Fletch's Film Review: Cloverfield

What is left to be said about Cloverfield? I've read probably 20 reviews since it was released a week and a half ago, and they're all right in one form or another. Some have praised it as a visceral moviegoing experience, an allegory for 9/11 and the birth of a new form of cinema. Others have claimed it to be nothing more than an idea, a shell and sham of a movie created by marketers, complete with bad acting, bad judgement by the characters and a frustrating third act.

To which I say: yes. Cloverfield is all these things. People are reading too much into it, looking for answers where there lies only more questions, creating a mystery where there isn't really one to be had. But that's the point, of not only being a fan but of being creator J.J. Abrams, right?

Just as its cinematic predecessor The Blair Witch Project did with the ghost story, Cloverfield starts as nothing more than a simple (but brilliant) idea: what would a monster movie look like through the eyes of the people running from the monster. That's really all it took to jump start a mini-phenomenon. Around that simple premise, 6 or so characters were born, as was a Godzilla-like monster. Throw in a decapitated Statue of Liberty and stretch it out to 90 minutes or so and you have an instant blockbuster.

But where others might have gone wrong, the makers of Cloverfield acted wisely, eschewing many of the things we've come to expect from blockbusters. You won't find product placements for Chrysler or Doritos, nor will you get a wink-wink overacting cameo from a lovable character actor. The laws of physics won't be flouted, nor will the characters turn into Superman and Wonder Woman. There will be no hot single from the band of the moment blaring over the end credits, and the dialogue won't make you wish you watched the film with the mute button pressed.

The end result is a quasi-intelligent, non-insulting, popcorn-stuffed roller coaster ride that serves its purpose in spades, giving the audience all the smashy destruction it can take, all the while staying true to its concept and delivering some mystery with its mayhem. Dig too far and you're bound to come up with logic issues (Worth the trip for Beth? What was Marlena thinking? Can the camcorder battery really last that long? Was that Dumbo dropping into the ocean?), but to do so is to miss the point. Sit back, take a couple Dramamine and enjoy the show.

Fletch's Film Rating:

"Darn tootin!"