ROTTEN TOMATOES: OK, So What's Up With That JJ Abrams "Cloverfield" Teaser? Comments

OK, So What's Up With That JJ Abrams "Cloverfield" Teaser?

by Scott Weinberg | July 06, 2007

Summary

You know: The one that's been playing in front of "Transformers"...the one featuring a mysterious alien attack that's being hyped by a handful of teaser websites and (most potently) a veil of secrecy by the filmmakers. Back to Article

(1-63 of 63 posts) | Reply

SplendidIsolation writes:
on Jul 06 2007 11:30 AM

Apparently the budget was not much more than $30 million.

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nogard46 writes:
on Jul 06 2007 11:46 AM

[b]theres already a great monster movie out[/b]
Its called The Host, a great Korean movie, its uses the shaky docu style camera work at times and the movie looks great.

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MattBaerFTW writes:
on Jul 06 2007 11:48 AM

The trailer definitely has me intrigued lets hope it doesn't turn out like the blair witch or the new Godzilla lol

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kaisha writes:
on Jul 06 2007 12:03 PM

[b]It's Cthulhu![/b]
http://blogs.forbes.com/digitaldownload/2007/07/ethan-haas-hits.html

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TheIceGhost writes:
on Jul 06 2007 12:38 PM

After viewing that trailer pre-TRANSFORMERS I turned to my buddy and we both mouthed, "Duuuude" to each other. If nothing else, it was an amazing trailer.

So it has been confirmed that the movie is shot entirely in that shaky-home video camera style? I read something the other day saying that wasn't confirmed.

Also to note, a lot of these guys have worked on LOST too. Should certainly be interesting.

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Watsonatr writes:
on Jul 06 2007 12:51 PM

[b]This keeps gettin wierder and wierder[/b]
I checked wikipedia for the class earlier this morning and in the Ethan Haas description it had this, "..He is a pediatrician with a golden retriever, like his ex-fiancee. He is also known as something of a prophet predicting the coming end times when Cthulu will again walk the earth. He met a woman named Sue who mistook Ethan for a guy named Dan (Sue and Dan were going on a blind date). That middle sentence has nothing to do with that show! Now when I went to check it again, it has been removed! Strange things are afoot

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dracus writes:
on Jul 06 2007 01:15 PM

"It looks like "The Blair Witch Project" meets the new-fangled "Godzilla."
Good one Scott :)

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Third Man From Right writes:
on Jul 06 2007 01:21 PM

In reply to this comment (#910521)
[b]Re: This keeps gettin weirder and weirder[/b]
I'm shocked, SHOCKED, that weird sentences unrelated to the rest of the article sometimes appear and disappear from Wikipedia entries!

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uhhuhnads writes:
on Jul 06 2007 01:31 PM

I completed it, that was crazy but fun. Hope you all get it too, if you need help message me.

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dylan21484nj writes:
on Jul 06 2007 03:08 PM

saw the trailer with Transformers the other days, and the whole theater buzzed with comments like "Holy shit! I'm definitely seeing that!" that's how you do a trailer, not by showing all the crucial parts of the movie that give everything away like Evan Almighty's trailers do.

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IMAmoose24 writes:
on Jul 06 2007 04:14 PM

I too saw the trailer and was also confused by it, but in a good way. Can't wait to hear more about the project!

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SukmyPikachu writes:
on Jul 06 2007 04:37 PM

I bet the budget of the movie will probably get bumped up now.

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mojodaddy writes:
on Jul 06 2007 05:02 PM

I beat the puzzles. They're awesomely hard. This is getting really interesting. I was wondering when RT would put up something about it.

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tanukizilla writes:
on Jul 06 2007 05:48 PM

It was funny because after the trailer ended the whole theater was like "Huh?" It got my interest.

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smartmoviekid writes:
on Jul 06 2007 10:51 PM

this trailer had me and my uncle (who is a big j.j Abrams fan) buzzing wildly about it even after the movie (which was quite the technological achievement by the way) i wonder what it'll be about or how epic and/or confusing its gonna be lol.

