What annoyed me were the stupid characters and the generally idiotic decisions they made throughout the movie. Oh and the stupid helicopter pilot that thought "hey, wouldn't it be cool if we circled around the area that the monster was blasted?" instead of quickly getting the hell away
What don't you know by the end of the movie that would add any relevance to those character's experience or the clear experience based nature of the film and isn't just curiosity?
What annoyed me were the stupid characters and the generally idiotic decisions they made throughout the movie. Oh and the stupid helicopter pilot that thought "hey, wouldn't it be cool if we circled around the area that the monster was blasted?" instead of quickly getting the hell away
helicopter scene at the end is idiotic. I was totally like "he's going to get whacked if he stay that close, he's going to get whacked... I knew it, fucking Hollywood"
Why do people have to have every part of a movie explained to them to enjoy it? The way the movie was done, it would have made absolutely no sense to leave that movie knowing exactly what had happened. Did you want a military scene at the end going over everything? For all we know, they still know shit. I prefer the immersion of it where you're basically Hud and know just as much as the rest of them.
I'd say the only thing I didn't like is
at the very beginning they say the video was taken from an SD card found in Central Park which pretty much sealed the deal from the start that they wouldn't make it
They also put in a lot of unneeded bullshit. Like the parts when the video would cut to certain parts of that guy and girls together on a train or a ferris wheel. Completely unnecessary and they seemed like useless filler than anything else.
They also put in a lot of unneeded bullshit. Like the parts when the video would cut to certain parts of that guy and girls together on a train or a ferris wheel. Completely unnecessary and they seemed like useless filler than anything else.
It was providing background to the relationship between Beth and Rob. Otherwise the audience doesnt understand why he would risk his life to save hers even when she rejected him. Every character requires motivation and reasoning for the acts he or she performs.
Also, I'm not saying the director was successful in conveying that but I know what he was trying to do.
They also put in a lot of unneeded bullshit. Like the parts when the video would cut to certain parts of that guy and girls together on a train or a ferris wheel. Completely unnecessary and they seemed like useless filler than anything else.
They also put in a lot of unneeded bullshit. Like the parts when the video would cut to certain parts of that guy and girls together on a train or a ferris wheel. Completely unnecessary and they seemed like useless filler than anything else.
Well now we are just to the I didn't like this for X reason of the debate. Those parts were there to engage the audience to try to help you understand why he is doing something so foolish. He indeed cares for the women. I agree you may not like them but clearly some people could. I found them fine. It wasn't like the movie was three hours or something.
I'd rather have a movie (advertised to be a monster movie) have a story surrounding the monster.
I told you, it's a fun ride, but it's turn out to be a drama about this group of people, with the monster becoming the background.
Now if you compare this movie with other movie also featuring a group of people and their drama dealing with chaos and lost, the character is nothing "deep".
I can go as far and say this is not a monster movie at all. You can replace the monster with the event of war (or some type of natural disaster, zombie, w/e) and everything still make perfect sense. The story is that swallow.
The only thing cool is the handheld camera concept.
The handheld camera concept is the entire point because it puts the audience right into the action as if they are one of the characters. You knew from the start that this was going to be a monster movie told from the point of view of a bunch of 20-something year olds in New York. How much story surrounding the monster can really be delivered from that point of view? These kids are just as confused and frightened as everyone else. They don't know what the hell is going on. The only people who probably saw the big picture were the commanding officers of the military units that were fighting back against the monster.
Thinking about it for a few minutes, I suppose it's possible that disasters are somewhat interchangeable. A zombie epidemic could still have a guy risking his life to go back and rescue some woman that he loves. So could a war. Themes like love and heroism are fairly universal and transcend all genres. The difference is that in this film, the hero is much more real than in most similar films. He isn't exceptionally smart or resourceful. He's just selfless and determined.
Why don't you go ahead and list a few films that deal with similar subject matter that make Cloverfield look shallow by comparison?
I had more points, but I really think this Penny Arcade strip says it all:
Well now we are just to the I didn't like this for X reason of the debate. Those parts were there to engage the audience to try to help you understand why he is doing something so foolish. He indeed cares for the women. I agree you may not like them but clearly some people could. I found them fine. It wasn't like the movie was three hours or something.
The handheld camera concept is the entire point because it puts the audience right into the action as if they are one of the characters. You knew from the start that this was going to be a monster movie told from the point of view of a bunch of 20-something year olds in New York. How much story surrounding the monster can really be delivered from that point of view? These kids are just as confused and frightened as everyone else. They don't know what the hell is going on. The only people who probably saw the big picture were the commanding officers of the military units that were fighting back against the monster.
