THIS THREAD WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS!!! HIT YOUR BROWSERS BACK BUTTON NOW IF YOU HAVE NOT YET SEEN THE FILM!!! so now that it's Friday and the movie officially opens I decided to make a thread where I can throw out some super nerdball ideas about the movie that I've had to contain all week. that way as others flock to see it, which many of you will, you can help satiate the desire to talk about that's been burning inside me for days. this won't be so much about whether or not the film was good, but moreso about ideas concerning some of the more opened ended aspects of the story. first off, I should say that it's something I really enjoy and appreciate about the movie. I know lots of people are going to be pissed off and hate it and complain that not everything is spelled out for them (ie no definitive backstory and no real resolution). personally, I always think it makes for a scarier/more realistic experience and it's more fun because I get to come home and use my imagination and be a dork and talk about it with other people like this. I haven't paid much attention to the websites/viral marketing, but from what I know, I'm not particularly happy with the origins of the "monster" that they've hinted at (unleashed from the ocean by a Japanese drilling company). therefore, since none of that is actually mentioned in the film, I will simply dismiss it, because it seems too simple and boring and cheesy. and as I mentioned, it's only hinted at by these websites. so even if that was the case, it still doesn't explain why that "thing" was trapped somewhere beneath the ocean floor (but I guess it does rule out some other options). so do you all buy that, or where do you think it came from? I can't help but think, as many others have mentioned, that the thing looks rather Lovecraftian in nature, and nothing would make me happier to believe than that the things came through some portal to some totally awesome otherworldy dimension. the undersea entrapment angle could actually also be viewed as a nod to Lovecraft I suppose. then there is the idea it came from space, which I can't remember if they mention or not (I think they do at one point?). there is also of course the idea presented that the government was involved in its creation, at least partially, which brings me to my next question: how much did the government actually know about it? we're led to believe that they were completely unaware of what this thing was and were simply responding to a threat. but of course they once again leave that idea pretty vague and open ended and the conspiracy theorist within me doesn't know if he necessarily buys it or not. was the fact that the film itself a tape that was confiscated by the government as evidence of the incident simply that, or is it actually more like "research" information aka some kind of crazy test run for something that knew all about? man, ALL horror/sci-fi movies should have opened beginnings and ends! I could probably ramble on about this for hours and it seriously makes it so much more enjoyable to me than just constantly being spoon fed the reason and resolution of the story. anyway, I'm sure I'll think of other dorky ideas to ponder (I'll probably see it again this weekend too), so please intelligently respond and feel free to add your own theories or questions.
Just saw the movie....... pretty crazy ride!!!!! The monster is pretty cool. Reminded me of the monster from Angry Red Planet.. (not the way it looked, but the way it walked). The hand held camera wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Pretty cool and interesting perspective of what it is like being at ground zero of a giant monster attack. I kept thinking about that might have been similar to what it was like when Godzilla hit the shores back in 1954.
Well I took a chance and read skylar's post even though I won't see the flick until tomorrow, and don't think he really "spoiled" anything, as some of this has been discussed online for awhile. Maybe I'll come back with some substantial thoughts after seeing it, but in the meantime, just wanted to mention that I think of giant monsters as symbolizing something either psychological or sociological or both. Godzilla was both what Asimov called "the Frankenstein complex" (fear of godlike new technologies) and also the damage done to Japan's national psyche by the atomic bombs. My guess about the Cloverfield monster in this mode is that it's very similar to Godzilla ... fears about terrorism (I mean c'mon ... a catastrophic attack on NYC) and also our collective anxieties about what we've done to the planet's health and how the damages will affect us. Hence the viral stuff about the globalist company messing up the oceans. I don't think what the monster is "literally" is what matters.