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buddabooshiaebay writes:
on Jul 07 2007 12:26 AM

[b]New site revealed[/b]
Check out http://www.ParasiteMovie.com. I think that's it!

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Mr. Kong writes:
on Jul 07 2007 06:43 AM

The trailer looks pretty cool. Hopefully the movie will live up to it.

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GTP43 writes:
on Jul 07 2007 08:06 AM

It's being released in January, has a budget of $30 million, and is directed by a producer of a lame TV show....right.

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pulgasari writes:
on Jul 07 2007 10:46 AM

[b]These guys know how to advertise.[/b]
That trailer was sweet! I just saw it today! At first, it looked like it was going to be a college-oriented comedy of sorts, and then the city was being trashed by an unseen monster. No title was shown, just "J.J. Abrams" and "1-18-08". Not showing the attacker or giving the slightest hint to what it is (other than the fact that it's big) was a smart move. Mankind's greatest fear is the fear of the unknown. I don't know if it was aliens or Godzilla or what, but whatever it is, I'm hyped for this movie.

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mojodaddy writes:
on Jul 07 2007 01:24 PM

I personally am gonna be really bummed if it's Godzilla.

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Mr. Kong writes:
on Jul 07 2007 02:14 PM

In reply to this comment (#910533)
Jaws had a budget of 7 million, Raiders of the Lost Ark had 20 million, and everybody know how much they sucked. And Holy Christ, who could have forgotten the awful, awful Die Hard, which cost 28 million to make? And yeah, Lost sucks so bad it had 3 seasons and it's going on with a 4th with a great following. It also sucks so bad that it even has a video game in the making.

Oh wait a minute....

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Mr. Kong writes:
on Jul 07 2007 02:14 PM

In reply to this comment (#910535)
It's not. So far, it's being called a Parasite.

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Third Man From Right writes:
on Jul 07 2007 02:50 PM

[b]Parasite... Eve?[/b]
And now, wild speculation: the last time New York was destroyed by something called a "Parasite," it was in a video game called "Parasite Eve" for the PS2, which involved major destruction of various New York landmarks by rampaging monsters. There had been rumors that an American movie was in the works, but that was many years ago. Could this be a fascinating take on that game? This has been your Wild Speculation of the Day; for more wild speculation, visit your local internet.

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killermonkey8822 writes:
on Jul 07 2007 03:15 PM

that was probably one of the most intense trailers i have ever seen :P....... i seriously doubt it's Godzilla since there were all of these things falling from the sky and crap in the trailer....... either way i am going to see this movie because it looks excellent....... this is probably wrong but i remember hearing something about a new apocalyptic M. Night Shamalyan movie....... could this be it?..... probably not but i am having fun guessing what it is.

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monkofthetown writes:
on Jul 07 2007 03:40 PM

In reply to this comment (#910533)
[b]I take it you're favorite TV show is Barney.[/b]
After reading this post and watching the video of the teaser again at the specific time, the person does say "It's a lion, and it's huge". So I decided to search online to find a fire-breathing lion. And here is what i found, and this definately fits the description of what the teaser might be telling us.

http://www.theoi.com/Ther/Khimaira.html

Enjoy, and this "greek god" is pretty damn tight and can not wait to see it on the big screen. And also, i have faith in JJ Abrams...LOST is the greatest show ever made, and hell do us proud!

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ChinaRises writes:
on Jul 07 2007 05:10 PM

In reply to this comment (#910521)
[b]Cthulu= HP Lovecraft[/b]
Cthulu is a mythical monster created in the short stories of HP Lovecraft, most famously in "The Call of Cthulu" about various religous sects throughout the world that believe this ancient creature will once again walk the Earth. He appears in peoples dreams (Lovecraft claimed he got the idea for the story after the creature appeared in one of his own dreams) and according to his other stories his race originated in outer space. He represents fear and terror at their most extremes. His coming will be the end of times as we know it and Cthulu's ancient cyclopean cities will once again dominate the Earth.