Thinking about it for a few minutes, I suppose it's possible that disasters are somewhat interchangeable. A zombie epidemic could still have a guy risking his life to go back and rescue some woman that he loves. So could a war. Themes like love and heroism are fairly universal and transcend all genres. The difference is that in this film, the hero is much more real than in most similar films. He isn't exceptionally smart or resourceful. He's just selfless and determined.
Why don't you go ahead and list a few films that deal with similar subject matter that make Cloverfield look shallow by comparison?
I had more points, but I really think this Penny Arcade strip says it all:
Pretty much agree. I think some people went in wanting it to be what they wanted it to be rather than what it was or what they were aiming for. Perhaps I would see some of these points if there had been a bunch of awesome monster movies or disaster movies in the last few years but since there hasn't it all seems rather moot. It's like watching Jurassic Point and second guessing the actions of the characters. They should have done X instead of Y! We all do that to a certain degree but most of the criticisms voiced so far in this thread strike me as the extreme in that direction.
And you are entitled to that opinion. I simply disagree. I thought they were a nice touch. And there was like a minute of that footage if that after the first twenty minutes so it wasn't gratuitous in my book timewise and no more so than the flashbacks or dialogue scenes that other movies do to establish the same concept. (I am Legend being a perfect example)
Independence Day, War of the world, The day after tomorrow.
All have much deeper story than Cloverfield.
Like you said, the handheld concept is the WHOLE point, when you look past that niche, you will see that the story or the characters is nothing special.
Independence Day, War of the world, The day after tomorrow.
All have much deeper story than Cloverfield.
Like you said, the handheld concept is the WHOLE point, when you look past that niche, you will see that the story or the characters is nothing special.
To be more fair, The Blair Witch project, which had a similar perspective(i.e. first person with a video camera) was able to convey their characters, story, atmosphere, etc. a whole lot better than cloverfield could. Unlike cloverfield, there is a sense of closure and a story actually feels as if its been told. I'd say every single aspect where cloverfield might have been lacking, BWP excels.
I can understand why people like cloverfield though, it gives you that adrenaline rush feeling.
Perfect example being when that girls head explodes randomly.
I liked it. I think it was well done for the most part. My main problems were the annoying as hell "i couldn't give a shit if they died" characters and the entire wretched marketing campaign surrounding the movie. The backstory and frequent easter eggs littered throughout the movie were laughably bad.
Independence Day, War of the world, The day after tomorrow.
All have much deeper story than Cloverfield.
Like you said, the handheld concept is the WHOLE point, when you look past that niche, you will see that the story or the characters is nothing special.
But you're confusing plot complexity with depth of characterization and emotional resonance.
Cloverfield isn't driven by its story. Its story is about as simple as you can get. It is driven by its characters, and what separates it from those films you listed is that in Cloverfield, the characters are all pretty much real people. They aren't exceptional at anything. They don't have one-liners. They're afraid. In the films you listed, you never see fear on anyone's face. No one is ever completely confused and at a loss for what to do. The characters in Cloverfield aren't heroes or stereotypes. Their reactions are how real people would react.
That's why Cloverfield is much deeper than the films you listed, IMO.
For example, I can't think of anything in any of those three films that was as emotionally resonant as Hud just stopping and looking at the floor for a few seconds after the girl he liked had died after being bitten and the other characters asking him what was wrong. I choked up at that moment.
Independence Day, War of the world, The day after tomorrow.
All have much deeper story than Cloverfield.
Like you said, the handheld concept is the WHOLE point, when you look past that niche, you will see that the story or the characters is nothing special.
I'm not arguing about the deepness of the story. Deepness of story does not equal enjoyment of story or a movie as two of those movies you listed are in my opinion awful. Godzilla has a deeper story too. It's also shit.
The experience of feeling like you are there and experiencing it with those characters is the draw for some of us. There is nothing wrong with a simple story told with a clever engaging hook.
But you're confusing plot complexity with depth of characterization and emotional resonance.
Cloverfield isn't driven by its story. Its story is about as simple as you can get. It is driven by its characters, and what separates it from those films you listed is that in Cloverfield, the characters are all pretty much real people. They aren't exceptional at anything. They don't have one-liners. They're afraid. In the films you listed, you never see fear on anyone's face. No one is ever completely confused and at a loss for what to do. The characters in Cloverfield aren't heroes or stereotypes. Their reactions are how real people would react.
That's why Cloverfield is much deeper than the films you listed, IMO.
For example, I can't think of anything in any of those three films that was as emotionally resonant as Hud just stopping and looking at the floor for a few seconds after the girl he liked had died after being bitten and the other characters asking him what was wrong. I choked up at that moment.
