Cloverfield (DVD)

We saw and enjoyed the film and decided to purchase the DVD, to provide us with the opportunity to view it again at our leisure and where we could control the volume level. The graphics/animation are good, the story is is somewhat farfetched but interesdting. However, I do wish that film and programme makers would take note of the general public and not have the music above the level of the speech within the film, it is annoying when you are unable to hear what is being said by the actors. This film is no exception.

I actually liked this film. I liked the FX the characters, everything. Its worth watching even though I kept getting nasty overtones of 9/11 which Im sure occured to other vertigo sufferers and probably the producers too. But hey it sells films and 9/11 was a while ago right ??

Ok, so you`re a 200ft long monster looking for a career change on another planet, you`re given to shedding small spiderling babies all over the place that like playing vampire, so what to do ?? Well its obvious isnt it, forget some nice vast expanse of uninhabited forest in Russia say or a desert in Africa where you can get on with life, breed a few more of yourselves and THEN attack the Yanks...........Oh No! too easy. Why not head for your chosen planets most densly populated area , jam packed with heavily armed hysterical reactionists and try and settle down ?? Well thats just what THIS bad boy does, and MAN dont it kick off ??

The slightly disorientating shakey camera work a`la Blair Witch Project is just right, and does a lot to convey the spirit of panic and uncontrolled violence with which Americans traditionally greet other wordly visitors. At first this camerawork feels like its going to make the film hard work to watch but having seen it I dont think it could have been done any other way.

Loads of tough looking gentlemen almost unbelieveably encumbered by bullet proof vests (didnt notice if the monster had a gun),helmets (some with goggles !!), hand grenades, radios etc etc run about and yell "lock and load" , and "fire in the hold" and all the theatrical bull**** that people fighting for their lives REALLY shout in these trying situations (honest).

The lead characters actually ar`nt that bad but are all apparently about 17 years old and posessed of a precociousness found only in American cinema "bright young things", still not to worry, as they all mostly get picked off by the lizard thingy, who having been greeted in the traditional way by the good ol boys of the 7th cavalry or Space Rangers or whatever they are understandably gets the raving arse and sets about wasting the place.

The actual monster is pretty naff actually. One would expect that a being that has presumably travelled from a billion light years away and has the technology to achieve this would be at least reasonably intelligent but fortunately for our Yank chums he is in fact a a brainless, screeching, turd of a chap that clearly lacks the savvy to scratch his arse, let alone defeat the forces of the right and justice. .............OR ........ could this be the advance guard for something yet to come ?? Something so cold calculating and horrible that the combined efforts of Brad Pitt, Keenu Reeves (In long coat),...(*gruff voice*), "One LONE S.E.A.L with a mission to kill" and with a gammy leg, an old fart in a vest with a machine gun who bleeds a lot and goes "yippekiyay" when under pressure and Kiera Knightley in a basque will be unable to defeat ??? Ooo !! Lets hope so eh kids ?? coz we dont know at the end if the nasty monster has been splatted or not by Uncle Sams welcome gift.


Anyway like I said, pretty good if you like Americans with guns and living with the knowledge that the vast majority of Americans really DO beleive that the end of them literally spells the end of the world for the rest of us.

Meanwhile................. The other 60 billion of us sit inactive and trembling waiting for our gallant comrades from the home of the brave to come and save us

cloverfield is a good action film that has you on the edge of your seat, what i like about was the thrilling parts and the action, i decided to purchase it for the reviews and the advertising of the film.

I was a bit wary of this film as I didn't get on board with the whole Blair Witch Project thing so i gave it a miss at the cinema and waited for it on Blu-Ray.
It stars a bunch of unknowns and is produced by the guy who done Lost. Thats as much as i knew about it before watching. After the initial introduction to all the characters and what the camcorder is for what you get is a pretty much non-stop roller coaster ride of a movie.
Unlike The BWP you can appreciate the large studio production, you dont miss out on whats happening becuse everyone is running. It feels more like a point of view than a camera so during the whole experience you feel more of a participant than a viewer.
Don't expect any answers, no reasons are given for what's happening and as characters drift in and out you are left to wonder thier fates off camera.
All in all this is a brilliant film, such a big story told in a small way really works.
If there are any downsides it is the camera mans constant narrative(but i think it was necessary as there is no soundtrack other than the surrounding noise), I could only stand so many "Oh my god, did you guys see that".
I would definately recommend this film to everyone. I have tried to tell you as much about the film without giving anything away so that if you do want to watch it you will be as amazed as I was.
Thanks for reading and I hope this was helpful.

was looking forward to it......i want my hour and a half back.
this was a poor film with no narrative, no conclusion,
you cant re do the format of blair witch, once its been done its very tiring
on the eyes,
its nice to see a movie have some sort of conclusion and viewers need an explanation...where did it come from? why,
...crap, and i normally love this genre.

I knew nothing about this film before I saw it described as a genre movie. I bought it because it was very cheap on eBay. It is extremely good! I enjoyed the build up, the plot and sub-plots, and the final denoument was great. Mind you, you do need to like disaster movies.
Can I just say that I have seen both Blair Witch and Blair Witch 2 (on television) and that Cloverfield is vastly better than both of them. It is not sensible to compare these films. All three are in colour, have a sound track and use wobbly cameras, and that is about it. Cloverfield is far more suspenseful and gripping, a totally different type of film.
If you like suspense and disaster movies, get Cloverfield!

New Yawk is under attack again.

"Is it terrorists?
An earthquake?
Oh no - oh GOD no!

Oh my God, oh my God, oh my GOD!"

Well, that's the (entire) script. The parallels with 9/11 chime wonderfully, and at no point is anything disappointing like an exposition given, (unless you bother with the directors commentary.) It is very fine, although not as Cthonic, not as 'Mythos' as I would have wished.