It looked alien to me, with the gill like things on the side of his head, they almost looked like air pockets. I saw this on an IMAX giant screen thats 8 stories tall, about 90 feet, so the monster looked really intense, it was like you were there. I would like to know what happens when you get bit though, and are those little guys hatchlings or do they stay that size? Did anyone else notice the Supreme sticker in the apartment, small shout out. I have to say I never really could see how a monster attack could really be scary, it would suck but it never seemed that it would be the worst situation ever. As for general reactions 90% of the people boo'd once it ended in the theatre even as it was opening night and a lot of people in line had no idea it was a monster flick somehow.
i'm just curious as to what could be worse than a giant monster attacking your city? why were people booing? how did the movie end?
well, considering you are reading this without having seen it, I'm assuming you don't care if you read spoilers. there is no real resolution. the movie ends with the handheld camera we are watching the tape from getting destroyed and the monster is still on the loose, with the military seemingly having no effective way of stopping it. as for people booing, and I knew people would, they are lame and stupid because... THAT IS HOW EVERY MOVIE SHOULD END. with a monster destroying us all. we deserve it.
I know it seems bad its just always been kind of been like I would just flee or something and I always though even if that did happen it would be really cool. I think the booing was for the reason people somehow not realizing it was a monster flick and what skylar said, plus it was a bit short, oh and IMAX tickets cost 15 bucks so I guess if you paid that much and didn't like it you are going to boo. I thought it was done really well and was the most entertaining movie I have seen in a long time. The only thing was it was a internet hyped blogger/forum movie and they left it that way even after the fact. They could have tied up some stuff because it seemed like they left a lot open just for that reason alone. Did jason's gf's copter go down or is she still alive? I liked this movie for the same reason I like zombie flicks and thought 30 days of night was cool for a vamp movie, survival horror. They took the classic monster format and made put it into the realistic survival format which totally rocked. Not the lets hop in a cab and haul ass and the monster never catches us crap, which might have been the reason I always kind of felt a monster attack wasn't a big deal as long as I still had a car and access to something that could fly.
Just got back. I really liked it. I also like how this had it had no real resalution in the end. Just like Skyler said it leaves you to come up with your own thoughts. I looked at it like this. Saw this really did happen most of us would be in the same situation, clueless and most of us would die without ever knowing what the outcome would be. So being shot in first person really drives this in. And I really liked how they didn't break from the first person view the entire movie. It gave you that feeling that you where in there with them. The same goes for the gritty look of the film. I really like the unpolished look. This was the same reason I liked 28 days later. Also the same thing happened in the theater I saw it at. As it ended and I was happy while others where pretty angry and not booed but said just how they felt. Along the lines of "this fucking movie sucked" CS - yes the other girl Jasons GF does get away from what where left with and know.
I liked the ending. The monster could have taken all of NY and moved on for a further rampage. Few things.... Did you guys see the Slusho placements?. T-shirt and Tv-advert (Anyone see any more?) Why wouldn't you arm yourself with those parasite things attacking?. It frustrated the hell out of me that they didn't grab any type of weapon once leaving the subway. Zombie/Survival Horror Rule 1: Arm yourself (With anything) One of my favorite scenes is where they are walking the streets and spot the monster ahead, then the military attack from directly behind them. Rocket launchers, Tank fire ect... splitting them up on opposite sides of the street for a moment. Reminiscent of war documentary footage under fire. Really cool.
I think movie goers like closure and usually some kind of happy ending. The end of Bladerunner comes to mind. most want some fucking Mcgyver / Die Hard ending with a giant explosion or some little girl's snot infecting the monster or something.... as for spoiling it....I don't get to see movies anymore...
I totally agree with you and it's a major problem with the movie going public. they want to be spoon fed everything, and always have a happy ending. lame.
Re: official nerdy Cloverfield discussion/speculation - SPOI I didn't catch this in the film, but my brother and his gf said that at the ending, when Rob and Beth are in the ferris wheel in the background you can see on object falling from the sky and landing in the ocean. This would be consistent with the idea that it came from space and it lived in the ocean for a month while it grew.
Re: official nerdy Cloverfield discussion/speculation - SPOI I had a feeling those cut scenes have something in them. I'm sure youtube will have this somewhere.
I will go and see Clover hopefully this week. But seriously, the best monster movie in 2007 got to be "The Host" from Korea. I watched it 3 times, and still makes me feel like a kid again. Check the trailer!!! http://www.hostmovie.com/ edit: please don't watch the dubbed version!!!!
