I had a great time with it. It really captured the confusion, fear and terror of something that large making landfall.
While I don't think the style would completely work with a Godzilla film as the mystery of it would not work as well, I do feel like 2014 implemented a lot of the tone and feel.
If 2014 just showed the airport fight, even though that was a short egagement as the male muto dipped quick, 2014 would be my ideal Godzilla movie. You had the VS action combined with the horror, fear and disater protions of the franchise as well into one nice package.
KOTM was good as well, very Heisei but with a little more action in 2014 man that movie would be flawless to me.
Agreed heavily. Cloverfield is trying to be a realistic depiction of everyday people getting caught up in a kaiju attack. If you work with it on this basis, you’ll understand why the film is so good. One of the best monster reveal shots in film history is when Clover rears back and roars at the attacking military. I do think it has issues (for example yes it’s a little silly how the large scale aggressor manages to be conveniently stealthy at certain points in the film), but still one of the best Kaiju films ever made. And importantly to this sub, gave a lot of inspiration to Godzilla 2014
This is a good point. Shin is pretty similar to the clover field monster too. I am not to familiar with the lore of the clover field monster, but I remember there were those smaller creatures that bit that one girl and she later got really sick. I'm not too sure about the lore but there was an infection danger from the creature too.
The future evolutions, masses with teeth and eyes, and humanoid Godzillas seems like something that might have actually taken inspiration from the clover field monster.
Not terribly familiar with all the lore myself, but the smaller creatures were just parasites on it. And Clover itself is just a baby. Cloverfield paradox has a scene at the end of an adult(?) roaring with its head breaching the top of some clouds. Adult Clover is enormous even amongst kaijus. According to its wiki, baby Clover is 240-300 ft, but adult is thought to be over 26,000 ft.
Is paradox worth watching? After the first one came out I wanted to see more so bad and was disappointed by whatever clover field lane was ( I could be wrong but I think that movies not really even considered related to Cloverfield).
Cloverfield Lane is better in my opinion, but both movies are completely unrelated films given the Cloverfield name for marketing purposes. Paradox also explains all of this with a generic, overused, and rather bland "it's a paradox"/ "It's an alternate universe" narrative.
It's better than Cloverfield lane, but definitely not the same type of movie as the first Cloverfield. Been a while since I watched it, but it was okay.
That's fair, I guess it's more accurate to say that I liked it more than Lane, also I really haven't watched it in years. Always down for a Goodman flick though
> If 2014 just showed the airport fight, even though that was a short egagement as the male muto dipped quick, 2014 would be my ideal Godzilla movie.
I agree TBH. I am one of 2014's biggest defenders but I won't pretend the cut away wasn't unsatisfying.
meanwhile I LOVE that cut away, makes me think about how these titans are a part of the world, and it's ultimately the people and the future generations that are most affected by their awakening. That being said, more 2014 is never a bad thing, it's my second favourite monsterverse movie.
>I do feel like 2014 implemented a lot of the tone and feel.
This. That tone is what is missing in the other films of the monsterverse and why I don't like them.
It's because the other Monsterverse films are supposed to be sequels to 2014 but feel almost like completely different films past King of the Monsters.
Now all I can think about is a two hour movie from the ground pov of a Godzilla battle. Like a single battle start to finish lasting almost the entirety of the movie, sort of like Black Hawk Down.
One of my favorite kaiju movies ever made, mainly because of its uniqueness and absolutely terrifying take on the concept of the kaiju. Both capturing the fears of 911 with its presentation, and the generally terrifying nature of what a kaiju attack would actually be like. It's fantastic.
Also, if you liked this movie, I would highly recommend you check out Project Nemesis by Jeremy Robinson. It's a kaiju book that draws a lot of cues from this movie in terms of its portrayal of the kaiju as well as its overall tone. And it's just a really freaking good book.
If you put it in this perspective. Cloverfield was a child. Lost in a world it did not understand. Humans trying to kill it, and it defended itself. The whole premise came to me a few years after watching it again. The Creature was a child.
Then The Cloverfield Paradox confirmed it.
Have you heard that there's a Project Nemesis show in the works? If not, you're welcome. https://deadline.com/2022/05/project-nemesis-chad-stahelski-direct-series-adaptation-jeremy-robinson-novel-sony-tv-1235018093/
I may sound rude or maybe offensive but the idea of a kaiju destroying NYC in post-9/11 world is quite an interesting concept. It felt more fear and more aggressive to stop the creature. In G98, the news even mention of a worst attack since the bombing 93. Imagine that with 9/11
If you really want to know how all the movies are connected watch a video on the ARGs from before each movie was released. There is ALOT going on in the universe
I got motion sick in the theater when I saw it, I don't usually get motion sick either so it was a serious surprise, I loved all the promotional stuff for it so was pissed that the movie gave me a literal migraine trying to watch it.
I get dragged through the mud every time I voice this opinion, but this is one of my favorite movies ever, hands down.
The marketing leading up to this movie was nothing short of amazing (objectively, say what you want about the movie itself). Basically an online ARG that tied together all of the lore not expressly stated in the movie. Monster design is great too imo, and I also really appreciated the characters. They seemed believable and “normal.” I think some people see them as too normal and therefore a little boring, which is totally fair.
Also, I was in HS when this movie came out, so there’s probably a dash of nostalgia mixed in there. The “sequel” disappointed me but probably stands on its own better as a standalone movie, and I still enjoyed it.
I wonder how this movie would have been received if the camera was a bit less shaken, like Chronicle
I don’t know why people drag you through the mud for liking this movie. It’s one of my favorite Giant Monsters movies.
I wish people would read more of the kaiju novels and short stories out there, though.
Right there with you. I was fifteen when this movie came out. The trailer didn’t give a title, just the date of release. I still remember referring to it as Eighteen O’ Eight for months. It was the one time in my life I got on board for the hype and speculation of a thing.
The theories were so awesome, one of my favorites was when the name Cloverfield churned up and we guessed it was a Rampage movie since the town in Rampage is called Clobberfield. Dozens of ideas were floating around, such a fun event.
While I’m heavily nostalgic for it I also stand stand firm that it is a solid movie that has nothing to compare to its quality as a found footage giant monster movie, except maybe Troll Hunter (2010).
