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Movies / On DVD / Cloverfield
Cloverfield

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Cloverfield (2008)

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Reviews Counted: 188

Fresh: 144

Rotten:44

Average Rating: 6.8/10

Consensus: A sort of Blair Witch Project crossed with Godzilla, Cloverfield is economically paced, stylistically clever, and filled with scares.

Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for violence, terror and disturbing images.

Runtime: 85 mins

Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy

Theatrical Release: Jan 18, 2008 Wide

Box Office: $79,952,254

Synopsis: Director Matt Reeves (THE PALLBEARER) and producer J. J. Abrams (LOST, ALIAS) turn a mysterious monster loose in Manhattan in the disaster flick CLOVERFIELD. The movie begins at a party for Rob (Michael Stahl-David), who has accepted a... Director Matt Reeves (THE PALLBEARER) and producer J. J. Abrams (LOST, ALIAS) turn a mysterious monster loose in Manhattan in the disaster flick CLOVERFIELD. The movie begins at a party for Rob (Michael Stahl-David), who has accepted a promotion that will send him to Japan. Hud (T. J. Miller) is entrusted with the responsibility of videotaping the party--and as the trouble grows, he holds on to the camera, recording everything that happens. In fact, the entire movie is seen through the lens of his camera, reminiscent of THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT. As terrified people in a post-9/11 New York City take to the streets, Rob decides to head uptown to try to save Beth (Odette Yustman), the woman he loves, though he's afraid to tell her so. Rob is joined by his brother Jason (Mike Vogel), Jason's girlfriend Lily (Jessica Lucas), Lily's friend Marlena (Lizzy Caplan), and Hud, who has a thing for Marlena. Rob is determined not to give up, even after almost being crushed by the Statue of Liberty's head and as the military shows up to force evacuation of the city. Reeves and first-time screenwriter Drew Goddard, who previously has written television episodes of such series as BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, ANGEL, ALIAS, and LOST, focus in on the central aspect of the story: people trying to survive the monster attack. Very little else is explained, since the story is told completely through the video camera. And there is no additional score to heighten the drama; the only music is that which is picked up by Hud and the camera's microphone, including snippets of songs by Kings of Leon, Parliament Funkadelic, Of Montreal, and others. The anticipation of CLOVERFIELD's release was enhanced by a viral marketing campaign that included Web sites built around the main characters and even the fictional drink Slusho. [More]

Starring: Michael Stahl-David, Mike Vogel, Odette Yustman, Lizzy Caplan

Starring: Michael Stahl-David, Mike Vogel, Odette Yustman, Lizzy Caplan, Jessica Lucas, T.J. Miller

Director: Matt Reeves

Director: Matt Reeves
Screenwriter: Drew Goddard
Producer: J.J. Abrams, Bryan Burk
Studio: Paramount Pictures

[See More Credits]

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DVD Info

 
 
 
 
Release:

Apr 22, 2008

[DVD Details]
 
 

DVD Features:

  • Region 1
  • Keep Case
  • Anamorphic Widescreen

Audio:

  • 5.1 Surround Dolby Digital - English, French, Spanish
  • Subtitled - English, French, Spanish

Additional Release Material:

  • Audio Commentary - 1. Matt Reeves - Director
  • Additional Scenes - (6)
  • Featurettes - 1. THE MAKING OF CLOVERFIELD
  • 2. CLOVERFIELD VISUAL EFFECTS
  • 3. I SAW IT! ITS ALIVE! IT'S HUGE
  • 4. CLOVER FUN

Interactive Features:

  • Easter Eggs - (11)
  • Interactive Menus
  • Scene Access

Reviews for Cloverfield

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 >> >|
Arrange By: Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 
Ratings Image

Cloverfield is simply a clever, albeit derivative, spin on a very predictable genre, and as such its easy to indulge in if you go with the inherit silliness.

Full Review Source: Dark Horizons | comment Comment
01/16/08
Garth Franklin
Dark Horizons
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

Cloverfield has most things I deplore about movies and a couple of things I admire.

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
01/16/08
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

A clunky blend of hand-held camera and faux realism. How can the creator of shows like Alias and Lost make such weak movies?

Full Review Source: Oscar Guy | comment Comment
09/30/08
Wesley Lovell
Oscar Guy
Ratings Image

It's the closest a film has ever gotten to a roller-coaster ride. It will definitely nauseate, it feels claustrophobic, there are sudden scares, and it also peaks too early.

Full Review Source: The Scorecard Review | comment Comment
08/27/08
Jeff Bayer
The Scorecard Review
Ratings Image

If you like kick butt monster movies, then this one will deliver for you! Go see it right away!

