Cloverfield-a new genre of B

Remember those old Godzilla movies from the 60’s & 70’s? The ones where the monsters were constructed in such an amateur, plastic-y, stunted manner; and the special effects looked like something out of a Batman comic? I loved those movies. Still love them with their antiquated graphics and their awful actors…… its just that now they are tied to a much higher price tag. $25 mil I think on this one.

So needless to say from the moment I saw the first Cloverfield preview I was chomping at the bit for the release. It was right up my alley with its cast of nobodies; director of limited success; and a storyline not totally unique.

Cause & Effect

Something has attacked Manhattan (poor Manhattan. First in I am Legend and now this…..). You are given glimpses of something gargantuan, something alive, and this something is destroying everything in its wake. You also see that this “Godzilla” type thing bleeds little monsters (think veloceraptors from Jurassic Park) and that if people are bitten by these creatures, something very bad happens to them. What sucks is that none of the events are explained. You never find out what the little critters are or what affect they have on people. I’m thinking zombie? How cool would that be for a sequel to have Godzilla AND zombie offspring……….!!!

The Result

a group of 20-something year olds struggle to survive and evacuate the city. Their plight is shown from a video-cam eye view, much like that of The Blair Witch Project. I wasn’t receptive to this at first being as I am not a fan of the Blair Witch movie however in this case I found it not to be a deterrent, but rather that it lent a certain amount of credibility to the movie. And of course like all good horror movies, lots of lives are lost in the struggle to survive the madness and chaos.

The Recommendation

I certainly feel this movie fits in with the new genre of B movies (along with Snakes on a Plane, Slither, House of Wax). The cast is strewn with no name actors, it starts out with a sex scene, there is an undercurrent of humor throughout, and everyone is always running towards the danger, versus away from it.

My suggestion? Go see it. But don’t expect to leave the theater knowing what the movie was all about. Too many loose ends - probably setting up for a sequel. Which I am eagerly awaiting.

Side-note

I’ve read that people got motion sickness from the way the movie was filmed and actually left the theater before the movie was over because of it. I had no such reaction but I was wondering of any of you who saw it did?? I’d love to hear you opinions.

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