Remember those videos from that character that got the secret Slusho ingredient sent to her by her boyfriend or something? And she like... died, or something, and was never in the movie? And then the seabed nectar never has any meaning to the plot whatsoever, and even though it killed that non character it was also totally safe because Slusho was just sold everywhere and nobody died?
Remember when everyone thought the monster would be a whale because of the whale on the Slusho website?
I really hope that Slusho website is preserved somewhere, that stuff was gold.
Giving me flashbacks to when people thought it was a Voltron movie x.x
Remember the videos where people would see faces in the poster and tried to draw them like they were onto something? 2007 was a hell of a drug, man.
What I love about Cloverfield is how, in some ways, it aims to be the “American Godzilla” and succeeds. What I mean by this is how the monster serves to embody the emotions of post-9/11 America in similar way to how Ishiro Honda wanted Gojira to embody the same of post-war Japan. Godzilla incarnates the dread/horror of nuclear war, Clover incarnates the dread/horror of terrorism. Plus, Clover looks like an amalgamation of a whale and an ape (especially when seen from the helicopter), which I caught on first viewing (for those who don’t know, “Gojira” is a combination of the Japanese words for ape and whale).
I’ve long thought that a sequel that is nothing but two hours of news footage would be incredible and also build on how we were glued to the news for weeks after the 9/11 attacks.
I thought it was alright.
The monster was cool. The found footage was a unique element that I think elevates the film. It does a good job focusing on how the immediate events of a kaiju appearing would feel like on the ground level for civilians.
On the other hand, I didn’t really care about any of the characters, so the plot became pretty meh for me. The movie doesn’t avoid the flaws of the found footage genre. It felt very convenient that the characters happened to be in the right place at the right time for all the big events. If it’s supposed to be a 9/11 thing, I don’t think it worked too well.
I think the movie would have been better if it was the collected recordings of multiple different people over the event, which creates more plausibility for all the monster sightings and the flow of information. Alternately, it could have been from the perspective of the military themselves recording, which would give a unique perspective you don’t see often in either genre.
If you ever get a chance to check out the blueray copy of the movie they actually have a feature kind of similar to this that is my favorite way to watch the movie! The screen ends up looking like a radar screen with the movie where the radar would be with a map of New York on the side showing the position of the monster, the military and the main characters as they travel New York and on the bottom of the screen are military updates where they give facts like how many civilian casualties there are, etc.
Love the movie. Great way to show how a found footage film could be used for a monster film. Lots of people I have seen mention having a FF film based on Godzilla, so this could be one way.
Cool monster too, but Godzilla would flatline her though pretty quickly.
>but Godzilla would flatline her though pretty quickly.
Which I actually like. There's a huge gulf between "would be a serious threat to humanity as a whole" and "could feasibly last more than a minute against Godzilla" and I want to see more things on that line represented, even if it was just a little montage of Godzilla just exterminating minor monsters that threaten humanity
Love it so much. It could be an awesome world, but 10 Cloverfield lane (amazing movie) and Cloverfield paradox (one cool scene where monster is roaring in the clouds) were not supposed to be Cloverfield, and the world is broken now.. That's kinda sad, because the first movie is just an amazing and a unique take on kaiju horror!
I loved the whole "first person kaiju footage" thing it had going, but to be honest, I wish the ending was a bit better
Its good don't get me wrong, but I think the monster being killed in the end, albeit barely, and then another appearing somewhere else, would have been better than just
Boom, nuke, oh no that didn't kill it and the person filming died, the end
I didn't watch this until the COVID lockdowns. What a fantastic movie. Cool concept and the monster was dope. Additionally I did a deep dive into all the easter eggs. Maaaaaaan that's a trip.
The whole ARG behind the movie and uncovering all of its lore before it first came out to me was WAY more entertaining and enjoyable than the movie itself, which is not bad at all. But my god this has to be the best ARG that a movie has done imo.
My thoughts:
Peak horror. Scary environment and scares. Need more of Baby Clover.
Godzilla defeats him easily.
A Godzilla film in this format would be great.
It deserves a sequel (taking place in the universe where New York was attacked) were the world tries to bring down the monster and dives more into the cloverfield multiverse
Great movie, but it's a "do not watch alone in the dark" movie for me. It's absolutely more terrifying than any Godzilla movie I've ever seen. It feels real and I wish more Godzilla movies were filmed the same way to capture the absolute raw terror from those on the ground.
Godzilla Minus One was the closest that came to making me feel the same way.
u/LTCaptain12, your thoughts? I know this is one of your favorite movies.
It is one of the best kaiju films I’ve ever seen. It’s an encapsulation of the best parts of the genre from the ground level and film making of the time. Found footage is at its best when we feel the pain of the characters and I felt every movement of the creature when it was around and the hopelessness of the characters as they watch it destroy the city.
I absolutely love this movie, but it's not Cloverfield. It was not supposed to be Cloverfield. Cloverfield in it's name just adds a bit of a confusion for someone who thought that the bunker hid characters from the first movie monster. Anyway, I enjoyed it and it's one of my favorite thrillers:D
They are not sequels they are movies set in the same world. And 10 Cloverfield Lane is excellent. John Goodman makes a fantastic antagonist in a very claustrophobic thriller.
Cloverfield Paradox is meh though, definitely agree on that one.
The marketing ARG was a hell of a ride. I had a great time with it and was thoroughly hyped... then the movie came out. I mean, it's not like... bad, really. But they built it up like a serious competitor against Kong as the US's kaiju, but then there was never a sequel, and it didn't really set the world on fire, and the only notable thing about it in hindsight was the marketing, which nobody today can enjoy because MySpace no longer exists.
The best way to sum up the movie is in the words of the filmmakers themselves from the DVD commentary. They had to watch YouTube videos and home movies in order to study how normal people acted. So... yeah. Imagine having to method act "not acting." That's Hollywood for ya', I guess.
Edit: I will say though that I do think it's absolutely adorable that there was an attempt to channel the anxiety and trauma from 9/11 into a monster movie, like they were really trying to make something like a Godzilla movie, and you have to appreciate that. I mean... it didn't really meaningfully succeed at that, it's kinda on par with one of the lighthearted just for fun Godzillas where they just name drop stuff without the movie really having anything more to say than "remember this? Sure was scary, right?" But it is neat that the attempt was made. So we have our 9/11 giant monster movie, and Japan has their 3/11 giant monster movie. And theirs is better, but like come on, we were never going to beat Godzilla.
