For those of you who saw TRANSFORMERS in the summer (and there were a lot of people who did) and were wondering what that teaser trailer with the head of the Statue of Liberty rolling down a New York street was all about, you need wonder no longer because the film is hitting cinemas this week.
Produced by JJ Abrams (Lost, Alias) and his Bad Robot company, CLOVERFIELD is a Godzilla movie for the YouTube generation as a giant monster attacks Manhattan and the unfolding events are captured on a MiniDV camcorder as a group of friends try to escape the impending doom.
With the proliferation of video devices, such as mobile phones, and websites to post them on, we are inundated with badly shot footage of everything from the mundane to the bizarre. Even respected newsgathering services like the BBC are relying more and more on this man-in-the-street reportage with scuzzy images of newsworthy events. And it is just as well that we are used to it because CLOVERFIELD would be almost unwatchable otherwise.
This bastardisation of the Dogme95 principles of shooting with only one videocamera is becoming more popular with well-established filmmakers rather than just with the rank amateurs. For example, Brian dePalma’s latest, DETRACTED, uses a similar technique, but for an (anti) Iraq war film, with powerful effect, although his does use the traditional omnipotent view as well.
However, from the opening CLOVERFIELD is all shot from the point of view of one camera held by someone who has never operated a camera before. Hud is given the job of collecting video testimonials for Rob, who is being transferred to Japan with his job. The first 15 minutes or so takes place at Rob’s surprise party as we are introduced to the characters (all played by relatively unknown actors) before the earth shattering event (from the trailer) that gets the movie ramping up a gear or two. From that sedate beginning it is action all the way as the friends try to get out of New York together and stay alive.
This single perspective certainly puts you amongst the action, even more so than the incredible battle sequence in CHILDREN OF MEN, and the fact that it is shot (as if) on a handicam makes it all the more believable. Unfortunately this innovative perspective on the unfolding story is also, to a certain extent, its weakness. For me, the novelty of bad videography soon wore off. But this is merely a criticism from someone who has shot lots of video footage. Of course, if I was in the same situation I’m sure the last thing I would have been thinking about would be framing in thirds – or possibly even filming at all. Overall the technique did maintain a certain sense of grounded realism that you usually don’t find in monster movies but it just became really hard to watch – a la BLAIR WITCH, although this is far better story because it is all about the characters. However there were the odd occasions when I found the monster more believable than the characters’ actions, but this is just nitpicking. And speaking of parasites there are some nasty ones that drop off the monster.
Beyond the basic monster trashing New York story, there will be people, particularly in the US, who will be drawing analogies with 9/11 and making comparisons with GODZILLA and the way it was a reaction to the two atomic bomb attacks on Japan. For outsiders it could be seen more as insular America’s fear of invasion from outside by forces they know nothing about (i.e. the rest of the world). But then again it is possible to read anything you want into a movie.
If you can put up with amateur shooting style then it is an engrossing action film that is full of surprises and keeps you gripped to the end. And at 90 minutes long the realism is maintained because that is how long a MiniDV in long play would last.
CLOVERFIELD is in cinemas from February 1, with digital screenings at cinemas such as Empire in Leicester Square.