Re: official nerdy Cloverfield discussion/speculation - SPOI I was really looking for something like this during that last scene. I kept thinking you'd see that cruise ship get sucked under on the horizon. I didn't see a falling object though and I was looking. All in all I loved the movie. The first 15 minutes annoyed the fuck out of me with that kid and the hand cam but once we get to the rooftop it picks up quick. I like how you really only got quick glimpses of the creature throughout the movie. I really loathe CGI monsters because it leaves usually nothing to the imagination. Seeing the creature in really quick spurts facilitated my imagination at least. Every time you saw more an more. The wondering of what happens to people that got bit by the smaller hatchlings didn't even bother me that much. I guess you make up your own mind about that. I personally think people were used as incubators aka Alien. People reacted the same way in the movie theater here in Buffalo. If it's not stupid cliche Bruce Willis uttering a dumb ass patriotic one liner and sending the monster to hell people don't get their happy ending. Fuck em...the monster would have ate Bruce Willis first! All in all a good movie weekend so far for me. This and 'No Country For Old Men' (also no happy ending) back to back. Might go see Orphanage tomorrow night. Chris
I also really liked the scene when the military showed up behind them and started whoopin ass while the hid behind the car. It went from being somewhat like we were ok to a total shitstorm in .3 seconds. The one thing that somewhat bothers me about it was when they got to the girl and the pulled her off of the rebar how all of the sudden she could sprint like none other. I liked how the whole film never left the 1st person view. I felt it was a great movie experience and all the booers can suck it.
i hated how when hud went to pick up the camera, the monster appears silently out of no where. the planes above werent firing at the monster on its way to them, you didnt hear anything, hud didnt see it when he ran back, yet it was completley on top of him. that was my only huge gripe
You think the name Hud has anything to do with the idea of a Heads Up Display? Great flick. Would love to see it again.
Yea I know his name was Hudson but H.U.D. stands for heads up display. They are used to display information right in front of your face so you can still see everything you are doing and access info and other things without looking down. So basically his camera would have been kind of like the audiences H.U.D. Just some more things for you to ponder Skyler.
Just got back from the theatre. While I thought it was a fantastic monster film, there were things I hated: 1: every character in the film. i hate yuppies, rich kids, and wannabe models. I wanted them all to die from the start. 2. as with most films, it should have ended five minutes earlier than it did (ie: in the helicopter, when the creature hit it) without the last, clear look at the creature. Other than that, I thought it was great. Loved the POV camerawork, and the fact that (apart from the end) the creature was relatively hidden. If people were pissed off, tough shit. The best horror films (Tourneur's Cat People and Curse of the Demon rely on the theory that what is not seen is much more frightening than what is.
KJB, they all die so isn't it BETTER that they're yuppies? Loved it. Like everyone else there were a bunch of "stupid movie....." grumbles after words. I prefer the "creature from the sea origin" a lot just due to the classic feel, but from Japan? Why would it go it NYC if it was unearthed in Japan? I guess the alien/dif. dimension might be a good one too though, why else would your head explode after getting bit by the little dudes? Is there any virus on Earth that would do that? So much fun though, I really got into it. I also hate all the "It's just another Blair Witch crap" commentary I hear from some folks who didn't dig it. How? How is it like BW other than it's done on a handy-cam? Is Pantera anything like Deicide just cause they're both metal, NO! This kinda took the idea behind Blair Witch, done on a hand-held camera to show the average person POV, and made it good and entertaining. ANYWAY on to some plot junk. I missed any "hidden" stuff I hear mentioned but man, I can't stop thinking about it all! What was that thing?1?!?!!??! If from space, will MORE come?!?!?! Will there be sequels?!?! I kinda want there to be, kinda DON'T. I guess I'd just like more of SOMETHING on the whole event. Maybe when the DVD hits I'll be appeased with more news footage. Overall it was the most fun I've had at the movies for a long time. I actually caught myself biting my fingers at points out of how nuts it was. It accomplished the feeling of actually being there.
I say no sequels. sequels almost always ruin it unless it was intended to be a multiple part story from the get go something I keep thinking about is - was that attack an isolated incident? or did we only get to see that tape from NYC? was that happening in other cities across the country simultaneously?