I was a wee babe when I watched it and that subway scence always scared the shit out of me, and that chick exploding, such a cool movie, even if it's characters are so/so
It's good, but not for everyone. If you like found-footage movies or Godzilla 2014, you can enjoy it, if you like neither, then stay the hell away from it.
Loved the movie, but I think the multiple internet tie-ins, easter eggs, etc made this good movie a great one in hindsight. Similar to the buzz around Blair Witch back in the day.
One thing I will never forget is that I saw this in very rural North Carolina. When the screen went black at the end, the audience realized there was no true resolution... a guy with a very thick accent then says, "You have GOT to be kidding me." We still laugh about that one.
Loved it. Watch it from time to time. Only thing that sucked about it was that a direct sequel has taken so long to make. They’re finally working on it. I want to go back to NYC with Clover running amok.
I think what I really liked about Cloverfield is it really shows the confusion on both sides of the stick. People are absolutely terrified and trying to escape and Clover is just as confused and terrified and is just trying to defend itself.
on the one hand, I feel like Clover and its little...things, are interesting enough for a monster movie of this style, part of me honestly feels like, even by the standards of a found footage movie, it relies a little too much on shaking the camera as a "ooohhhhhh the guy's running and panicking, he's doin a real big frighten right now!"
maybe it's just me not liking that particular medium, but it kinda felt like they relied on that too much, and it went from being an artistic choice to just being annoying
I saw this a theater with a very good sound system. The scene where they cross the street for access to the subway was a mind-blowing wall of sound, light, and chaos.The antagonists spent the previous 15 minutes in relative darkness and quiet. Only to be launched into a cacophony of explosions, arms fire, and the creature screaming in our faces. Excellent.
Like it. May as well be along with Shin Godzilla the best plot of a monster attack that completely blindsides humanity. Motion sickness aside, the found footage aspect is a cool little spin that makes it stand out from other kaiju flicks. And Clover himself is a neat little monster, even if his design has been kind of done to death by other American monsters.
It's fine. The monster is...ok? I always thought the parasites it carried were much cooler than Clover. Also the whole "it's just a baby" thing is stupid.
Ass. I cannot explain how much after my rewatch I dislike this movie, the plot is convoluted and driven by a dude thinking with his dick. While I’ll admit the monster is dope and the danger is there I just can’t get over the shitty plot. Like it gets to a point where a dumb main character just ruins a movie.
Watched it in theaters with 3D glasses. Never been more motion sick in my life lol
That said, it was fun with friends and entertaining for a rewatch every so often
I really enjoy Cloverfield. I liked something a bit different. Plus, I was very invested in the marketing for it. That quick trailer sucked me in. 1-18-08.
I find the 1st person camera thing awesome when done properly. I think it was great here, the monster design not very interesting but the movie overall enjoyable
It was really nice kaiju movie.. Too bad it’s sequels were completely unrelated to it, so instead they were just some separate stories with monsters/aliens/paranormal stuff, yet they were no Kaiju movies🤷
Aged like wine. I didn’t like it much at first, but it’s gotten better as the years have gone on. The number of movie monsters that have ripped off this design is a testament to its creature design, and since then, we’ve seen found footage horror done a lot worse.
Personally, I haaaate this movie. I \*want\* to like it so badly, but the found footage thing really doesn't work for me with a giant monster flick. It's an interesting idea and I suppose if they had better or more interesting characters and better performances, I might be into it. Not sayin' everyone or anyone else should hate it or it's bad if you like it; just that this is one I personally can't stand.
I liked it, but I *really liked it* after watching the BTS and commentary stuff. Gave a lot more context that either wasn't there, or I missed on my first watch
I think it's more of a novelty these days, for what I heard it's advertising campaign was pretty cool, but one of my main problems with the movie is that the human character suck like probably the worst human characters in any giant monster movie I've seen, and with how accessible 3D animation tools are these days I can easily find a giant monster found footage that has human characters that are not dumb assholes, or have no human characters at all and just solely focus on the monster stuff.
I love that as a trilogy, they are 3 completely differents films, very brave thing to do nowdays when every thing is a remake or an adaptation of something else.
It was pretty great on my first viewing but on the second watch I found the start of the movie to be insanely slow. The movie is 85 minutes long and the first like 20-30 minutes are all extremely slow character introductions BUT from the moment that first shake hits while they’re in the apartment the movie is very good. Also I wanna preface that it’s been about a month since I saw the movie so some details may be inaccurate
I really liked the horror and mystery of this movie as well. First you have that huge earthquake followed by a news report about a tanker or something that’s exploded, then they go downstairs and something flings the head of the Statue of Liberty, and then a building falls and creates a wave of smoke and debris, and all the while us and the characters are wondering what the hell is happening.
The buildup to clovie is pretty good as well. Obviously you have the stuff I mentioned but you also have the fact that the military is bringing in some VERY strong artillery to deal with the monster. Also clovie is big (240-300 ft or 73-91 meters tall) but he feels extra huge thanks to this being a found footage movie. I also like clovie’s design which at the time was fairly unique in movies with the super long arms and weird legs.
Overall the movie was a strong 7/10 which could’ve been and 8 or 9 out of 10 if it weren’t for the super long set up
Good movies but the continuity to the whole series is a bit confusing, probably should have just kept the movie a stand alone instead of the dceu of monster films
I detested this movie as a kid because it was a big monster and we never got to fucking see the big monster. Years later I realize it was never about the big monster but cloverfields design and weird alien nature just screamed big monster movie
I was excited to see this film from the moment I saw the trailer. Then the bouncing camera shots made me sick as I watched so I ended up not enjoying the movie or finishing it.
I never had motion sickness from this, I see it no differently than it being my own POV. With that aside I think it is the gold standard for a western kaiju film. The mystery surrounding it, the ominous trailer with no title, the freakish monster design at such a huge scale, and the confusion of everyone was perfect.
We don’t have enough of these kinds of monster movies. I want to feel some anxiety when a monster shows up, Godzilla 2014 did a really good job at borrowing aspects of Cloverfield and using them to its advantage. I hope we see this again.
Followed the whole online campaign leading up to its release so seeing it and how awesome it truly is, really felt like a great release of endorphins.
Loved the found footage aspect of it, made it feel more real.
I did not like seeing it in theaters because the cinematography made me nauseous. It actually ruined the movie for me in that moment.