The name is often used in horror movies such as "In The Mouth of Madness" and most recently in a episode of "nightmares and Dreamscapes" in reference to "The Call of Cthulu" which may be the scariest horror story ever told (just ask Stephen King).. If Abrams is making a monster movie based around him that would be very cool, as long as he makes it scary and not just entertaining action.

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Stathis Borans writes:
on Jul 07 2007 06:20 PM

In reply to this comment (#910540)
I'm 99% certain the trailer does not mention a lion. I believe you're misinterpreting a line. I'm hoping Cthulu, myself.

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Brad 3000 writes:
on Jul 07 2007 08:20 PM

In reply to this comment (#910540)
He says "It's alive and its huge!" not "Its a lion" but you're not alone - other people have misheard the same thing. I have to give you some credit - at least you didn't jump to the retarded "This is the Voltron movie" conclusion that so many others seem to be clinging to. Based on the viral stuff, I'm leaning toward it being something Cthulhu-esque but not actually Cthulhu.

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ChinaRises writes:
on Jul 07 2007 10:04 PM

In reply to this comment (#910543)
even if it's only Cthulu-esque, I still hope that the buzz around it being "Lovecraftian" as one article states gets people to read Lovecraft. most people my age never even heard of him, though their dreams may be a reflection of his mind (people familiar with his work might understand)

"That is not dead which can eternal lie,
And with strange aeons even death may die."

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monkofthetown writes:
on Jul 07 2007 11:54 PM

In reply to this comment (#910543)
i see i kept listening to it a hundred times...but think bout it, my link i gave does talk about a lion that breathes out fire...one thing is for certain...it shoots out fire...and the other is a lil off and we are not sure what to believe...so it still could be that greek god...also there is no way in hell it is Cthulhu...it doesnt shoot out fire...this statement was not directed to u brad just everyone in general.

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steveholt writes:
on Jul 08 2007 08:05 AM

This better be great, J.J Abrams is always good though.

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dylan21484nj writes:
on Jul 08 2007 09:54 AM

In reply to this comment (#910545)
who says that the creature breahtes or shoots fire? yeah, there's a giant fiery explosion in the distance, but that could very well be a building or something else getting trashed and exploding. doesn't mean the fire is coming from whatever is doing the destruction.

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~*Admiral Snowstorm*~ writes:
on Jul 08 2007 01:30 PM

I've got you all beat. I haven't even seen the trailer and I am already intrigued by this project.

In all seriousness, though, bring on a Cthulhu movie. Done right, that would be a pretty awesome movie.

And yeah, I agree with everyone who says this is an effective way of making a trailer.

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Legit writes:
on Jul 08 2007 07:01 PM

How did people get the idea of a Cthulu(sp?) movie, not that I'm criticizing, I'm just wondering because I've read this in several places.

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mojodaddy writes:
on Jul 08 2007 10:13 PM

I'm kinda hoping for something completely original. Cthulu would be great I guess but introducing a completely new threat would be cooler.

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simplekindoflovely writes:
on Jul 09 2007 06:45 AM

I'm with mojodaddy - if this is another Godzilla flick, then I'll be pissed.

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Stathis Borans writes:
on Jul 09 2007 06:56 AM

In reply to this comment (#910545)
I was under the impression that Cthulhu had fairly limitless, incomprehensible powers. That would seem to allow for the occasional fireball.

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Mr. Kong writes:
on Jul 09 2007 08:05 AM

In reply to this comment (#910550)
What exactly is Cthulu? I know it's some type of creature but I never was able to find books or anything about it.

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monkofthetown writes:
on Jul 09 2007 08:14 AM

personnally i wouldnt mind it being a Godzilla movie it was done right cause the one that came out while back did godzilla no justice.

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Scarborough Fair writes:
on Jul 09 2007 09:58 AM

Cthulu has an octopus head and lizard man body, and bat wings. I hope he kills me first so i do not need to see him defile my family!
Oh thank you, Cthulu!