The gradually revealed glimpses of 'Clover' though, squamous and bat like, are truly horrific and - eventually - to see it is to DIE. However, the monster struck me as a bit stupid, in the way that - oddly - Godzilla didn't, and Cthulhu, presumably, wouldn't.

The non-CGI, perhaps relatively unknown leads are very, VERY good though. (it would have been distracting to have A list actors - cf Blair Witch project)

The DVD promises 'sustained terror'. 'War of the Worlds' achieved this, but Cloverfield doesn't quite - though it has a good stab at it.

The DVD extras were disappointing - not deleted scenes, not 'extra rolling news items', (which I hoped for) but just errata on how they cast the leads.

Glad I bought it. No nudity (good) and a touching final scene that will make you want to fall off a high building all over again.

OK FILM BUT I DONT LIKE THE WAY IT HAS BEEN FILMED ON A HAND HELD CAM ALL THE WAY THROUGH,THE MOVEMENT MADE ME FEEL SICK AFTER A WHILE. ALSO CRAP ENDING AND NOT MUCH STORY.

you have to see this on the big screen, to get the full benefit of this film, which is very cleverly done. The atmophere the film creates is explosive,and the tension flows right along with it at a good pace. i've managed to near enough
creat the same feel at home because of a really desent movie and sound set up
because i love my films.You really have got to have a good set up to appreciate what the director was trying to put across.
Simply great escapism, and excellent entertainment,One
minor point i felt the video camera could have dissapeared earlier in the film as i feel if i'd been in that situation i would't have been in no fit state to film what was happening,but thats only my opinion overall i'd still give it 8-10 great
film.I bought it because i definitly want this in my collection.

Cloverfield is a very clever film, and I like it.
I never found it frightening, but its action/terror does keep you transfixed, and on the edge of the seat.
If you dont know, it is meant to be a home video filming of an alien attack on New York (the Director admits he was heavily influenced by the Godzilla films, mixed with the home movie images of 9/11), and as such, quite a lot of the film is shot bouncing around as the person runs with his camera (several people left the cinema with motion sickness apparently!).
The special effects are amazing, and the characters are quite believable in their terror!

Shown as a video found in Central Park after a monster attack in what was called operation cloverfield by the military, the Darma logo from lost is shown leading many people to wonder if there are links between the 2...I couldn't see any...

It's a good film, all shot on a camcorder by one of the characters, it's not something I could watch time and again as you do have to concentrate but it's definately a must see!

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Well I know that my title sounds like a headmasters report card, but I felt that it really sumed up my feelings about the film.

Now generally I don't go for this sort of film, as I am not a horror sort of guy, but due to a friend calling it a must see I took the plunge.

Don't get me wrong I liked the film itself, with it's 'home movie' style complete with handheld camera, which I liked as it made me feel as though I was in New York with them as the drama unfolds. So for unique-ness and adience involement I would give it 5/5

However now we come to the dissapointing bit. As many other reviewers have picked up appon the ending is abrupt and it doesn't give much away. Now this could be a sign that there in a Cloverfield 2 on the horizon, and I would deffinatly hope so too. So for informing the viewer I would give it a 3/5.

Lastly I felt that at time the film could be a strain to follow with huge points being shown by little details. This means that the film is not one that should be taken onboard lightly, and you certainly would struggle to watch at a film night with friends. No, in my opinion this film is best watched alone as this makes the film more personal, not to meantion you are less likely to be distracted. So finally for viewer friendly-ness I will give it 3/5.

The end wasn`t bad neither was the end credit music score
but the film in my opinion is aweful,no real storyline
although its set in new york the critics loved it I don`t know
why?,the fright rating is no better than watching one of the old
vampire movies of the 60`s

This film will divide audiences between those who love it and would watch it again and again, and those who think it is tripe. I am of the former category. Think Blair Witch meets Godzilla (in pitch-speak) and you won't be far off the mark. The tension is ratcheted up throughout the film, with the monster being shown only in glimpses for the most part. The concept of first-person camcorder isn't new, but I can't think of it having been done better. Its also very refreshing to see a monster-meets-New York movie which manages to be different.

Much is said about the many loose ends left by the film. In a way that adds to the appeal for me, in that its not what could be called a perfect story, its a huge disaster told from a very small perspective, and this lends humanity to a very far-fetched premise. Most monster movies are told on the large scale, this is the reverse.

All told, I think this film is a tour-de-force. I love it, I hope you do too. PS if you dont like wobbly cameras and swift cuts, this might not be for you!

c the film at the cinema loved it so i got it on dvd.bought it on ebay cos it was much cheaper than in the shops.

The story unfolds with a group of friends all at a party to say goodbye to one who is going to live and work in Japan.All is going well until a thunderous bang erupts the statue of liberty's head comes flying through the street and flames leap from building to building.A great story and a watchable film but because the movie is shot on a hand held vid cam which is very 'Blair Witch' it makes the film lose it's impact and is very annoying when the thing is looking at the floor and not at the action.
It is as i expained earlier very watchable but not mind blowing.

Did'nt do any thing for me I'm afraid, what was a novelty to start with soon became annoying after a while, filmed as if through a hand held camera, the effects where brilliant and enhanced by this amateur footage style. The acting was entirely convincing but by the (sudden) end I was left feeling frustrated.

I thought this film a load of rubbish, just like many others that are hyped up and turn out to be a waste of time . boring boring boring

This film is cracking, builds the suspense fantasicly and has a good (if not slightly cliche) story. Well worth watching. I imagine it's best seen on the big screen so if you've got a nice home cinema you're sorted.

Give Cloverfield a go, you wont be dissapointed.