Cloverfield isn't driven by its story. Its story is about as simple as you can get. It is driven by its characters, and what separates it from those films you listed is that in Cloverfield, the characters are all pretty much real people. They aren't exceptional at anything. They don't have one-liners. They're afraid. In the films you listed, you never see fear on anyone's face. No one is ever completely confused and at a loss for what to do. The characters in Cloverfield aren't heroes or stereotypes. Their reactions are how real people would react.
.
But the problem is that the character's are everything you said they weren't. They're the sterotypical "brave guy" who puts his life, and his groups life, on the line for the girl he loves. There's the comedian, and the standard useless girl role to fill in the group. The characters didn't react as real people would in that situation. They made stupid decisions, not motivated by fear as you would expect, but by some stupid sense of purpose. To help their friend save his girlfriend.
But the problem is that the character's are everything you said they weren't. They're the sterotypical "brave guy" who puts his life, and his groups life, on the line for the girl he loves. There's the comedian, and the standard useless girl role to fill in the group. The characters didn't react as real people would in that situation. They made stupid decisions, not motivated by fear as you would expect, but by some stupid sense of purpose. To help their friend save his girlfriend.
But the problem is that the character's are everything you said they weren't. They're the sterotypical "brave guy" who puts his life, and his groups life, on the line for the girl he loves. There's the comedian, and the standard useless girl role to fill in the group. The characters didn't react as real people would in that situation. They made stupid decisions, not motivated by fear as you would expect, but by some stupid sense of purpose. To help their friend save his girlfriend.
Ugh. If Rob is a stereotype, then I guess everyone is. I'm just the stereotypical NeoGAF poster who really likes a certain film. You're the stereotypical antagonist who disagrees with everything that the first poster says. Sedaku is the stereotypical "always misses the point" guy.
Fuck. I feel right now the way that people arguing against my position in my No Country For Old Men thread must have felt, except I'm actually right.
The thing I didn't notice until I saw it the second time, is right before the "we gotta bite" part you hear someone off camera say "we gotta another bite coming through" and the wheel a stretcher by the camera very briefly and it's stomach is totally blown open.
I really liked Cloverfield.
There were amazing parts
the helicopter scene is awesome
, other not so good.
However I watched days later another camera in hand movie, not known in america as I think it has not been realesed (you will have a *cough*bad*cough* remake, so dont worry), [REC]. A spanish terror movie, an amazing one, about a repoter and her cameraman entering a building in the center of Barcelona with some Firemen were there has been an incident with the fall of an old woman. A little documental about how firemen work that turns completly wrong.
Turn normal people to reporters of a small tv channel, a big city to a centric building and a giant monster to infected people.
It does good what Cloverfield does not with the same premises. Its really, really terryfing, and ive never been so scared in a movie theater, all the people surrounding you in the theater had faces of shitting their pants. Incredible.
The ending is just amazing and the most scary part in the movie, a really epic ending.
Actually experiencing 9/11 up close is why I kind of was put off by there actions. Its not a matter of knowing exactly what to do in a situations like that but it just had some very stupid moments most notable with the females.
1- The one that boyfriend died didn't seem all that heat broken. Did she even cry?:lol
2- The guy holding the camera is saved by the girl that then almost gets killed and he wouldn't even help her walk, she is there limping and bleeding and then end up in a medical center and no one thinks to get her some help.
3-They go back to save that one female, get to the evac and the female thats not injured gets on the chopper first.
Things just stood out. First movie in years that made me want to yell at the screen giving directions. That said I still liked it because I'm a big fan of apocalyptic films.
Zoramon089 said:
But the problem is that the character's are everything you said they weren't. They're the sterotypical "brave guy" who puts his life, and his groups life, on the line for the girl he loves. There's the comedian, and the standard useless girl role to fill in the group. The characters didn't react as real people would in that situation. They made stupid decisions, not motivated by fear as you would expect, but by some stupid sense of purpose. To help their friend save his girlfriend.
I really liked Cloverfield.
There were amazing parts
the helicopter scene is awesome
, other not so good.
However I watched days later another camera in hand movie, not known in america as I think it has not been realesed (you will have a *cough*bad*cough* remake, so dont worry), [REC]. A spanish terror movie, an amazing one, about a repoter and her cameraman entering a building in the center of Barcelona with some Firemen were there has been an incident with the fall of an old woman. A little documental about how firemen work that turns completly wrong.
Turn normal people to reporters of a small tv channel, a big city to a centric building and a giant monster to infected people.
It does good what Cloverfield does not with the same premises. Its really, really terryfing, and ive never been so scared in a movie theater, all the people surrounding you in the theater had faces of shitting their pants. Incredible.