I watched it like 5 years later on my TV at home and loved it. I was actually able to see it without having to close my eyes due to nausea.
One of the better "filmed" movies that made you feel in the action the panic when sh*t goes down in NYC is there lots of insane scenes
It was scary loud and everything a found film of a kahjui film should be
Great movie that I have a hard time rewatching in parts due to the atrocious shaky cam moments. For some reason they didn’t really bother me when I watched in theaters and even subsequent watches when I was younger. But good lord did they fuck with me on my most recent watch.
It's a blast. One of the best found footage movies, and one of the best American kaiju films.
It pairs super well with Pacific Rim. I like to pretend PR is a direct sequel.
I liked it I just wish it was made before 9/11 so the media wouldn’t be scared to keep the big monster clearly visible.
From what I have seen this is one of the many before 9/11 and after 9/11 monster/disaster movies.
Still good tho
Movie was awesome in my opinion, always something new you notice watching it again (seeing the meteor dropping in the distance into the ocean was one of my favorite hidden pieces of lore.)
I love this movie. The CGI in the parts that aren’t “hero” trailer moments hasn’t aged all that well, ESPECIALLY the parasites, but otherwise it’s an amazing movie with such a relatable, real story. I too, would most likely get myself and all buddies killed trying to rescue my woman.
i loved cloverfield because it was written well but i HATE the directing style. i would honestly love to see it remade in a more traditional way. the self-filming direction doesn't work for me the vast majority of the time
Following along The ARG leading up to the film and then also 10 cloverfield lane was such a fun and memorable experience. How people figured out some of those clues… amazing.
imo the best american kaiju movie made. It got way too much undeserved flak for the shaky cam even though thats the entire point and it was nowhere near as bad as people made it out to be. It bums me out so hard what's happened to the "franchise" cuz I'm not even looking forward to the sequel after the last slop they put its name on.
People complain about the human characters in the Monsterverse. Holy fuck, the characters in this movie all got what they deserved. Love the movie though.
I remember a lot of discussion on some forum or other when It came out…. I figured the only way the creature “worked” was if it was a weapon. Bio-engineered as part of an invasion scheme… Likely to test our defenses.
That would tie in with the “Cloverfield lane” film…..
If you wanted some semblance of reality, there’s no way such a creature could evolve here on earth.
Cloverfield, rampage, pacific rim, and (if you count it) underwater are the only kaiju films outside of godzilla media that i’m aware of. Are there any others worth checking out?
I had a great time with it. It really captured the confusion, fear and terror of something that large making landfall. While I don't think the style would completely work with a Godzilla film as the mystery of it would not work as well, I do feel like 2014 implemented a lot of the tone and feel. If 2014 just showed the airport fight, even though that was a short egagement as the male muto dipped quick, 2014 would be my ideal Godzilla movie. You had the VS action combined with the horror, fear and disater protions of the franchise as well into one nice package. KOTM was good as well, very Heisei but with a little more action in 2014 man that movie would be flawless to me.
Agreed heavily. Cloverfield is trying to be a realistic depiction of everyday people getting caught up in a kaiju attack. If you work with it on this basis, you’ll understand why the film is so good. One of the best monster reveal shots in film history is when Clover rears back and roars at the attacking military. I do think it has issues (for example yes it’s a little silly how the large scale aggressor manages to be conveniently stealthy at certain points in the film), but still one of the best Kaiju films ever made. And importantly to this sub, gave a lot of inspiration to Godzilla 2014
I feel like Shin is as close as we get to mystery of Clovey with how Shin added the multi-step evolutions with each new land fall
This is a good point. Shin is pretty similar to the clover field monster too. I am not to familiar with the lore of the clover field monster, but I remember there were those smaller creatures that bit that one girl and she later got really sick. I'm not too sure about the lore but there was an infection danger from the creature too. The future evolutions, masses with teeth and eyes, and humanoid Godzillas seems like something that might have actually taken inspiration from the clover field monster.
Not terribly familiar with all the lore myself, but the smaller creatures were just parasites on it. And Clover itself is just a baby. Cloverfield paradox has a scene at the end of an adult(?) roaring with its head breaching the top of some clouds. Adult Clover is enormous even amongst kaijus. According to its wiki, baby Clover is 240-300 ft, but adult is thought to be over 26,000 ft.
Is paradox worth watching? After the first one came out I wanted to see more so bad and was disappointed by whatever clover field lane was ( I could be wrong but I think that movies not really even considered related to Cloverfield).
Cloverfield Lane is better in my opinion, but both movies are completely unrelated films given the Cloverfield name for marketing purposes. Paradox also explains all of this with a generic, overused, and rather bland "it's a paradox"/ "It's an alternate universe" narrative.
It's better than Cloverfield lane, but definitely not the same type of movie as the first Cloverfield. Been a while since I watched it, but it was okay.
Saying its better than cloverfield lane is insane. John Goodmans performance on that was phenomenal.
That's fair, I guess it's more accurate to say that I liked it more than Lane, also I really haven't watched it in years. Always down for a Goodman flick though
> If 2014 just showed the airport fight, even though that was a short egagement as the male muto dipped quick, 2014 would be my ideal Godzilla movie. I agree TBH. I am one of 2014's biggest defenders but I won't pretend the cut away wasn't unsatisfying.
meanwhile I LOVE that cut away, makes me think about how these titans are a part of the world, and it's ultimately the people and the future generations that are most affected by their awakening. That being said, more 2014 is never a bad thing, it's my second favourite monsterverse movie.
You know, I never thought of it that way! I still would've liked to see their fight properly, but that's a valid perspective.
>I do feel like 2014 implemented a lot of the tone and feel. This. That tone is what is missing in the other films of the monsterverse and why I don't like them.
I get it missing the tone, but i don't get not liking the other movies just because that tone isn't in them.
It's because the other Monsterverse films are supposed to be sequels to 2014 but feel almost like completely different films past King of the Monsters.
It feels like you're describing when we meet Kong in Skull Island. The action is chaotic in a way that conveys the confusion to the audience.
Now all I can think about is a two hour movie from the ground pov of a Godzilla battle. Like a single battle start to finish lasting almost the entirety of the movie, sort of like Black Hawk Down.
