Cloverfield of Dreams

I remember seeing some of the first teaser trailers for this movie on TV years ago. NOBODY KNEW WHAT THE FUCK THE FILM WAS ABOUT. In fact, the marketing team didn't even reveal the title of the picture in the early teasers, instead opting to show us only the release date. Now I personally was a little young to be clamoring to see Cloverfield when it came out, but I certainly remember being exceedingly curious about the story, and once the movie actually hit theaters, I recall a certain level of hype and praise surrounding the release. Whether you loved it, liked it, or didn't care  for it at all, people were talking, and I think that is largely thanks to a pretty brilliant marketing strategy.

Get this: Each of the characters in the movie had their own real life  MySpace page that regular viewers like you and me could easily access and browse. Not only that, but at no point during the film's marketing campaign was any part of the plot spoiled. In fact, the film underwent numerous title changes during production simply because people kept figuring out what the movie was called and spreading the news (the intended title was always Cloverfield, so this strategy was more than likely just clever misdirection). We haven't seen a film's plot guarded so carefully since The Force Awakens, or, ironically enough, 10 Cloverfield Lane, the latest entry in the Cloverfield franchise, WHICH I'M HYPE AS FUCK TO SEE AGGHHHH.

Yeah, so I fully intend to review this movie, if for nothing else, just because I am endlessly fascinated by how it was handled. I also make you a solemn vow right now that this will be a completely SPOILER FREE review. There are things that aren't even really spoilers that I won't address in this review because I firmly support your experiencing this movie with as little to go on as possible. I think that's missing from a lot of theatrical experiences these days, the sense that you're discovering something, and answering burning questions. At the end of the day, I really feel that that's what puts butts in seats. The difference between racing to the cinema and waiting for the DVD release or online torrent is as small as leaving a little to the imagination, and letting the masses really live with their inquiries unanswered for a bit. It creates an urgency we don't really see anymore when it comes to viewing movies, it creates a sense of necessity; paying money to see the movie as soon as you possibly can just because the mystery is eating you up inside, and you can't risk having that process of discovery stunted by a spoiler some coworker lets slip during Monday morning small talk at the ol' 9 to 5. That's what made James Cameron's Avatar worth two billion dollars, the fact that nobody knew WHAT THE FUCK WAS GOING ON, or how far that kind of technology could be pushed. A movie like that, the big summer blockbuster, has to be an adventure to really be a success, and adventures are all about seeing the previously unseen.

I'll break this up into sections, so let's start with...

STORY

Without divulging too much, the main plot of the film deals with a group of young New Yorkers stuck in a very tricky situation. During a celebration one night, something hits Manhattan and hits it hard, and these plucky young individuals must survive long enough to find a safe way out. Right there, you're setting yourself up for a pretty effective thriller. There are so few moving pieces, and for that reason, your assembly becomes simple, and infinitely more succinct. Make no mistake, there's a pretty huge difference between a simple plot and stupid one, the main distinction being that simplifying a story is not necessarily rooted in intelligence or comprehension.Simplifying a plot is about the ebb and flow of your piece, it is about ironing out the wrinkles between scenes and acts, and removing anything superfluous that might slow us down on our way to the climax. It's about efficiency, and Cloverfield is pretty damn efficient. You should never leave a theater feeling as though any amount of your time was wasted and Cloverfield is successful in the sense that everything that happens, and every line of dialogue that is spoken, feels necessary, propelling the plot forward in one way or another. Comments that appear at first glance to be throwaway jokes or average movie character sentimentality actually serve to advance elements of character development in a way that feels smooth and, by the end, needed.

The story doesn't wander, and that is due mostly to the restrictions of the found footage style in which it is made. We can't be anywhere or see anything separate from the holder of that camera, and for that reason, we advance through the movie's plot almost like a video game, advancing from stage to stage in real time, hopping over obstacles of progressive difficulty, fighting to reach the resolution. The banter between characters is also handled very well. Despite this, in the opening and establishing scenes, specifically the scenes taking place during the celebration, prior to the disaster, certain character choices appear questionable, or impractical. I won't get into specifics, but people say and do things that, to be perfectly honest, functioning adults really shouldn't. As I said before, all of the choices made, even the dumb ones, serve to advance the plot and set up dominoes that will be knocked down in later scenes, but that doesn't change the fact that they don't make all that much sense to begin with. It's like planting a luscious garden. You laid out a bunch of manure, and from it, truly beautiful flowers did blossom, but that beauty doesn't negate the fact that in the beginning, there were no flowers, only cow shit. That's not to say that those early character moments in the film are shit. I'm only saying that, similar to manure, those moments are noticeable, even if they are necessary for that particular movie.

