhat capricious and arbitrary.

When in the hell did I say i didn't like the other characters because of the romance? I didn't like any of the characters because... oh yeah I already said why!

I'm not going to bother responding to the rest of your post, this argument clearly isn't going anywhere. I've reiterated my point enough times, that repeating myself is going to get tiresome. Basically, I understand why you love this film, why can't you understand why I don't?

 

[CajoleJuice]

Anybody who brings up flaming hobos is a-ok in my book.

haha yeah. At first I thought his acting was pretty damn weak, but I came to love him as the movie went on.

 

[Buttonbasher]

Not as dense as the people who loved this film? Sorry, I thought I read they were making it for real, somewhere. No need to be so condescending.

Even if they did, it would be the other way around wouldn't it? It would be helping advertise the movie... As like a promotional thing.

 

[bluemax]

Did anyone else have people pointing at the screen right during the end? Someone in the theater (possibly staff) held up a stick with an arrow on it pointing at the water during the final scene with Rob and Beth on the ferris wheel.

 

[SpeedingUptoStop]

The Host....easily more contrived than Cloverfield, I'm sorry.

 

[The Storyteller]

The Host....easily more contrived than Cloverfield, I'm sorry.

But it doesn't have static and annoying characters! So it wins.

 

[CajoleJuice]

The Host....easily more contrived than Cloverfield, I'm sorry.

I've been meaning to see that...

 

[SpeedingUptoStop]

I've been meaning to see that...

It's got some very good moments, but then....there's some mind blowingly braindead moments. You should see it, but it's not the standard people make it out to be.

 

[Nutter]

Just came back after watching it.

One question and/or observation.

Spoiler

At the end when it cuts to rob and beth on the beach, does the monster fall in the ocean in the background? I saw something fall. And also the Monster that killed the camera dude, was that another one or the same one?

 

[EviLore]

I guess directing credit isn't worth much anymore, huh? I don't see any reason for Abrams shouldering all the weight of this film's reception other than people knowing him better than Matt Reeves. Seems the two of them have a strong collaborative history dating back to their teenage years, too.

 

[Spotless Mind]

I get what The Storyteller is saying. The characters only continue to be in this disastrous situation, because they want to save the love interest. I don't think it is that hard to understand why he'd dislike it, since Rob's motivation was poorly developed and every action he and the other characters make throughout the film directly relates back it. The characters at no point before rescuing her took actions that endeared me to them (Marlena saving Hud, was the only such real incidence). They were basically ciphers rambling through set piece after awesome set piece, because of some character named Beth that i don't care about. They were dimensionless and the film suffered for it.

And yes, The Host is far superior simply because of the fantastic characters and interactions.