CLOVERFIELD

The Cheetahdude is back baby, trying to knock some dust off the ol' keyboard in time for the upcoming Race to the Oscars, Part DEAUX!

I got hooked with some passes for a sneak preview of Cloverfield last night. For almost a year I've been anticipating this film, I think it's first trailer debuted during last year's Superbowl. It's grainy home video footage of some guy's going away party in New York, and then the shit hits the fan in the biggest way. Maybe one of the greatest trailers ever. It's produced by JJ Abrams, the genius behind Lost, that fact alone got me into the theater.

First let me warn you: This is not a conventional film. It's Blair Witch on roids. It's entirely some guy's video camera found in Central Park after some event called "cloverfield." It's a gimmicky style, but the filmmakers commit to it. There's no cheating for the viewers benefit. You see nothing but what the guy holding that camera saw (his name is Hud, and after having the unwanted task of documenting the party thrust upon him, he continues documenting the frighting events that follow). There are no scientists explaining why this is happening, no generals planning a counter attack, no president solemnly saying "and may God help us all." Just video of some twenty somethings running around New York as it gets ripped to shreds by this (I'm not gonna spoil it) creature. That may turn off the average movie goer, but I think it's a great take on a story that's been told many times before. There are thrills, surprises, and some "Oh Shit!'s*" The actors are unknowns but their characters are interesting enough that you care and want them to survive.

Visually, the film is fantastic. The destruction of New York looks so real and on a few scenes I found myself actually wondering how they blended a crowd of stampeding New Yorkers with the destruction occurring around them while shooting it on a bouncy hand held digicam (and I KNOW how they do that shit!). Great work by the visual effects team and the editor.

My only knock is it perhaps borrows too much from the films that have come before (Godzilla and Aliens in particular)

If you can take the artistic direction this film uses and accept it as a "different" kind of film, then it is a must see on a big screen. If shaky camerawork makes you sick, stay away.


The Sneaky Cheetah's Grade: B+



*"Oh Shit!'s" - a moment in a film so startling or frightening that it causes some mentally challenged audience member to yell out "Oh Shit!" during a movie.