Full Review Source: Sin Magazine | comment Comment
08/22/08
Austin Kennedy
Sin Magazine
Ratings Image

Despite the mostly convincing verisimilitude of the approach, the film does succumb, especially in its last act, to some cheap manipulation, one or two bad stereotypes, and some cornball Hollywood schmaltz.

Full Review Source: ESplatter | comment Comment
07/22/08
Steve Biodrowski
ESplatter
Ratings Image

...an A for effort, a B for visuals, a C for content, and a C for photography, the latter, of course, being intentionally herky-jerky.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
06/03/08
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com
Ratings Image

I love this movie.

Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | comment 4 Comments
05/28/08
Walter Chaw
Film Freak Central
Ratings Image

Cinéma Vérité Godzilla - canny enough to have been designed for the YouTube generation as well as for those elder folks like myself that still like a good ride on the roller coaster every once in awhile.

Full Review Source: Windy City Times | comment Comment
05/22/08
Richard Knight
Windy City Times
Ratings Image

If some veterans have flashbacks while watching "Saving Private Ryan," it should be safe to say that "Cloverfield" will bring back a lot bad memories for some New Yorkers. Yes, "Cloverfield" looks and feels that realistic.

Full Review Source: Watertown Daily Times | comment Comment
05/20/08
Adam Tobias
Watertown Daily Times
Ratings Image

This film should NEVER leave the theatres.

Full Review Source: BDK Reviews (CBS Radio) | comment 8 Comments
05/17/08
Kevin McCarthy
BDK Reviews (CBS Radio)
Ratings Image

The persistently shaky camera sways to and fro so much the upshot is more nauseating than thrilling. Skip the nachos/ hotdog combo and opt for a packet of aspirin instead.

Full Review Source: Mansized | comment 3 Comments
05/13/08
Chris Laverty
Mansized
Ratings Image

... exciting, terrifying and breathlessly entertaining.

Full Review Source: MSNBC | comment Comment
05/01/08
Alonso Duralde
MSNBC
Ratings Image

I, for one, would be using the F-bomb far more gratuitously if faced with a possible encounter with a creature that could well swallow me whole.

Full Review Source: Projection Booth | comment 1 Comment
04/25/08
Rob Humanick
Projection Booth
Ratings Image

A fascinatingly wrought experimental film that holds you in awe at what Reeves and his production crew was able to pull off, inspiring more appreciation than a gut level sense of being there.

Full Review Source: Cinema Signals | comment 1 Comment
04/21/08
Jules Brenner
Cinema Signals
Ratings Image

CLOVERFIELD is one of those films you wish you could see for the very first time again because the impact will just never be the same on second viewing. I treasured the experience of getting to see this in the theater and it will forever leave a mark on m

Full Review Source: Bloody Disgusting | comment Comment
04/17/08
Brad Miska
Bloody Disgusting
Ratings Image

Mixing the immediacy of documentary observation and the slam-bang pace of the modern disaster epic, Cloverfield is economic and engaging.

Full Review Source: Peterborough This Week | comment Comment
04/15/08
Mike Sage
Peterborough This Week
Ratings Image

'Cloverfield' is a sleek, silly product of green filmmaking: It recycles old ideas and molds them into a lean, briskly paced thriller that owes as much to classic monster movies like 'Godzilla' as gimmick-driven misfires like 'The Blair Witch Project.'

Full Review Source: San Francisco Examiner | comment 1 Comment
04/09/08
Rossiter Drake
San Francisco Examiner
Ratings Image

Mystery monster really mad at Manhattan on rampage, making the collective audience skin crawl and leaving you with sweaty palms and clenched teeth, no matter what row you're sitting in.

Full Review Source: NewsBlaze | comment Comment
04/07/08
Prairie Miller
NewsBlaze
Ratings Image

For all its popularity, self-documentation's purpose and meaning remain elusive.

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment 4 Comments
03/21/08
Cynthia Fuchs
PopMatters
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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Latest News for Cloverfield

September 25, 2008: Matt Reeves Will Let the Right One In Opens in new window
Overture is prepping a remake of Tomas Alfredson's Swedish vampire movie "Lat Den Ratte Komma In," to be helmed by "Cloverfield" director Matt Reeves. More...

April 21, 2008: RT on DVD: Cloverfield, Charlie Wilson and 2008's Worst-Reviewed Film
It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a Slusho, whatever that is! Cloverfield stomps its way onto DVD as not only the most exciting new release of the week, but the one most... More...

March 07, 2008: Guide of the Dead - An RT Romero Retrospective
As Diary of the Dead hits cinemas, we sit down with George A. Romero to talk retrospectively about what has come from his zombie opus, the Dead series, and what the future has... More...

February 22, 2008: UK Box Office Breakdown: Jumper Leaps into First
Jumper takes the top spot in this week's UK box office, but Juno holds strong at number three and there are strong performances for There Will Be Blood and Cloverfield. More...

See More Topics...

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