Cloverfield Monster Revealed, SPOLIER!!!

[darthviper107]

I actually kind of expected Beth to be dead (really, she shouldn't have survived). But it's still a great movie. I wish they would put it up to an R rating though (intelligently).

 

[IrishJedi]

If Beth did not survive until the end then the film's narrative would totally have lost itsvbookends, punctuation mark and thus its point.

It's a "monster movie", yes. But it's not ABOUT monsters. Instead, it turns out that it was about two people coming to realization that all they really need is each other. That was inherently the single theme of the movie, and it started with the very first scene and built up until the very last.

Let me guess, most of you who hated this probably also hated movies like A.I. too, correct?

 

[Entropy]

The only way I would have felt anything other than hilarity at the end is if the girl was DOA when they climbed up to her apartment.

Tsk Tsk. Where's your sense of romance Dusty? I'd fight a giant CGI monster for ya.

 

[Darklord Dave]

It is totally non-Hollywood because everybody dies (except the monster). Despite all the other film cliches, this would make it non-traditional on it's own.

And it seems like the film can be sabotaged by it's own marketing. If you go in expecting a monster movie you are going to be disappointed.

 

[Shropt]

And it seems like the film can be sabotaged by it's own marketing. If you go in expecting a monster movie you are going to be disappointed.

I totally agree and I think this is what was wrong with my audience when I went to see it. But my question is this, what trailer/commercial did you see that made this look like a monster movie? What review?

Everything I read about this film said it was a movie about 5 people trying to escape New York when a monster attacks. That doesn't sound like the plot of a traditional monster movie to me.

 

[DarthNeil]

But, but... the ending was *totally* Hollywood! Our three heroes (and the video camera) somehow all survived the helicopter crash still able to run, the monster-lover (Hud) was appropriately devoured by the subject of his awe after a very Hollywood monster close-up, the lovers were reunited, the monster died (or did it?!... haha, gotcha!)... and more! The story that the movie was actually about (the human story) was tied up in the most clichéd Hollywood way possible.

The story I WANTED to know about... was not even explored.

The only way I would have felt anything other than hilarity at the end is if the girl was DOA when they climbed up to her apartment. THEN I would have been sad and horror stricken, and it could in no way be called a Hollywood ending.

I love this stuff

I too am enjoying the discussion.
But let's look at the Hollywood formula for a moment. Our heroes should have survived in miraculous fashion--or one hero should have sacrificed so that the others would survive (example Willis' Harry in the o so formulaic Michael Bay asteroid flic--- that which cannot be named). Much of the camera work has to be rationalized simply as it is our ONLY storyteller (with director comments from Hud...usually for comedic effect), but as the camera moved the audience invariably moved with it in a vain attempt to catch glimpses or to piece together the puzzle. Someone made the earlier comment about 9/11... I think back to having students crowd into my room as the television played a live telling of events and me trying as best as I could to answer their terrified questions... as I did so I tried to use the images moreso than the CNN commentary as per usual that was filled with more conjecture than truth-- the movie did a good job of showing that in the earlier news report during the party and again in the electronics store.
The audience, us, bought into the events and were trying to piece it together as well-- but here's where I see it as being a non-Hollywood ending... It just ended. Yes it's clear that they all died and yes they gave us the ferris wheel and Beth "this is the best day" line with a possible pod splash in the distance, but the audience was left with a stunned moment of-- is that it? I loved that.
The only way to push the envelope even further is if the camera had been lost prior to their deaths and their final fate was thrown into ambiguity along with that of the creature.
All in all it was an original premise that I think was carried out well.
I enjoyed it for what it was. I wish more movies would throw curveballs once in a while instead of the same rehashed formula that in reality was done twenty times over and in the process of filming was rewritten a dozen times by a collection of writing experts.

 

[IrishJedi]

When I knew that this movie was working (for me) on a personal level and that at least some the character stuff was compelling was when the first explosion (and "earthquake") happened... I was actually startled because I had almost forgotten what the movie was. I was like, "Oh yeah... there's a monster!"

Seriously, though, that is to the movie's credit.

 

[Isildur's bane]

For anyone that has not seen the movie and wants to see a glimpse of the monster here is a clip

 

[YoNoSe]

I thought that was well timed, too. I also found the scene in the subway station when Rob has to tell his mom that his brother is dead hard to watch. I felt like I should shut the camera off, even though I knew I wasn't the cameraman, obviously.

 

[Michael Crawford]

That's a terrible version of that clip though - in the film, you can actually see all that shadowed area on his face, so you can see his mouth, eyes, gills, etc.

 

[IrishJedi]

 

[DarthNeil]

Excellent pictures... Where'd you get these from?

 

[lerath666]

So am I the only one whoe stayed past the movie to the very end of the credits?

 

[BadMoon]

So am I the only one whoe stayed past the movie to the very end of the credits?

I think so. I didn't.

 

[p!tu]

So am I the only one whoe stayed past the movie to the very end of the credits?

I did!! loved the only piece of score the movie had!

 

[Entropy]

 

[IrishJedi]

Interesting tidbits revealed about the monster from an interview with Matt Reeves (the director) on ComingSoon:

1. It's not terrestrial. Indeed that closing shot of something splashing into the ocean in distance was put there on purpose.

2. It's a BABY.

Seriously, here's what he said about that:

The key to it is that the monster was a baby. The monster was suffering from separation anxiety and was absolutely disoriented and pissed, "where's mommy?", and terrified. That was the most important aspect of the creature. Not only was he furious and in a rage but he was scared, because to me there's nothing scarier than something huge that's spooked. If you're at the circus and the elephants are going nuts you don't want to be near them. We talked with Neville about the idea of how when a horse gets spooked you see the whites under the bottom of its eye. He fleshed out those sort of details.

 

[galactiboy]

Why explain it now... kinda takes the fun out of guessing what his origins and what-not were. Oh well, I guess anything to keep people interested and buying tickets

 

[IrishJedi]

The funny thing is, if it came from space... how exactly did it become separated from its mother and wind up in the drink on Earth? Maybe this is that race's version of boarding school?

 

[DarthNeil]

Excellent pictures... Where'd you get these from?

Cough cough, Irish...

Second attempt.