Fanboys and girls unite for Cloverfield...but should they?

My awesome brother Daniel wrote this review of Cloverfield, J.J. Abrams' audition piece for next year's new Star Trek movie. So, check it out. I've also included the trailer for Cloverfield. I would have included the trailer for Star Trek, but I couldn't find it. If you know where it is, hook a sister up!


Leaving the movie theater after seeing Cloverfield a voice near me exclaimed, “That was the best movie of the year!” I agree with him. However, this was my first movie of the year. Filmed using a hand video camera, Cloverfield is a first person account of a surprise farewell party which is violently interrupted. First by a mysterious shipping accident near the Statue of Liberty, then by an explosion and Liberty’s head crashing in front of the partygoers. Events unfold before the world’s toughest and most versatile camera operated by Hud (T.J. Miller) who’s best friends with brothers Rob and Jason Hawkins (Michael Stahl-David and Mike Vogel). With the group is Lily Ford (Jessica Lucas) as Jason’s fiancé and Beth McIntryre (Odette Yustman) who reluctantly comes to Rob’s surprise party hoping, and fearing, the visit.

I expected more when the movie began with a government/DoD subtitling describing how the following events where recorded from the Cloverfield incident in the Central Park sector in New York City. Hopefully, this meant a third person perspective would pull everything together. It did not and I was left struggling to understand the dialogue and make out the visuals from Hud’s very amateurish cinematography.

The characters are introduced through video postcards to Rob as a final present before his promotion sends him to Japan. During this we’re introduced to Marlena Diamond (Lizzy Caplan) who dated Rob some time ago, but the relationship crumbled when Rob received his promotion. For tension, Hud records the confrontation, Marlena’s angry departure, and Jason and Hud explaining to Rob that when in love you have to make a relationship work and not worry about physical distances or timing. Then the earthquakes and fires begin.

Because Cloverfield is first person POV, it struggles to show character development, and ultimately what is at stake for each of them. To do otherwise would make the perspective meaningless or require silly story gimmicks, ala the 2005 remake of War of the Worlds. At its core, Cloverfield is about survival. Everywhere they go they realize their situation is more perilous and outside anyone’s control. And, as a final attempt at shock value most of the recognized New York City structures are eventually decimated, coincidentally when the gang nearby!

Cloverfield is directed by Matt Reeves and written by Drew Goddard. Reeves wrote some movies in the 1990s but mostly worked as a producer and director of TV shows such as Felicity. Goddard joined up with J.J. Abrams after writing for TV’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel . He wrote and produced several episodes of Alias and Lost. Cloverfield airs throughout the US on January 18^th.