The tension building is expertly done and there are more than a few moments where you will find yourself in utter disbelief at what you have just watched go down. It's some crazy shit, my friends. The biggest compliment I can give the film in this category is that it is truly unexpected, in ALMOST every choice it makes from a plot stand point. It takes the classic Roland Emmerich disaster film conventions that we all know and hate and it turns almost each and every one its head, starting with the decision made by the filmmakers to depict the events of the movie using the found footage style of movie-making; a style that necessitates a certain level of intimacy not often found in disaster flicks. Our character behind the camera is constantly looking UP at what's going on, restricted to his own range of motion and sight. In that regard, we get more of a sense of scale as opposed to a sense of scope. It's no longer just about how big shit is, it has now become about how big shit is in relation to our main characters.

Thematically speaking, the movie throws a fair number of curve balls. I'm talking about some moments of emotion and revelation that I doubt any viewer would be expecting a movie like this to deliver. As tightly wound as the story consistently was, it left room for twists and turns that, in the end, really, and I mean REALLY, made the difference in quality.

Ok, next.

TECHNICAL ELEMENTS

I came to this conclusion after re-watching Cloverfield rather recently, and making note of very specific moments that I personally considered interesting, and at first, it may seem bold to state outright, but consider the fact that most of the entries we get in the found footage style are pretty shit anyways. Cloverfield is the best use of found footage I've seen in film, ever. And I mean that purely in the technical respect. The way each scene is constructed is so deliberate, and the real world limitations of the camcorder are very clearly taken into account by the production staff every step of the way. That means diegetic sound, practical lighting, a fair amount of shaky cam (if that bothers you, just be aware it is present, although handled better than shaky cam usually is in most movies). It all just feels meticulously thought out and executed.

The direction on display is tight, which is a difficult thing to achieve with a film that is supposed to feel like a regular everyday person with no film experience or training is simply filming what goes on around them. There are plenty of LONG, well-coordinated takes throughout, which was a delight to see. Cuts are used infrequently, especially during moments of heightened suspense, and  instead, long stretches of action and dialogue play out right before our eyes, only adding to the "real time, found footage" effect. Matt Reeves, the director, clearly has a knack for framing and shooting action in that manner, and even showcased that talent further with his 2014 hit, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, which I highly recommend checking out if you're in any way partial to good movies. The best part about it all is knowing that it must have been rigorously rehearsed, yet at no point does it feel that way. The editing is smooth and restrained, much like the direction. Two sequences in particular, one near the start of the whole disaster portion of the film and one towards the end of it all, do feel a bit rushed and scatterbrained, and I have no doubt that was intentional considering the general panic of our characters at those points in the story. Nevertheless, you can INTEND to punch an elderly person in the face, it doesn't make the act any less terrible. When a choice doesn't work, it doesn't work, and that just has to be addressed.

IN CONCLUSION

Yeah dude, it's a good time. I'll always give a movie props for managing to be fun, exciting, and original, while still bringing something a little more thought-provoking to the table in terms of how we view disaster, and how fear plays a role in addressing crises in the post 9/11 world. Beyond that, the things the writers and director were able to accomplish thematically and technically in this film are pretty impressive when all is considered, and for that reason, I feel the need to recommend you give Cloverfield a try. If it's not your cup of tea, so be it, it doesn't have to be. This is just me, sharing the experience I had and the things I noticed, and should you give the film a chance at some point in your lives, I will have done my duty in spreading the good Cloverfield word. I don't really do ratings, at least not objective ones, but if I had to classify this movie for you, I'd give it an A- on a scale of 1 to Two Thumbs Up. Does that help? Yes? Awesome. Bye.