Scan and Pan
Friday, January 18, 2008
Cloverfield
Jason (Mike Vogel) and his girlfriend Lili (Jessica Lucas) throw a surprise going away party for Jason's brother Rob (Michael Stahl-David), who's also in the middle of a romantic crisis with Beth (Odette Yustman). Jason gives a video camera to Rob's best friend Hud (T. J. Miller) and tells him to gather video testimonials at the party. Suddenly a power outage occurs and an explosion is heard in the distance, and the party guests are thrust into the chaos of a city under siege from an unknown but very large source.
Director Matt Reeves (who created television's "Felicity" in collaboration with Abrams) uses a narrative device borrowed from The Blair Witch Project to tell the story, but it works even better here because of the ubiquitous YouTube videos that we're all so familiar with by now. It makes it feel that much more immediate by framing the story as a pseudo-documentary told entirely through the lens of a video camera wielded by a character, capturing the chaos and horror in real time. The screenplay by Drew Goddard (a former staff writer on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and a current writer/producer for Lost) doesn't break any new ground and character development is sketchy, but it's clever and entertaining, which is what we really want from this kind of film.
Cinematographer Michael Bonvillain (Lost) uses practical lighting to convey a heightened sense of reality, using a Panavision Genesis high definition camera to avoid a typical film look. One word of warning: if you dislike Shaky Cam, you probably won't enjoy this. Most of the music is diagetic, but the end title theme by Michael Giacchino (Lost, Mission: Impossible III) beautifully recalls the music of science fiction films of the 1950s and even Alexander Courage's original Star Trek theme. The visual effects by Double Negative and the Tippett Studio are outstanding, and they provide the film with an awe-inspiring creature that's as scary as giant monsters come. It all looks so real.
While there are no great performances here, the cast is entirely convincing that they're living through a series of terrible events. Miller's character holds the camera for most of the film, but he makes the somewhat dim-witted Hud a likeable and human recorder of events. Stahl-David, Lucas, Yustman, and Vogel are effective in their roles, along with Lizzy Caplan as a party guest Hud has a crush on.
Cloverfield has had months of hype leading up to its release. It more than lives up to it. Giant monster fans, this one is for you!
[4.5 out of 5 stars]
If you ever wondered what it would be like if some of the people behind television's Lost decided to make a giant monster movie, then here's your answer: it's one hell of a thrill ride. Producer J.J. Abrams once again delivers the goods.
Jason (Mike Vogel) and his girlfriend Lili (Jessica Lucas) throw a surprise going away party for Jason's brother Rob (Michael Stahl-David), who's also in the middle of a romantic crisis with Beth (Odette Yustman). Jason gives a video camera to Rob's best friend Hud (T. J. Miller) and tells him to gather video testimonials at the party. Suddenly a power outage occurs and an explosion is heard in the distance, and the party guests are thrust into the chaos of a city under siege from an unknown but very large source.
Director Matt Reeves (who created television's "Felicity" in collaboration with Abrams) uses a narrative device borrowed from The Blair Witch Project to tell the story, but it works even better here because of the ubiquitous YouTube videos that we're all so familiar with by now. It makes it feel that much more immediate by framing the story as a pseudo-documentary told entirely through the lens of a video camera wielded by a character, capturing the chaos and horror in real time. The screenplay by Drew Goddard (a former staff writer on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and a current writer/producer for Lost) doesn't break any new ground and character development is sketchy, but it's clever and entertaining, which is what we really want from this kind of film.
Cinematographer Michael Bonvillain (Lost) uses practical lighting to convey a heightened sense of reality, using a Panavision Genesis high definition camera to avoid a typical film look. One word of warning: if you dislike Shaky Cam, you probably won't enjoy this. Most of the music is diagetic, but the end title theme by Michael Giacchino (Lost, Mission: Impossible III) beautifully recalls the music of science fiction films of the 1950s and even Alexander Courage's original Star Trek theme. The visual effects by Double Negative and the Tippett Studio are outstanding, and they provide the film with an awe-inspiring creature that's as scary as giant monsters come. It all looks so real.
While there are no great performances here, the cast is entirely convincing that they're living through a series of terrible events. Miller's character holds the camera for most of the film, but he makes the somewhat dim-witted Hud a likeable and human recorder of events. Stahl-David, Lucas, Yustman, and Vogel are effective in their roles, along with Lizzy Caplan as a party guest Hud has a crush on.
Cloverfield has had months of hype leading up to its release. It more than lives up to it. Giant monster fans, this one is for you!
[4.5 out of 5 stars]
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