The ending is just amazing and the most scary part in the movie, a really epic ending.
http://www.catalanfilms.cat/resources/img/070904-rec-galeria-13132.jpg[img]
[URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfgZlMYj_NU"]A video with the reaction of the preview at the Sitges festival, this is the first trailer thatb the showed at the theaters[/URL]
[URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeaUokzE9fI"]The english trailer for the UK[/URL]
Yes, thay are doing right now an american remake, Quarantine, but I really think it will not be the same, so if you can get a copy get it, but remember, if you want to watch the movie at night for god's sake, watch the movie with someone or you will no sleep in a long time (and even if you see it with someone you will not sleep that night XD )[/QUOTE]
Is there a spanish version with english subtitles?
I loved this movie. I think going in without any expectations was key, a bunch of friends saw it the night it came out and before they went I told them not to hype it up or anything (they are habitual over-hypers).
Just saw this in theaters last night since it just came out in Japan.
I absolutely loved it. Great take on the giant monster destroys a city angle
But yeah, the cinematography was impressive and I generally liked most of the characters. Definitely wanted Hud to punch Rob in the face several times though.
I also went in with very little hype and I think that helped. I actually had only seen the very first untitled teaser(before I left for Japan actually :lol :lol :lol ) and had no idea cloverfield was that movie until last week or so. It wasn't quite what I expected and was probably better for it.
I loved how vague they made the whole military base part. Really helped to show off the tension and the fact that there is a lot of shit going down besides what you are seeing through the group's experiences.
Was definitely one of the first movies in a while that kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time.
The DVD comes out in Spain May 14th (Special Edition), so maybe if you can import it, and it probably will como with english subs.
Or
try to download somewhere, I know english firends they download it with english subs
But if you can import it, do it, beacause its one of the most terrifying and awesome horror movies ever done. It has won lots of awards at international a national movie festivals, and the spanish public has praised it as one of the best spanish movies this year and one of the best horror films they have ever seen.
The best thing is the performance of the main actors as they never knew what they had to do, so the reactions of theme were real. And also the main character, the reporter Angela, isnt an actress, she is a real reporter.
For the 10 millionth time, the footage wasn't recorded on SD card! Everything was recorded on a typical DV camcorder and that footage was transfered onto a military SD card. Not to mention that there were *TWO* scenes in the recording where the characters paused to remove the tape and put it back into the camera.
Yes because only your opinion about a subjective medium such as film is right :lol
You know the more you have to defend and attack people with different opinions the worse your opinion probably is. Justification for liking a shitty movie FTL.
Just saw the film today for the first time, like some in this thread I had largely stayed away from the large viral campaign and typical accompanying internet hoopla. I should also preface this by saying I tend to really dig 'monster' films in general.
However with all that said, I've got to strongly disagree with the original poster (Who seems to be ramming his opinion down other peoples throats through this thread funnily enough). The movie was average at best with a couple of really nice set-pieces. The whole film through a first person perspective is a really interesting idea especially for this genre of film but I felt there's was a ton of missed opportunities to really use that perspective for something really creative. Also the film really struggled with 'fuzzy logic' through a lot of its proceedings.
I know this normally is the case for these type of films but often some of the character reactions had me rolling my eyes, especially Rob essentially forcing Lily and Hud to go on a suicide mission to rescue Beth when by all accounts she was likely dead. I thought when they finally got to the apartment the producers/director actually had some balls and was going to have her dead, really putting in perspective the horrible predicament Rob's selfish actions had put him and more importantly his friends in. Unfortunately that wasn't going to be the case and it's kind of a sad state of affairs when the female cast seems to be largely dealing with the situation a whole lot better than Rob or any of the other guys (Not to mention they tended to be doing most of the ass kicking in the subway section).
My biggest beef had to be Hud. Him being essentially behind the camera 98% of the film is like Malak getting even more screen time in Conan the Destroyer than Schwarzenegger. His shtick quickly grows old, and the constant retarded questions and nagging really brought down the film a few pegs. If only the monster had killed him at the start we wouldn't have to put up with his insistent "Rob, Rob, Rob.....Rob....Rob" or his constant need to apologise after his lame jokes (Although I personally take it as an apology to the audience that had to put up with his shit for an hour plus).
There's a couple of really cool scenes, the section in the Subway stands out along with them being in the cross-fire of the military opening up on the monster early on, but the film really missed big I felt with a cool core concept.
However with all that said, I've got to strongly disagree with the original poster (Who seems to be ramming his opinion down other peoples throats through this thread funnily enough).
