Before reading any further, please bear in mind that this is a mini review for the movie CloverField so do not blame me for any spoilers that you found in this article.
Well, I was lucky enough to get the premiere pass for CloverField during the AMBP Gathering last Saturday, so I went to Cathay Cineplex Damansara yesterday night for the premiere. It was to my suprise that the security was extremely tight, electronic devices such as handphones, cameras, etc are absolutely not allowed to bring into the cinema, so they provided us the service to temporary safe keep our belongings (although they specified that they are not responsible for any loss/damage to our belongings.. duh). After we had deposited our stuff, we will be scanned by their staff to check anymore electronic devices that we had left out. Quite a hassle just to watch a movie I will say… (well, this was my first time to a premiere, so I have no idea whether the security was this tight for every movie premiere or only for that specific cinema..). Anyway, enough talking, time for the movie review:
The entire movie was recorded using a Camcorder style. I believe the movie producers are trying to bring out the movie from the perspective of a civilian. It was a refreshing idea, but too bad it does not suitable for all people.
The movie actually focus on how the people struggle to survive from an attack of big monster. It start off with bunch of people celebrating a farewell party for Rob (one of the main characters). After 15-20 mins, then boom! The monster attacked the city and everybody starting to run for their lives. Aside from rampaging through the city, the monster could produced those tiny parasites that sized about half adult human. They move very fast and their bite is deadly poisonous(well, I think they are the main element that actually make CloverField scary.. haha). The cam is shaky most of the time from the moment the monster attacked the city.
Conclusion: The movie begins in slow steps. It first shows Rob arguing with his girlfriend in his farewell party. Then the monster attacks, and Rob received her call for help; the story continue on how Rob rush into the middle city to rescue her and how they struggle to escape from the monsters.
Pros: The movie looks realistic from a civilian point of view (made me feels like playing FPS game when watching it).
Cons: The shaky cam style always made me tend to miss out the details of the movie. For example, there are a few scenes when Rob, Hud, Marlena, and Lily were walking in the train tunnels, they were attacked by the parasites (they came out from the big monster that appear in the city). This few scenes were quite intense, but with the shaky cam method, it just took out the details. Another bad point is, you will get motion sick easily if you’re not a fan for FPS game.