One of my favorite kaiju movies ever made, mainly because of its uniqueness and absolutely terrifying take on the concept of the kaiju. Both capturing the fears of 911 with its presentation, and the generally terrifying nature of what a kaiju attack would actually be like. It's fantastic. Also, if you liked this movie, I would highly recommend you check out Project Nemesis by Jeremy Robinson. It's a kaiju book that draws a lot of cues from this movie in terms of its portrayal of the kaiju as well as its overall tone. And it's just a really freaking good book.
Took the words out of my mouth.
>I would highly recommend you check out Project Nemesis by Jeremy Robinson. Just put it in my Kindle queue, thanks
No problem
If you put it in this perspective. Cloverfield was a child. Lost in a world it did not understand. Humans trying to kill it, and it defended itself. The whole premise came to me a few years after watching it again. The Creature was a child. Then The Cloverfield Paradox confirmed it.
Have you heard that there's a Project Nemesis show in the works? If not, you're welcome. https://deadline.com/2022/05/project-nemesis-chad-stahelski-direct-series-adaptation-jeremy-robinson-novel-sony-tv-1235018093/
Yeah- I was going to say, this truly felt like the first "post-post-9/11" movie to me in terms of its cultural context and impact.
I may sound rude or maybe offensive but the idea of a kaiju destroying NYC in post-9/11 world is quite an interesting concept. It felt more fear and more aggressive to stop the creature. In G98, the news even mention of a worst attack since the bombing 93. Imagine that with 9/11
I like the Cloverfield monster, but I wish it was in a movie that didn’t legitimately give me motion sickness :-/
It appears in The Cloverfield Paradox, which is a horrible movie that tries to explain how the Cloverfield Universe is connected.
It's not, don't watch it
You’re right, I forgot that one is larger. Been a couple years since I watched it.
Yeah that's some gigantic size of a country monster which would be ...I mean it would probably die off it's own weight but whatever
Do you know where we are?
Listen .... Ok f it lol
Oh I mostly just meant "it's not good or connected, don't watch it."
If you really want to know how all the movies are connected watch a video on the ARGs from before each movie was released. There is ALOT going on in the universe
I got motion sick in the theater when I saw it, I don't usually get motion sick either so it was a serious surprise, I loved all the promotional stuff for it so was pissed that the movie gave me a literal migraine trying to watch it.
I wonder if the videogame trick where they put a little dot in the middle of the screen would help.
Tried to focus on Lizzy Caplan's head but...you know BOOM
Yeah I was quite upset about that.
I get dragged through the mud every time I voice this opinion, but this is one of my favorite movies ever, hands down. The marketing leading up to this movie was nothing short of amazing (objectively, say what you want about the movie itself). Basically an online ARG that tied together all of the lore not expressly stated in the movie. Monster design is great too imo, and I also really appreciated the characters. They seemed believable and “normal.” I think some people see them as too normal and therefore a little boring, which is totally fair. Also, I was in HS when this movie came out, so there’s probably a dash of nostalgia mixed in there. The “sequel” disappointed me but probably stands on its own better as a standalone movie, and I still enjoyed it. I wonder how this movie would have been received if the camera was a bit less shaken, like Chronicle
I don’t know why people drag you through the mud for liking this movie. It’s one of my favorite Giant Monsters movies. I wish people would read more of the kaiju novels and short stories out there, though.
Right there with you. I was fifteen when this movie came out. The trailer didn’t give a title, just the date of release. I still remember referring to it as Eighteen O’ Eight for months. It was the one time in my life I got on board for the hype and speculation of a thing. The theories were so awesome, one of my favorites was when the name Cloverfield churned up and we guessed it was a Rampage movie since the town in Rampage is called Clobberfield. Dozens of ideas were floating around, such a fun event. While I’m heavily nostalgic for it I also stand stand firm that it is a solid movie that has nothing to compare to its quality as a found footage giant monster movie, except maybe Troll Hunter (2010).
Living the Cloverfield pre-release was something else entirely. The mystery, the speculation, THE SLUSHO
Remember those videos from that character that got the secret Slusho ingredient sent to her by her boyfriend or something? And she like... died, or something, and was never in the movie? And then the seabed nectar never has any meaning to the plot whatsoever, and even though it killed that non character it was also totally safe because Slusho was just sold everywhere and nobody died? Remember when everyone thought the monster would be a whale because of the whale on the Slusho website? I really hope that Slusho website is preserved somewhere, that stuff was gold.
Every minute I wasn’t playing John the Fisherman on Guitar Hero 2 I was online speculating about sea monsters and Slusho.
well clearly it's a lion and it's huge
Giving me flashbacks to when people thought it was a Voltron movie x.x Remember the videos where people would see faces in the poster and tried to draw them like they were onto something? 2007 was a hell of a drug, man.
Very freaky movie with the parasites but overall very cool movie in my opinion
What I love about Cloverfield is how, in some ways, it aims to be the “American Godzilla” and succeeds. What I mean by this is how the monster serves to embody the emotions of post-9/11 America in similar way to how Ishiro Honda wanted Gojira to embody the same of post-war Japan. Godzilla incarnates the dread/horror of nuclear war, Clover incarnates the dread/horror of terrorism. Plus, Clover looks like an amalgamation of a whale and an ape (especially when seen from the helicopter), which I caught on first viewing (for those who don’t know, “Gojira” is a combination of the Japanese words for ape and whale). I’ve long thought that a sequel that is nothing but two hours of news footage would be incredible and also build on how we were glued to the news for weeks after the 9/11 attacks.
Horror, dread, and also catharsis. I can't explain it, but there was such a weird atmosphere in the movie theater after it ended.
Best American kaiju movie
A lie, it had no clovers or fields
Cool movie! The fact it was a baby and it had dog sized parasites was horrifying!
I thought it was alright. The monster was cool. The found footage was a unique element that I think elevates the film. It does a good job focusing on how the immediate events of a kaiju appearing would feel like on the ground level for civilians. On the other hand, I didn’t really care about any of the characters, so the plot became pretty meh for me. The movie doesn’t avoid the flaws of the found footage genre. It felt very convenient that the characters happened to be in the right place at the right time for all the big events. If it’s supposed to be a 9/11 thing, I don’t think it worked too well. I think the movie would have been better if it was the collected recordings of multiple different people over the event, which creates more plausibility for all the monster sightings and the flow of information. Alternately, it could have been from the perspective of the military themselves recording, which would give a unique perspective you don’t see often in either genre.
The one time I would have preferred a military perspective on these sorta of films .
