Why I’m not going to see Cloverfield
For months now I have been looking forward to the monster movie Cloverfield. I've seen the trailers, read the press reports and been generally upbeat about seeing it. No more.
The sad thing is that Cloverfield is a movie that I want to see. It is right up my alley. I love monster movies that follow the path set by Godzilla and his ilk.
I remember, back when I was a kid, sitting in front of the TV on Saturdays for the "Creature Double Feature". My brother even had the Godzilla with the flicking tongue and the fists that would fly through the air. Yeah, that Godzilla is still around even though he became a double-amputee years ago.
So, why am I not going to see Cloverfield? Shaky-cam.
Yes, Cloverfield is filmed in the horrible Blair Witch style of a guy running around with a camcorder. I have enough problems with FPS video games do you think I can spend 90 minutes in a theatre watching the horizon go all willy nilly as if some four year old was making a movie? Why I'd be puking my guts out inside of ten minutes!
I understand the "feel" the director was going for in using this technique but, you know what? Sometimes you lose audience when you use weird camera tricks in your movie making.
When I watch a movie I want to watch from the perspective of a fly on the wall. Or even an outsider looking in through a window. I do not want to watch a movie as if I were a fly on a wall looking through a window while a 90 minute earthquake takes place!
So, if you decide to go and see the movie by all means, enjoy it. I'll be home, yelling at my Wii as the camera angles change in the middle of a jump while playing Super Mario Galaxy.
I saw it. Yeah, it would’ve been awesome if the camera wasn’t occasionally pointed at the floor, and we got more than one clear shot of the monster, but it was really effective in certain scenes, like when the monster or the parasites were coming right at you. There were a few shots like this, and they were freaking amazing– they made it seem like it was not just a movie, but and experience (albeit an experience that would’ve bee more believable with better actors). Anyway, for me it justified the existence of movie theaters. I’d never get it on DVD; it just wouldn’t be the same, even with my sick home theater setup. It was a great thing to see with a bunch of buddies, and it made for a good night out. I can understand where you are coming from though, since for you it’s not just a matter of preference, but a matter of actually puking due to motion sickness.
Also, I think that the 30 second Star Trek trailer made the whole thing worth while. Unfortunately, I think that I was the only one in the theater who thought this. Lots of shouts of “awww, it’s Star Trek…”. :(
I used to watch “Creature Feature!” I can’t recall the details but wasn’t there a geeky blond guy who’d introduce the movie and then give trivia about the movie throughout the show?
ANYWAY, thanks for giving me some idea of what “Cloverfield” is about. I’ve seen the online ads but never clicked on any of them. I thought it was some type of “Armageddon” type of movie based on the shots of a destroyed Statue Of Liberty.
I’m not up for “shaky-cam” either. Never saw the “Blair Witch Project” but then I’m not into scary movies. Of course, not much into going to movies in general.
I do like reading your reviews on movies!
I’m watching it this weekend…I don’t think the shaky cam thing is that bad, but I’ll report back
Please do! This is a movie I want to see but I am afraid that I will be blowing chunks after a few minutes.
Don’t forget, Lost is back!!!
OK…first let me tell you about what I did before I went to see the movie
1. Woke up early and went to the gym after a long period of just sitting on my ass
2. Finished some stressful work (on a Saturday)
3. Had a huge burger + fries right before the movie. I don’t digest meat very well.
4. I suffer from the occasional panic attack that makes me nauseous…and yes, it was a stressful week…dark crowded places tend to bring these attacks on.
5. Brought a huge tub of popcorn with me to the movie
6. Haven’t had a lot of water prior to the movie so I don’t have to pee all the time
7. I’m prone to car/sea sickness
8. To top it all off, our local state of the art theater has one little problem – mice running through the aisles, which is really unnerving (I’m not kidding)
The result – first 15 minutes I was really nauseous. Drank a lot of water as a result. Then I got my sea legs and started to follow the movie. After half an hour I was fully adjusted. Went to the bathroom and needed 5 more minutes to re-adjust.
Bottom line: totally doable. Great movie. Watching it in the theaters is a huge adrenaline rush. Can be watched at home providing you have a good-sized TV and are watching it on DVD (not a dodgy internet copy as the movie is very dark).
Hope this helps