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mayhem0420 writes:
on Jul 09 2007 10:58 AM

Call of Cthulhu was also a song by Metallica back on the Ride the Lighting album.
Trailer looks awesome, lets hope the movie is just as good.

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WarSucksLetsParty writes:
on Jul 09 2007 01:05 PM

In reply to this comment (#910556)
you guys think it has anything to do with this?

http://www.cthulhuthemovie.com/

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pulgasari writes:
on Jul 09 2007 01:16 PM

[b]I've read stuff on the fake blog...[/b]
It appears that what we're looking at here is an apocalyptic battle between gods. Lovecrafitan? Maybe. Look at this quotation and judge for yourself.
"The great cycle, the beginning and the end, turns just as the plans of the gods turn once again to the world of men.

And they will come upon the earth only after the skies rain down fire and the very earth itself is made to shake and the great cities of men fall into ruins. Their plans are set and their purpose is clear; they come for war."
Think of it as "Godzilla: Final Wars", on steroids, with a good script.

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Samuel L. Jackson forprez writes:
on Jul 10 2007 03:13 AM

the website ehtanhaaswasright.com is a myst like puzzle game connected to the movie. ethan haas was a character on the tv show "the class". one of the actresses from the same show is in the cast for this movie. I would love to know is there was any connection. it's a stretch, but it might mean something

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monkeyonaspring writes:
on Jul 10 2007 06:02 AM

To keep up with the theories and thoughtboards the best site is on the ethanhaswaswrong blog where people are translating the Sanskrit, morse code, and Greek messages sent by Van Mantra as you complete the puzzle. They are also analyzing the photographs, the trailer, the translations and absolutely anything that might have any relevance, no matter how obscure. If you want to know the most recent developments of trying to discover what this film is check there or even post your own opinions of clues!

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wetwilli64 writes:
on Jul 11 2007 01:24 AM

[b]trailer[/b]
i found the HD trailer and i have to say, it looks awesome. teaser is definately the right name though. it never shows the monster.

heres the HD trailer:
http://images.apple.com/movies/paramount/1-18-08/1-18-08-tsr1_480p.mov

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pinkincide writes:
on Jul 12 2007 06:34 PM

In reply to this comment (#910557)
Well, I was going with it until I hit Tori Spelling.
*horrible record scratch sound*

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ominousred writes:
on Jul 13 2007 01:25 AM

^^^^ Hahahah Tori Spelling!

All I know is this campaign is driving me crazy. I am an awful puzzle solver and I super suck at treasure hunting wild goose chases so all I got to go on is what you guys say. Unfortunately I am hella gullible and fall for anything. I thought this was Godzilla. Then I thought this was RAMPAGE movie. Now this whole Cthululu thinging. Next thing I know... I am trying to find a copy of some damn book called a Necronomicon on ebay or whatever.

I just hope this little stunt doesn't backfire on the geniuses behind it.

I mean... what if someone comes up with a theory about the film that turns out to be way cooler than the actual film. And then out of pure rage and disappointment, The internet community quickly responds by immediately informing everyone not to see the movie. I mean, right from their seats with their cell phones. Immediately e-mailing people.

"Hey...don't waste your time. It's a damn Thundercats Movie. The explosion is Mumra blowing some shit up. Liono is played by the same guy who does Wolverine. Should have been the Rock. Everyone knows the Rock is Liono. Yeah... Vhing is Panthro but they should have used the Rock."

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TeeHeeBitch writes:
on Jul 13 2007 08:05 AM

What's up with this trailer is that its full of awesome.

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phatboy41 writes:
on Jul 14 2007 10:24 AM

If this is Godzilla, I'll be pretty unhappy... but that's just me. Unless it is done with the most extreme care possible. One thing I am nervous about also, is considering this is a producer who helped with the writing of some of the Lost series, will we ever get any closure in this movie. It seems that with the hand held camera idea this will be a way to cop out and not show us what the monster really is. For any viewers of Lost... we all know that every story line leaves you hanging and no real conclusion has really been slightly hinted at throughout all the episodes...

