One night, you're partying with your friends. You've had too much to drink. Then a couple of hours later, you find yourself in the worst situation of your life. WHAM!!! BOOM!!! RAAAWWWRRR!!! (Raaawwwrrr??!!) The glamorous city you once knew became a humongous pile of rubble. As you come face-to-face with the source of it all, you promise yourself you won't drink too much ever again. And hope in all hope that you'll ever get to fulfill that promise to yourself.
That pretty much sums up Cloverfield, the mysterious monster movie from the brilliant collaboration of producer J.J. Abrams and director Matt Reeves.
Cloverfield did not disappoint me at all. All the hype and the mystery that were built up since the nameless teaser trailer appeared half a year ago had lived up to my expectations. Though I never paid much attention to the clues surrounding the mystery of the "monster" as the movie's release date approached because they might eventually spoil the movie for me.
With regards to the presentation of the film, I especially liked how it started with the introduction of the main characters via a "despedida" party for Rob, the main protagonist. Though seemingly lengthy, it presented how they are all related to each other - it made me feel as if I'm one of them, typically blending with them and relating to their actions towards the end of the film. Hud, the cameraman who acted as the pseudo-narrator, provided the humor throughout the movie so as to make the viewers breathe easily after every intense scene. Romance, too, is found in the movie as Rob tries to defy all odds to get to his Beth.
And of course, the thrill and excitement appeared everytime Rob and the gang try their best to survive the attack of the monster... and the "little" monsters. The visual effects are just so spectacular. You would think that it could all happen in real life because the supposedly amateur video from the supposedly handheld camera had all the elements of a raw footage similar to what you see in homemade videos. I never thought I'd feel the mother of all goosebumps once again since I saw 'The Blair Witch Project'.
So, notwithstanding the nausea due to motion sickness brought about by the "handheld" camera, I give two thumbs up for Cloverfield. :D :D I rate it as such with the risk of sounding biased because I've been an avid fan of J.J. Abrams' works which have the elements of mystery and intense action namely Lost, Alias, and Mission: Impossible III. =P
Tips on watching Cloverfield:
- Reserve the farthest seat from the screen.
- Take Bonamine an hour before the screening. =P
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Thanks to UIP for the Press Screening tickets! :D
