Cloverfield

Summary

“Did you change the tape? Because I had a tape in there… something important.”

In January of my final semester in college, a mysterious film arrived into theaters called Cloverfield. The only real knowledge that people had was that it was a monster film and the image of a beheaded Statue of Liberty that was prominent in the advertisements. Many people were curious about the film due to the production by Bad Robot – J.J. Abrams’ company that had just blown away television audiences with Lost. Theater goers had no real idea what to expect when they went to see the film. As can be expected, if you have experienced the film, there was a mixture of responses ranging from love to hate. Due to the handheld quality of the filming and constant motion of the picture, some viewers literally grew sick at the theatrical showings. Sadly, I was so busy that semester that I did not get a chance to see it theatrically. I ended up watching it on DVD once it was released. Luckily, Cloverfield has been released in a 15th anniversary 4K UHD steelbook edition, so I was able to watch the film on my 4K Epson Projector last night. This allowed me to recreate the theatrical experience to the best of my abilities. I really enjoyed the movie when I saw it on DVD, but the 4K theatrical experience took the picture to another level. Since the film was released, it has maintained a good following and inspired two very different types of sequels. Director Matt Reeves has gone on to direct numerous Planet of the Apes films before helming the new Batman films. It was fun to revisit the film. If you have not seen the film before, I will do my very best to try to keep spoilers to a minimum in my synopsis.

Cloverfield was shot in a non-traditional way. The picture is meant to be a “found footage” film that the government has obtained regarding  “Cloverfield” – an incident that occurred near Central Park. The film starts off in Manhattan on May 8, 2008. It’s the going-away party for Rob (Michael Stahl-David,) who has accepted a job in Japan. The party is being held by his brother Jason (Mike Vogel) and Jason’s girlfriend Lily (Jessica Lucas.) A guest of the party named Hud (T.J. Miller) is given the camera to document the events of the evening. The camera is recording over a romantic video tape of Rob from when he was dating Beth (Odette Annable.) Occasionally, fragments of that prior video appear. The party is attended by their friend Marlena (Lizzy Caplan) and Beth shows up with her new romantic interest. Rob and Beth get into an argument about her bringing this guest, and she leaves. The city erupts into chaos as an earthquake and power outage occurs. News stations report that an oil tanker has capsized near Liberty Island. Rob and his guests take to the streets just in time for the disemboweled head of the Statue of Liberty to smash into the ground nearby. A gigantic creature is tearing through the city. Rob and his friends begin to make their way across town in hopes of helping Beth.

Cloverfield has had fans and detractors from the moment of its release due to the film’s experimental nature. Fans of the film admire it for the same reason that detractors disliked it. I enjoyed the film the first time that I saw it, and am happy to say that I think that the film still works well. Detractors at the time mainly disliked the “shaky cam” aspect of the picture, or they criticized some of the aspects of the storyline that were left more mysterious. I never had those issues. Rewatching the film, I was a little worried that the CGI used in the film would look a little dated (and in some cases I was correct,) but overall Cloverfield still felt exciting fifteen years after its release. Shot on digital film in a mixture of handheld equipment such as Panasonic AG-HSC1Us and upscale equipment like Sony’s CineAlta F23, cinematographer Michael Bonvillian and director Matt Reeves capably blended the two filming materials into a cohesive whole. Without looking for the transitions between regular handheld and more upscale cameras, the average viewer could be manipulated into thinking the whole film was shot on standard HD cameras. With the 4K UHD release, Paramount has allowed the film to look the best it has ever looked because some of the Sony shot sequences really are allowed to shine. If you were on the fence about updating your Blu-ray, I would say that the visual uptick is well worth the upgrade.

The screenplay by Drew Goddard (who had already worked with J.J. Abrams on Lost and Alias) is very clever. It does a solid job of introducing the characters and making them likable and interesting before the madness begins. Goddard has shown himself to be a capable writer on projects such as Bad Times at the El Royale and The Cabin in the Woods. Cloverfield still shines as a film that aimed to be completely different from the movies before it, and its more unique aspects have not been replicated since. I would also like to point out that the film has a good amount of surprises in it. One sequence in particular was more frightening than I expected the first time I saw the film, and I imagine first time viewers will agree. The movie also serves as a great time capsule of 2008 – the party has everyone listening to Kings of Leon, Gorillaz, and Spoon – I had all those albums. 

The actors are all enjoyable in their roles. Michael Stahl-David and Odette Anable are good as the separated lovers and the rest of the cast does a solid job of responding to the increasingly dangerous situations they find themselves in. Considering the amount of chaos that they must have been acting against that was just added in with computers later, they did an admirable job.

Overall – Cloverfield remains a unique experiment that has stayed relevant because of how different it is from other creature features. If you haven’t seen it, I definitely recommend checking it out and forming your own opinion.

Video

Paramount Pictures have done a really solid job on their 4K transfer of the film. Presented in 1.85:1, Paramount has upscales the original digital film elements to 4K. While this film is inherently limited visually by the “found footage” techniques, the Sony camera shot sequences have never looked better. While the film will not be as visually impressive as more recent films shot on newer digital film in 4K or 6K, I would still assert that the uptick in detail is still noticeable from the 2008 Blu-ray.

Audio

Paramount have provided the same DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround track which was used for the Blu-ray release. It is a shame that both the steelbook release and the prior 4K UHD release did not take the opportunity to update the stellar 5.1 track to a Dolby Atmos track. This film absolutely screams for that update. That said, the track is still an exceptional surround track.

Supplements:

• Audio Commentary: Director Matt Reeves.
• Special Investigation Mode
• Document 01.18.08: The Making of Cloverfield
• Cloverfield Visual Effects
• I Saw It! It’s Alive! It’s Huge!
• Clover Fun
• Deleted Scenes
• Alternate Endings

Overall Scores:

Video – 4/5

Audio – 4.5/5

Supplements – 3/5

Overall – 4/5

Cloverfield was essentially destined to become a cult film. The experimental narrative techniques used to create a “found footage” creature feature made the film wholly unique. Fifteen years later, it is still a singular experience. It also remains a divisive experience. I have talked to as many fans as detractors. I happen to be a fan, so I was excited to pick up the handsome steelbook 4K edition of the film that Paramount just released. I would argue that the visual uptick is worth the price of admission. The only downside to the release is the lack of an Atmos track. The film still sounds fantastic, but an Atmos track would have been demo quality based on just how good the current 5.1 track is. The steelbook edition is currently only a couple dollars more than the regular 4K edition, and earns my recommendation. I had a great time revisiting the film.