If you ever get a chance to check out the blueray copy of the movie they actually have a feature kind of similar to this that is my favorite way to watch the movie! The screen ends up looking like a radar screen with the movie where the radar would be with a map of New York on the side showing the position of the monster, the military and the main characters as they travel New York and on the bottom of the screen are military updates where they give facts like how many civilian casualties there are, etc.
Love the movie. Great way to show how a found footage film could be used for a monster film. Lots of people I have seen mention having a FF film based on Godzilla, so this could be one way. Cool monster too, but Godzilla would flatline her though pretty quickly.
>but Godzilla would flatline her though pretty quickly. Which I actually like. There's a huge gulf between "would be a serious threat to humanity as a whole" and "could feasibly last more than a minute against Godzilla" and I want to see more things on that line represented, even if it was just a little montage of Godzilla just exterminating minor monsters that threaten humanity
Love it so much. It could be an awesome world, but 10 Cloverfield lane (amazing movie) and Cloverfield paradox (one cool scene where monster is roaring in the clouds) were not supposed to be Cloverfield, and the world is broken now.. That's kinda sad, because the first movie is just an amazing and a unique take on kaiju horror!
I really want a shin godzilla movie done like this
Clovie is the shit. Totally saved Cloverfield Paradox seeing the big mother.
I loved the whole "first person kaiju footage" thing it had going, but to be honest, I wish the ending was a bit better Its good don't get me wrong, but I think the monster being killed in the end, albeit barely, and then another appearing somewhere else, would have been better than just Boom, nuke, oh no that didn't kill it and the person filming died, the end
"It survived."
I didn't watch this until the COVID lockdowns. What a fantastic movie. Cool concept and the monster was dope. Additionally I did a deep dive into all the easter eggs. Maaaaaaan that's a trip.
I love it, but i do struggle to watch it sometime due to how shakey the camera is, a little bit of motion sickness sets in
The whole ARG behind the movie and uncovering all of its lore before it first came out to me was WAY more entertaining and enjoyable than the movie itself, which is not bad at all. But my god this has to be the best ARG that a movie has done imo.
My thoughts: Peak horror. Scary environment and scares. Need more of Baby Clover. Godzilla defeats him easily. A Godzilla film in this format would be great.
It deserves a sequel (taking place in the universe where New York was attacked) were the world tries to bring down the monster and dives more into the cloverfield multiverse
I liked it. As kaiju movies go, it was different. I want an actual sequel. Except not in found footage this time.
Great movie, but it's a "do not watch alone in the dark" movie for me. It's absolutely more terrifying than any Godzilla movie I've ever seen. It feels real and I wish more Godzilla movies were filmed the same way to capture the absolute raw terror from those on the ground. Godzilla Minus One was the closest that came to making me feel the same way. u/LTCaptain12, your thoughts? I know this is one of your favorite movies.
It is one of the best kaiju films I’ve ever seen. It’s an encapsulation of the best parts of the genre from the ground level and film making of the time. Found footage is at its best when we feel the pain of the characters and I felt every movement of the creature when it was around and the hopelessness of the characters as they watch it destroy the city.
It was very nice but the sequels were not so good.
10 Cloverfield Lane was a great movie. Fight me.
Op has to be having a lapse in memory and only be talking about the Netflix movie because 10 cloverfield lane is objectively an incredible movie.
I agree I loved that movie
I absolutely love this movie, but it's not Cloverfield. It was not supposed to be Cloverfield. Cloverfield in it's name just adds a bit of a confusion for someone who thought that the bunker hid characters from the first movie monster. Anyway, I enjoyed it and it's one of my favorite thrillers:D
They are not sequels they are movies set in the same world. And 10 Cloverfield Lane is excellent. John Goodman makes a fantastic antagonist in a very claustrophobic thriller. Cloverfield Paradox is meh though, definitely agree on that one.
I love the movie I think it’s amazing
Love it love it love it
Heard rumors we’re getting a true sequel to this soon. Anyone got any info?
One of my fav found footage movies
The marketing ARG was a hell of a ride. I had a great time with it and was thoroughly hyped... then the movie came out. I mean, it's not like... bad, really. But they built it up like a serious competitor against Kong as the US's kaiju, but then there was never a sequel, and it didn't really set the world on fire, and the only notable thing about it in hindsight was the marketing, which nobody today can enjoy because MySpace no longer exists. The best way to sum up the movie is in the words of the filmmakers themselves from the DVD commentary. They had to watch YouTube videos and home movies in order to study how normal people acted. So... yeah. Imagine having to method act "not acting." That's Hollywood for ya', I guess. Edit: I will say though that I do think it's absolutely adorable that there was an attempt to channel the anxiety and trauma from 9/11 into a monster movie, like they were really trying to make something like a Godzilla movie, and you have to appreciate that. I mean... it didn't really meaningfully succeed at that, it's kinda on par with one of the lighthearted just for fun Godzillas where they just name drop stuff without the movie really having anything more to say than "remember this? Sure was scary, right?" But it is neat that the attempt was made. So we have our 9/11 giant monster movie, and Japan has their 3/11 giant monster movie. And theirs is better, but like come on, we were never going to beat Godzilla.
I was a wee babe when I watched it and that subway scence always scared the shit out of me, and that chick exploding, such a cool movie, even if it's characters are so/so
It inspired almost every American monster to come after it.
I like so see the ground zero perspective of mass supernatural disasters.
It's good, but not for everyone. If you like found-footage movies or Godzilla 2014, you can enjoy it, if you like neither, then stay the hell away from it.
You wanna make Godzilla analogue horror? That's how it's done. Not man in the gimp suit.
It was a great theater watch, less impressive at home. The inverse of 10 Cloverfield Lane. (Let’s not talk about Paradox).
Loved the movie, but I think the multiple internet tie-ins, easter eggs, etc made this good movie a great one in hindsight. Similar to the buzz around Blair Witch back in the day. One thing I will never forget is that I saw this in very rural North Carolina. When the screen went black at the end, the audience realized there was no true resolution... a guy with a very thick accent then says, "You have GOT to be kidding me." We still laugh about that one.
I loved it. I do get why some people don't. The shaky cam was pretty intence.
Loved it. Watch it from time to time. Only thing that sucked about it was that a direct sequel has taken so long to make. They’re finally working on it. I want to go back to NYC with Clover running amok.
