“Fans Divided” Personally, I loved this movie. I watched it opening weekend and I was blown away. That said, my sister, who attended with me, absolutely hated it. I just couldn’t understand how we could have such extremely opposite reactions, but now that time has passed, I realize that this is just one of those movies that people either love or hate. There is very little middle ground (as reflected in the reviews).

The only reason I didn’t give this 5 stars is that sometimes the ‘cameraman’ is obviously doing things that are for an interesting shot instead of how an actual person would act. This is supposed to be ‘found footage,’ and shots like that really draw you out of the experience. The most obvious example of this is when our heroes are making their way across the roof of a building that has semi-collapsed into another building. In a real situation like that, either the camera would be off, or the person holding it would be occasionally using that hand to grab hold and steady himsel…

List Price: $29.99
Our Price: $7.82
You Save: $22.17 (74%)


Product Description

Five young New Yorkers throw their friend a going-away party the night that a monster the size of a skyscraper descends upon the city. Told from the point of view of their video camera the film is a document of their attempt to survive the most surreal horrifying event of their lives.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE/THRILLERS UPC: 097363520641 Manufacturer No: 352064

One of the first things a viewer notices about Cloverfield is that it doesn’t play by ordinary storytelling rules, making this intriguing horror film as much a novelty as an event. Told from the vertiginous point-of-view of a camcorder-wielding group of friends, Cloverfield begins like a primetime television soap opera about young Manhattanites coping with changes in their personal lives. Rob (Michael Stahl-David) is leaving New York to take an executive job at a company in Japan. At his goodbye party in a crowded loft, Rob’s brother Jason (Mike Vogel) hands a camcorder to best friend Hud (T.J. Miller), who proceeds to tape the proceedings over old footage of Rob’s ex-girlfriend, Beth (Odette Yustman)–images shot during happy times in that now-defunct relationship. Naturally, Beth shows up at the party with a new beau, bumming Rob out completely. Just before one’s eyes glaze over from all this heartbreaking stuff (captured by Hud, who’s something of a doofus, in laughably shaky camerawork), the unexpected happens: New York is suddenly under attack from a Godzilla-like monster stomping through midtown and destroying everything and everybody in sight. Rob and company hit the streets, but rather than run with other evacuees, they head toward the center of the storm so that Rob can rescue an injured Beth. There are casualties along the way, but the journey into fear is fascinating and immediate if emotionally remote–a consequence of seeing these proceedings through the singular, subjective perspective of a camcorder and of a story that intentionally leaves major questions unanswered: Who or what is this monster? Where did it come from? The lack of a backstory, and spare views of the marauding creature, are clever ways by producer J.J. Abrams and director Matt Reeves to keep an audience focused exclusively on what’s on the screen. But it also makes Cloverfield curiously uninvolving. Ultimately, Cloverfield, with its spectacular effects brilliantly woven into a home-video look, is a celebration of infinite possibilities in this age of accessible, digital media. –Tom Keogh

Horrible camera operation, could’ve been better
A friend of mine had recommended this movie to me a while ago. He said that it was about a monster taking over New York. Although the brief explanation he gave me of the movie had me rolling my eyes a little, I ended up watching the movie anyway and it turns out, Cloverfield had me rolling my eyes in a very different way.

So what’s the movie about? As I said above, it’s basically about a monster who takes over New York. There are a few main characters who we get to meet before this event happens, during the event, and well, without giving too much away, I guess I’ll just say we don’t really get to see the end.

Let’s talk about the positives first. The general storyline is interesting. It’s like The Blair Witch Project but better. Although I only gave this movie 3 stars (and you’ll find out why in the next paragraph), some parts were entertaining. And the animation parts looked realistic. I wasn’t incredibly bored throughout the whole thing so I guess that’s good.

And now for the negatives. First, as many, many people have mentioned, the camera work is absolutely horrible. I’m glad to see that a lot of people felt sick after watching it. I personally had to stop watching it, take a little nap, and then watch the rest of it because I really felt awful. Another thing that I disliked is the cast. The cameraman is just plain annoying (he won’t shut the heck up) and the other characters simply frustrated me.

In terms of the actual storyline, although I stated above that the idea for it is impressive, it fell a bit short. There wasn’t anything overly amazing about it. And there wasn’t a real twist either. Overall, it was just alright.

I think this movie is worth a watch but nothing more. And be sure to have a vomit bucket next to you just in case….more info

A fun monster movie
Being half way through six months of chemotherapy, I thought I would challenge the anti-nausea medicine they give me with each treatment cycle by watching Cloverfield – famous for its hand held camera technique. I didn’t get sick, and I loved the movie! It is entirely realistic, entirely believable. It has the intimate character-driven feel of an indie film, within the immense epic adventure of a major studio production. The opening party sequence in which you get to know the characters looks like every wedding reception video ever shot. When the mayhem starts, you are riveted to the screen, peering through the chaos trying to make out what is happening right along with everyone on screen. This intense connection with what is going on is never broken right up to the end. A really well done, tightly constructed film that is really fun to watch.

…more info

Great Movie
I really liked this movie. A lot of people had a problem with this movie on the way that it was filmed but I think that it adds a lot to the whole feel of it. It’ll be a good franchise if they build on it….more info