Product Description

Five young New Yorkers throw their friend a going-away party the night that a monster the size of a skyscraper descends upon the city. Told from the point of view of their video camera the film is a document of their attempt to survive the most surreal horrifying event of their lives.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE/THRILLERS UPC: 097363520641 Manufacturer No: 352064

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #653 in DVD
• Brand: PARAMOUNT PICTURES
• Released on: 2008-04-22
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, Russian
• Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
• Dubbed in: French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds
• Running time: 84 minutes

Amazon.com
One of the first things a viewer notices about Cloverfield is that it doesn't play by ordinary storytelling rules, making this intriguing horror film as much a novelty as an event. Told from the vertiginous point-of-view of a camcorder-wielding group of friends, Cloverfield begins like a primetime television soap opera about young Manhattanites coping with changes in their personal lives. Rob (Michael Stahl-David) is leaving New York to take an executive job at a company in Japan. At his goodbye party in a crowded loft, Rob’s brother Jason (Mike Vogel) hands a camcorder to best friend Hud (T.J. Miller), who proceeds to tape the proceedings over old footage of Rob’s ex-girlfriend, Beth (Odette Yustman)--images shot during happy times in that now-defunct relationship. Naturally, Beth shows up at the party with a new beau, bumming Rob out completely. Just before one's eyes glaze over from all this heartbreaking stuff (captured by Hud, who's something of a doofus, in laughably shaky camerawork), the unexpected happens: New York is suddenly under attack from a Godzilla-like monster stomping through midtown and destroying everything and everybody in sight. Rob and company hit the streets, but rather than run with other evacuees, they head toward the center of the storm so that Rob can rescue an injured Beth. There are casualties along the way, but the journey into fear is fascinating and immediate if emotionally remote--a consequence of seeing these proceedings through the singular, subjective perspective of a camcorder and of a story that intentionally leaves major questions unanswered: Who or what is this monster? Where did it come from? The lack of a backstory, and spare views of the marauding creature, are clever ways by producer J.J. Abrams and director Matt Reeves to keep an audience focused exclusively on what’s on the screen. But it also makes Cloverfield curiously uninvolving. Ultimately, Cloverfield, with its spectacular effects brilliantly woven into a home-video look, is a celebration of infinite possibilities in this age of accessible, digital media. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

Scared of the Big Nerd.
*Spoiler Warning*

Premise: A marginally big nerd guides the watcher through Lower and Middle Manhatton without the use of a steady cam while "something" (a computer generated monster and its spawns) attacks the city. The narrator (previously mentioned nerd) provides awkward, inarticulate commentary on what is going on while the watcher sees the entire cast, one by one, being killed by either the "somethings" or a result of the "somethings".

Negatives include: The movie in general lacking any substance, No suspense, Inability to attach to any of the characters, I was never convinced of the reality of the situation as the psychology of the characters (reactions, motivations, behavior) wasn't believable, The previously mentioned big nerd.

Highlights include: Watching one of the female characters miraculously walk around the city in high heels the entire time, Seeing the head of the statue of liberty (as the "somethings" had broken it off), Seeing another female character live even though she has been impaled, The two characters in the underlying love-story profess love for each other before being blown up by the US military, And my favorite, the death of previously mentioned nerd.

Scary as hell.
I've had several nightmares after seeing this movie. I've always wanted to see a movie about a nightmarish creature terrorizing a city, and this movie delivered admirably. Who cares what the monster is or where it came from? Not knowing just makes it scarier.

YAWN .... Wake me when its over
The title says it all.
EVERY TIME I tried to watch this movie, I wound up falling asleep!!
(at least I know what to watch IF I ever have insomnia - There's ALWAYS something positive in every negative)

I tried 3 different times to watch this movie. NO LUCK
FINALLY, on the FOURTH attempt (with a friend who really wanted to see it) I drank one of those little 5 HOUR ENERGY things. (They WORK)

BUT, it was a mistake!! I should have just let myself go to sleep and ignore my friend. (BTW, my friend did NOT like the movie either - She wound up falling asleep - LOL!!!)