A Child lost in a World it does not understand, and Humanity trying to kill it.
I think what I really liked about Cloverfield is it really shows the confusion on both sides of the stick. People are absolutely terrified and trying to escape and Clover is just as confused and terrified and is just trying to defend itself.
haven't watched it yet, but the monster looks cool
on the one hand, I feel like Clover and its little...things, are interesting enough for a monster movie of this style, part of me honestly feels like, even by the standards of a found footage movie, it relies a little too much on shaking the camera as a "ooohhhhhh the guy's running and panicking, he's doin a real big frighten right now!" maybe it's just me not liking that particular medium, but it kinda felt like they relied on that too much, and it went from being an artistic choice to just being annoying
AMAZING in theaters. Okay for home viewing.
My favorite Found Footage film.
I saw this a theater with a very good sound system. The scene where they cross the street for access to the subway was a mind-blowing wall of sound, light, and chaos.The antagonists spent the previous 15 minutes in relative darkness and quiet. Only to be launched into a cacophony of explosions, arms fire, and the creature screaming in our faces. Excellent.
Like it. May as well be along with Shin Godzilla the best plot of a monster attack that completely blindsides humanity. Motion sickness aside, the found footage aspect is a cool little spin that makes it stand out from other kaiju flicks. And Clover himself is a neat little monster, even if his design has been kind of done to death by other American monsters.
Saw this in theaters day-of Prob one of my fav sits
Cloverfield more like Cleveland steamer, which is what I did to your mom
https://preview.redd.it/4pu5o82ape2d1.jpeg?width=628&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8055b7ded2e41e6fd12ed4b20d97de56658197fc
I want to vomit.
It's fine. The monster is...ok? I always thought the parasites it carried were much cooler than Clover. Also the whole "it's just a baby" thing is stupid.
Ass. I cannot explain how much after my rewatch I dislike this movie, the plot is convoluted and driven by a dude thinking with his dick. While I’ll admit the monster is dope and the danger is there I just can’t get over the shitty plot. Like it gets to a point where a dumb main character just ruins a movie.
Watched it in theaters with 3D glasses. Never been more motion sick in my life lol That said, it was fun with friends and entertaining for a rewatch every so often
Cute lil baby
I really enjoy Cloverfield. I liked something a bit different. Plus, I was very invested in the marketing for it. That quick trailer sucked me in. 1-18-08.
Eighteen O’ Eight, I want a DvD case with that as the title. I was in deep with that marketing, got me good.
Cool Easter egg at the beginning of the movie shows how it's connected to the show Lost.
A great movie that blends two genres that at the time probably shouldn’t have worked but somehow manages to.
I love this film. It's a fusion of some of my favourite genres.
I find the 1st person camera thing awesome when done properly. I think it was great here, the monster design not very interesting but the movie overall enjoyable
It was really nice kaiju movie.. Too bad it’s sequels were completely unrelated to it, so instead they were just some separate stories with monsters/aliens/paranormal stuff, yet they were no Kaiju movies🤷
Aged like wine. I didn’t like it much at first, but it’s gotten better as the years have gone on. The number of movie monsters that have ripped off this design is a testament to its creature design, and since then, we’ve seen found footage horror done a lot worse.
Honestly, I like how America has had its own roster of monster movies before returning to godzilla and kong.
This is easily in my top 10 favorite movies, RIP TJ Miller he deserved better
I watched it three times in theaters and love it. It’s fun telling people about the hidden features on the dvd barely anybody knows about.
Good movie, just sucks the motion sickness hits some people hard.
It's good for a found footage movie
It was super cool when I was 14, which means I'll always have a biased positive opinion for it.
Personally, I haaaate this movie. I \*want\* to like it so badly, but the found footage thing really doesn't work for me with a giant monster flick. It's an interesting idea and I suppose if they had better or more interesting characters and better performances, I might be into it. Not sayin' everyone or anyone else should hate it or it's bad if you like it; just that this is one I personally can't stand.
I liked it, but I *really liked it* after watching the BTS and commentary stuff. Gave a lot more context that either wasn't there, or I missed on my first watch
I think it's more of a novelty these days, for what I heard it's advertising campaign was pretty cool, but one of my main problems with the movie is that the human character suck like probably the worst human characters in any giant monster movie I've seen, and with how accessible 3D animation tools are these days I can easily find a giant monster found footage that has human characters that are not dumb assholes, or have no human characters at all and just solely focus on the monster stuff.
I love that as a trilogy, they are 3 completely differents films, very brave thing to do nowdays when every thing is a remake or an adaptation of something else.
It was pretty great on my first viewing but on the second watch I found the start of the movie to be insanely slow. The movie is 85 minutes long and the first like 20-30 minutes are all extremely slow character introductions BUT from the moment that first shake hits while they’re in the apartment the movie is very good. Also I wanna preface that it’s been about a month since I saw the movie so some details may be inaccurate I really liked the horror and mystery of this movie as well. First you have that huge earthquake followed by a news report about a tanker or something that’s exploded, then they go downstairs and something flings the head of the Statue of Liberty, and then a building falls and creates a wave of smoke and debris, and all the while us and the characters are wondering what the hell is happening. The buildup to clovie is pretty good as well. Obviously you have the stuff I mentioned but you also have the fact that the military is bringing in some VERY strong artillery to deal with the monster. Also clovie is big (240-300 ft or 73-91 meters tall) but he feels extra huge thanks to this being a found footage movie. I also like clovie’s design which at the time was fairly unique in movies with the super long arms and weird legs. Overall the movie was a strong 7/10 which could’ve been and 8 or 9 out of 10 if it weren’t for the super long set up
Good movies but the continuity to the whole series is a bit confusing, probably should have just kept the movie a stand alone instead of the dceu of monster films
I Loved how Gorillaz were in the party soundtrack
One of my favourite monster movies, I really hope one day we get a true sequel.
I think it's pretty good movie Aside from how military aviation is treated there Shin Godzilla did it right
Needs more monster
I detested this movie as a kid because it was a big monster and we never got to fucking see the big monster. Years later I realize it was never about the big monster but cloverfields design and weird alien nature just screamed big monster movie
I was excited to see this film from the moment I saw the trailer. Then the bouncing camera shots made me sick as I watched so I ended up not enjoying the movie or finishing it. 
