Cloverfield is crazy, scary, and tense. It’s a monster movie where you never get a good look at the monster roaring through New York which makes it that much scarier. The camera is in first person view the whole time, which makes you feel that you are right there with them running from the craziness. It has a lot in common with Quarantine, only Cloverfield has a little more action in it. There is still a lot of running from the monster and screaming and trying to figure out what to do, but there’re a lot of interactions with the hidden monster and the mini monsters. It’s a good movie overall, great for a scary movie night. The lesson that can be learned here is to never live in New York. Crap always goes down in New York first. Maybe you should consider just a summer vacation, to like, Hawaii or something. I’m just sayin…
Time until monster related action: ~ 19 minutes
Guys getting killed (Bad guys): The big bad monster, only he doesn’t die, it’s just us, the human race getting their insides handed to them. Big thumbs up.
Best Line: The main characters are underground in a subway tunnel trying to make their way to one of their trapped friends. The camera guy, Hud, says, “I just can’t stop thinking how scary it would be if a flaming homeless guy came out of the dark right now. I’m just sayin’…”
Best Kill: You know, I think it could be a toss up between two. First there is the main monster decapitating Lady Liberty. Lady Liberty gets her head knocked off and lands on the main land and slides down the street. Now she just got served…her own head on a golden platter. Then there’s kill #2. This goes to the monster’s little protégés. As the group is walking through the subway tunnel, they get attacked by the mini monsters. Marlena (Lizzy Caplan) gets bitten by one of the things and it goes right through her shoulder to the front of her chest. She’s still alive at this point. A few minutes later, she starts bleeding from the eyes…then she pukes up blood…then the army quarantines her in a tent just in time for us to see her silhouette explode and blood splatters everywhere.
Best Explosion: There are explosions all through this movie but one of the biggest explosions that we see is when a plane flies over head and drops a lot of bombs on the monster. It destroys everything else in sight except the monster. It seems to just laugh in their faces, calling them fools all the while chomping down more innocent civilians.
Best Narrow Escape: This would also have to go to the subway tunnel. That was just a really, really great scene. Okay, so their walking. The tunnel is pitch black, the only light they have is the light on the camera. Then they see hundreds of rats running in one direction, as if running from something scary. The camera light goes out. Hud gets the bright idea to turn on night vision (it just wouldn’t be a scary movie without a night vision shot). He then can see the mini monsters creeping up behind the group. He just yells for them to run but it’s too late, one of the girls gets tackled. As the others are trying to rescue her, the camera guy, Hud, gets tackled. Marlena starts beating the monster off of Hud when she gets sideswiped by yet another mini monster. That is when she gets bitten. Well, they get her free and run for the nearest door. They get in the next room and fight off the one monster trying to get into the door…they made it with no casualties…or so they thought.
Rating: 3 ½ mini monsters, out of 5