Honestly, I think that's slightly condescending. I totally 'get' this movie. And I totally respect it for what it is... a fun, 'must-see' gimmick film, rather than a great story that will stand up to repeat viewings and become a classic. It is in NO WAY America's Godzilla, like the filmmakers claimed. It may be remembered forever, but not for the film itself... for the 'experience'.
You know why Godzilla is a classic (or the original King Kong, etc)? Because we love the monster! We feel for him, we sympathize with him. Who really gives a crap about the little people in Godzilla? The monster is the symbol and the story.
It was not a symbol in this movie. It was nothing other than a scary plot device. And that makes me sad because it could be so much more. As it was, it could just as easily have been a terrorist attack, a natural disaster, or a million other things. I 'get' that it was supposed to be about the human story in the midst of an unexplainable disaster. But the human story was so inane and clichéd it pulled me right out of the realistic destruction of NYC.
Mostly, don't say you are making America's Godzilla when you aren't at all. That's trickery and it rubs me the wrong way.
Mostly, don't say you are making America's Godzilla when you aren't at all. That's trickery and it rubs me the wrong way.
Who said they were making the American Godzilla?
I feel bad for Kong since he was being exploited. I never felt bad for Godzilla since he was just a rampaging *******. Of course, I never watched an entire Godzilla movie, so I am not clear on his motivation.
I was able to suspend disbelief in order to really get into the film.
It's really not fair or appropriate to compare this to Godzilla movies and I think JJ just wanted to reference something familiar. The monster is really secondary in Cloverfield and seemed designed just so you wouldn't be able to tell what it looked like from partial shots, not to be "iconic."
I think the dichotomy on the audience reactions on this film is more about how much you bought into the in-person cinematic device. For some people it just didn't work, or the characters didn't work for them. For others (like me) it worked extremely well and I was able to suspend disbelief in order to really get into the film.
You hit the nail right on the head. They could have used a terrorist attack and it would have been pretty much the same movie.
I think it's pretty obvious that the monster is just their way of doing a 9-11 disaster story without offending or turning people off by actually referencing 9-11. It's not so painful to watch when it's a giant, fantastical monster doing the killing. I don't think Cloverfield was ever intended to be a Godzilla Kaiju movie.
I think that had a big influence on the film. I think too that if they would have filmed it like a regular movie it would have taken away from the whole experience. Then people would have complained that it was just another monster movie.
Oh man, a World War Z movie filmed in this style would be F'N awesome!! A story like that should feel as though you are part of the experience.On a side note, hopefully the upcoming "World War Z" film treatment will stay to that exact model.
I'm glad to read that there were others who were not affected by the hypnotic spell cast by Transformers. I've given up even discussing that movie because people get downright crazy if you weren't completely in love with every overexposed, slo-mo frame of it.
You hit the nail right on the head. They could have used a terrorist attack and it would have been pretty much the same movie.
Then don't sell your movie as a monster movie.
I guess that's my beef, in a nutshell. The movie is an enjoyable experience - in its own right. *I* personally would have enjoyed it much more if I wasn't led by marketing to expect one thing and then got something completely different.
The mysteries-leading-to-more-mysteries, with nothing ever explained, is why I don't watch LOST anymore and why I predict the 'ending' is going to upset a lot of people - if there is even an ending. If I wanted that, I'd just live my life and not bother with stories. When I watch a movie/read a book/watch a show, I want a complete story. It's the only time we ever get to find out WHY!
Then don't sell your movie as a monster movie.
I guess that's my beef, in a nutshell. The movie is an enjoyable experience - in its own right. *I* personally would have enjoyed it much more if I wasn't led by marketing to expect one thing and then got something completely different.
The mysteries-leading-to-more-mysteries, with nothing ever explained, is why I don't watch LOST anymore, and why I predict the 'ending' is going to upset a lot of people - if there is even what you can call an ending. If I want that type of experience, I'll just live my life and not bother with stories. When I watch a movie/read a book/watch a show, I want a complete story. It's the only time we ever get to find out WHY, rather than just ask it!
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