Main problems for me were:
-hud, who is dumb as fuck and needed to shut up.
-why the fuck are you filming the back of cars, your friends and random military when there's a fucking monster down the street!
-the retard military, shooting rifles at the monster blocks away when rockets/tanks did nothing and flying so close to the bomb zone was just cheese.
-hiding under a bridge when you know bombs are coming. find a manhole or something tards.
-the incredible shrinking and growing monster. early on by the subway entrance it's foot is the size of a human, then later it steps on a tank and crushes it easily. sometimes it's bigger than buildings then at the end it's tiny. wtf!
However I watched days later another camera in hand movie, not known in america as I think it has not been realesed (you will have a *cough*bad*cough* remake, so dont worry), [REC]. A spanish terror movie, an amazing one, about a repoter and her cameraman entering a building in the center of Barcelona with some Firemen were there has been an incident with the fall of an old woman. A little documental about how firemen work that turns completly wrong.
Turn normal people to reporters of a small tv channel, a big city to a centric building and a giant monster to infected people.
It does good what Cloverfield does not with the same premises. Its really, really terryfing, and ive never been so scared in a movie theater, all the people surrounding you in the theater had faces of shitting their pants. Incredible.
The ending is just amazing and the most scary part in the movie, a really epic ending.
Yes, thay are doing right now an american remake, Quarantine, but I really think it will not be the same, so if you can get a copy get it, but remember, if you want to watch the movie at night for god's sake, watch the movie with someone or you will no sleep in a long time (and even if you see it with someone you will not sleep that night XD )
I loved it. I am interested to see the deleted scenes as well as the alternate ending on the DVD. I want to get the Steelbook edition too (and perhaps the Blu-Ray). On top of that, I think this movie worked because everything was unknown. We didn't know where the monster came from and that's what made it just as scary or at least a tad unnerving. You felt and saw what the characters did.
My impressions from the original thread: -
Saw it last night and was absolutely blown away by it. I went in KNOWING ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ABOUT THE MOVIE! All I knew was that SOMETHING was attacking New York and that's it.
The first time we saw "it" I missed it, and the first time I ever saw it was on the bridge scene.
The weird thing about this was that the monster was genuinely scary. Usually shit that's THAT big isn't scary, but by throwing us into the middle of it - seeing it for the first time when the characters see it for the first time, as well as seeing it HOW the characters see it made it genuinely unnerving. The scene where the Mean Girls chick
inflates and explodes
added to that general feeling for me. The way you see "pieces" of "it" makes you wonder what it could look like in actuality, until the final scenes, where you do.
In terms of tension, the movie was full of it. One scene where the
missiles are going off and they get into the subway for the first time
was extremely intense for me, as it was the first time
we see the monster's face for a bit
and you feel as if you are the one running and YOU are trying to get into the subway. The whole entire first person thing worked extremely well.
The humour was also pretty good, and well implemented in most of the scenes. The opening scenes with Marlena and Huc/Hud/Whatever were pretty funny though typical.
To be honest, I was expecting the Japanese company Rob worked for to be the DHARMA Intiative though I was just going off the fact that Abrams made it.
In LOST vein though, does anyone know what the Japanese man in the alley was saying? Also, what of the horse on carriage? Any relevance?
Lastly, I've got a friend who hates this movie cos "nothing happens" and "it's stupid". Anyone got any good "come backs" I can throw at him. I've used most of my post against him and he's so goddamn ignorant that I just can't convince him otherwise - he thought 300 and Transformers were the best movies ever too, btw.
ABSOLUTELY LOVE Cloverfield. Any ideas of a HD release in the near future?
when the monster was shot down by the stealth bomber
, it kinda falls and just reaches for the closest building, and as it falls brings down the whole building with it. The way it reaches somehow, for me at least, gave the monster more character since it's the first time you really see the monster attempt to survive what it's going through - something I don't recall seeing in movies like this. In my opinion, it just gave the monster MUCH more character than Godzilla or anything else like it.
Furthermore, I genuinely
thought it was dead
after that point, and this is where the viewpoint makes this movie so much better -> when it
jumps out of the smoke and lunges towards the helicopter, you actually see what the characters are seeing - you see RIGHT DOWN the creatures mouth
and it is a fucking scary scene just imagining yourself in that position.
Another good example of how the viewpoint works is the bridge scene when the characters are lost. Since you are seeing what Huc is seeing, you feel the same frustration he's feeling.
i just saw this movie.. it kinda felt like a disney ride.. back to the future and such.. the worst part was the narrator, Hud.. he was horrendous.. it felt as if he wasnt even physically there at times.. really detracted from the movie. otherwise, it was okay.. nothing special really.
