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: #486 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

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!!!)

Movie: 3.5/5 Picture Quality: 2.5~4.5/5 Sound Quality: 5/5 Extras: 4.25/5
Version: U.S.A / Region Free
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
VC-1 BD-50

Running time: 1:24:40
Movie size: 24,852,836,352 bytes
Disc size: 42,219,444,202 bytes
Average video bit rate: 30.42 Mbps
Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (48kHz/24-bit) English
Dolby Digital 5.1 640 Kbps French / Spanish / Portuguese
Subtitles: English / English SDH / French / Spanish / Portuguese

#Director's Commentary
#Cloverfield Visual Effects (HD, 23 minutes)
#The Making of Cloverfield (HD, 28 minutes)
#I Saw It! It's Alive! It's Huge! (HD, 6 minutes)
#Deleted Scenes (HD, 3 minutes)
#Alternate Endings (HD, 5 minutes)
#Clover Fun (HD, 4 minutes)
#Viral Videos
#X Creatures
#Military Cast

Nothing like a monster terrorizing NYC
I saw this movie opening night with no idea of what to expect, due to the mysterious posters and trailers. I was pleasantly surprised to find myself watching the documentary of something large and weird destroying New York City.

To be perfectly honest, I cannot decide if this movie was supposed to be serious or not. I was under the impression it was pure camp, what with the classic and simple giant monster and the smaller monsters lurking in the darkness. But yes, the key word is classic. Monster movies have definitely made their niche in cinema culture, and I guess they figured it was high time for another one.

Besides the monster, much of the movie focused on the emotional plot line of the humans desperately trying to reach each other. I was interested in their courageous trek through Ground Zero, though I was mostly interested in watching them scream and run from various dangers. Still, I could appreciate the humanity.

The effects. Oh, wow. Now these were some nice effects, from the Statue of Liberty literally losing her head to tilted buildings. The monsters, while still looking classically Hollywood camp, were awe/fear inspiring.

I don't know if I experienced the same terror as the teenagers in the theatre as I spent a good deal of time laughing, but I was certainly entertained.

Old school works. This proves it. Remember that, Hollywood.