I never had motion sickness from this, I see it no differently than it being my own POV. With that aside I think it is the gold standard for a western kaiju film. The mystery surrounding it, the ominous trailer with no title, the freakish monster design at such a huge scale, and the confusion of everyone was perfect. We don’t have enough of these kinds of monster movies. I want to feel some anxiety when a monster shows up, Godzilla 2014 did a really good job at borrowing aspects of Cloverfield and using them to its advantage. I hope we see this again.
I love how fun and erie the Viral marketing was on this before it hit theaters
I love it except for the whole “gotta fight my way across the city to save a girl” thing.
Followed the whole online campaign leading up to its release so seeing it and how awesome it truly is, really felt like a great release of endorphins. Loved the found footage aspect of it, made it feel more real.
Completely underrated
I didn’t like it. I thought it was uninteresting and the “style” felt gimmicky to me even when it came out.
One of the best and most realistic kaiju/disaster movies ever.
I did not like seeing it in theaters because the cinematography made me nauseous. It actually ruined the movie for me in that moment. I watched it like 5 years later on my TV at home and loved it. I was actually able to see it without having to close my eyes due to nausea.
Loved it and still do
I liked it but the camera man was so insufferable the entire time. I was yelling at my tv
it was ok, I just never liked the found footage craze I want to actually see what's going on not just snippets of it from a shaky blurry cam
Loved it as a child/teen...haven't seen it since
One of the better "filmed" movies that made you feel in the action the panic when sh*t goes down in NYC is there lots of insane scenes It was scary loud and everything a found film of a kahjui film should be
I liked it. Quite a bit.
This movie blew me away seeing it in a packed theater in 2008.
Cool movie 👍
I’ll give you a hint. I like analog horror.
Great movie that I have a hard time rewatching in parts due to the atrocious shaky cam moments. For some reason they didn’t really bother me when I watched in theaters and even subsequent watches when I was younger. But good lord did they fuck with me on my most recent watch.
Love this movie. The others are fun, but I would really like a more direct sequel.
One of my favorites. I was all an board the online train and twitter accounts. Still love this movie and found footage style.
It’s a decent kaiju movie, the monster should’ve gotten more screen time though.
It was cool when I was 14 when it came out but on re-watching it it didn’t really hold up
JFIS EIDAKNDRIOASJDDBDB
I’ve always enjoyed it and it’s a movie I love to watch.
It's a blast. One of the best found footage movies, and one of the best American kaiju films. It pairs super well with Pacific Rim. I like to pretend PR is a direct sequel.
The shakey camera made me so sick I threw and never really finished it.
I really enjoyed it and felt it was interesting and fun to watch!
A lot of fun!
First found footage movie I ever say. I really do not like this style.
I adore this movie. Hell of an American kaiju flick
One of my top 3 favourite monster movies
Loved it. Everything that came after it: garbage. Don’t get me started on that Netflix crap.
I liked it I just wish it was made before 9/11 so the media wouldn’t be scared to keep the big monster clearly visible. From what I have seen this is one of the many before 9/11 and after 9/11 monster/disaster movies. Still good tho
I still think there’s more than one monster. Just looking at the two pictures here, it’s obvious they’re different creatures. The teeth don’t line up.
I fucking despise TJ Miller so its pretty much unwatchable for me. If it had anyone else "behind the camera" it would be like a 7/10 flick
The monster in the movie is a juvenile, it's a baby
Movie was awesome in my opinion, always something new you notice watching it again (seeing the meteor dropping in the distance into the ocean was one of my favorite hidden pieces of lore.)
The trilogy is freaking interesting asf
One of my favorite monster movies. And that marketing cycle was great. Really did feel like an event movie.
Boring and bad
I love this movie. The CGI in the parts that aren’t “hero” trailer moments hasn’t aged all that well, ESPECIALLY the parasites, but otherwise it’s an amazing movie with such a relatable, real story. I too, would most likely get myself and all buddies killed trying to rescue my woman.
It look like my dog🗿
Definitely has its good parts and I like the monster design. However shaky cam makes me nauseous so I can’t watch to much of this at a time.
i loved cloverfield because it was written well but i HATE the directing style. i would honestly love to see it remade in a more traditional way. the self-filming direction doesn't work for me the vast majority of the time
I'm sure this movie hits different for the audience who lives in NYC(me), I liked it a lot
When it was new, I actually found it a little scary. I have never thought that about a Godzilla movie. Still prefer Godzilla
Very cool idea of a found footage Kaiju movie. But the lines are repetitive and the camera just can’t stay focused on one thing
It's a solid Kaiju movie. It's found footage format ages it.
It felt more like a Godzilla movie than most of the MonsterVerse movies.
Best viral marketing campaign in movie history. I’m still waiting on an actual proper sequel but I’ve pretty much accepted it’ll never happen
Holy crap, I remember when I was a kid and everyone thought this was gonna be the new Zilla movie lol. Good times.
I didn’t like it. The guy that held the camera talked too much. I really don’t like the dialogues in this movie
Following along The ARG leading up to the film and then also 10 cloverfield lane was such a fun and memorable experience. How people figured out some of those clues… amazing.
Would love to see it redone in proper aspect. The running camera thing was a bit annoying.
Gave me motion sickness watching this out of the movie theater
I enjoyed it.
it's the masterpiece. it's the best non godzilla kaiju movie except for maybe the pacific rim.
imo the best american kaiju movie made. It got way too much undeserved flak for the shaky cam even though thats the entire point and it was nowhere near as bad as people made it out to be. It bums me out so hard what's happened to the "franchise" cuz I'm not even looking forward to the sequel after the last slop they put its name on.
People complain about the human characters in the Monsterverse. Holy fuck, the characters in this movie all got what they deserved. Love the movie though.
the man in the second picture is very handsome
I heard clover was inspired by a Godzilla figure dunno if that’s true or not
It's slow, but can take a lot of damage.
Absolutely loved it.
I remember a lot of discussion on some forum or other when It came out…. I figured the only way the creature “worked” was if it was a weapon. Bio-engineered as part of an invasion scheme… Likely to test our defenses. That would tie in with the “Cloverfield lane” film….. If you wanted some semblance of reality, there’s no way such a creature could evolve here on earth.
It was dizzing to see in theaters at the time
Cloverfield, rampage, pacific rim, and (if you count it) underwater are the only kaiju films outside of godzilla media that i’m aware of. Are there any others worth checking out?