Regardless, the trailer was amazing... and I can't wait to see this!

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Bergmon writes:
on Jul 14 2007 10:44 AM

In reply to this comment (#910540)
He doesn't say it's a "lion", he says "it's alive". Wow, I guess that's how these crazy rumors get started.

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Melpav writes:
on Jul 14 2007 12:22 PM

Ok I am just as excited about this as anyone else and I dont mean to be a buzz killer....BUT

the release date is January 18th???? this is when studios release BOMBS not blockbuster hits.....if this was going to be such a huge movie why is it being released in the worst release month of the year? AND how good can it be with a terrible budget of only 30 million??? Rocky Balboa had a bigger budget..... You can not create a kick *** monster movie in this day for that budget......UNLESS the movie is a complete cop out where the monster is NEVER shown therefore they dont need a budget....Abrams has a tendency NOT to show anything like hsi "smokie" monster.....But that would be going too far for me not to show the monster except maybe a foot for an entire movie....thats NOT scary....BUT

that would explain why the studio decided to give it a terrible January release date....

Has anyone considered that this is NOT the real release date? and just the date of something that happens in the film itself?? That would make more sense..... Does anyone else not see this as a terrible release date and budget for something supposed to be so huge? I mean a movie is made to make as much money as possible....Why would you release the trailer with a JULy 4th opening movie? JUly 4 is a blockbuster opening date

Any thoughts????

PS-- to the idiot who actually commented on the budgets of Jaws and Raiders, um, how long ago were those made? I think it would take a lot more money to make those movies today pal.

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Melpav writes:
on Jul 14 2007 12:25 PM

In reply to this comment (#910536)
I cant believe you actually just commented on the budgets of Jaws and Raiders.... do you really think they would cost that amount to produce them in TODAY'S movie market??? do movie tickets cost what they did in 1975, i dont think so......

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monkofthetown writes:
on Jul 14 2007 01:12 PM

In reply to this comment (#925539)
Bergmon...i take it you dont really watch LOST....maybe just a show like Friends where u know what the next thing is going to happen...anyways, ominousred, i wouldnt mind the movie being about the old nintendo game Rampage...Godzilla vs. King Kong vs. (werewolf) haha.

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Preator_dg writes:
on Jul 15 2007 09:17 AM

On Aintitcool they have a message from JJ that states that the Ethan Haas sites have nothing to do with them and the only site that has been found that is made by them is www.01-18-07.com

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COLLEGE_HERO writes:
on Jul 15 2007 05:35 PM

In reply to this comment (#910516)
OK WHEN I FIRST SAW THIS TEASER AND SAW THAT JJ ABRAMS WAS INVOLVED I INSTANTLY THOUGHT OF HIS TV SERIES LOST. I MEAN HOW CAN NOBODY CONNECT THIS TO LOST? IM NOT SAYING THE 2 ARE CONNECTED AS IN THIS IS RELATED TO LOST BUT IT HAS THE EXACT SAME STYLE. OF COURSE ONE CHARACTER (ROSE) FROM LOST SPECIFICALLY MADE REFERENCE TO THE MONSTER ON THE ISLAND OF LOST SAYING IT SOUNDED LIKE SOMETHING SHE HEARD IN NEW YORK CITY. ALSO THE PUZZLING WEBSITE THAT IS OUT IS ALSO SIMILAR TO WHAT LOST PUT OUT LAST SUMMER WITH THE STRANGE PERSEPHONE CHARACTER ONLINE. THERES NO WAY THIS IS GODZILLA LIKE CUZ IF ABRAMS HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT (AND IT REAKS OF HIS STYLE) THIS WILL BE A TWISTY AND GREAT FILM I BELIEVE.

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SpencerTheOfficeMonkey writes:
on Jul 16 2007 01:29 PM

In reply to this comment (#929084)
For the Rotten Tomatoes forum on Cloverfield visit http://www.rottentomatoes.com/vine/showthread.php?t=567387&page=1&pp=30

Share your thoughts, comments, or ideas.

Thankyou

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