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148 Comments
- supernovasky, on 01/22/2008, -6/+54Great movie.
It took the tired old concept of "big monster attacks big city and many people die" and made it original again.
I LOVED the way they did flashbacks on the tape...
As much as I would have liked to know more about the monster, I left the movie satisfied. - empressofmetal, on 01/22/2008, -7/+40Never would have thought you'd need ancillary guides to a monster movie, but at least it makes it new and fun. Nothing is spelled out for you in the movie, so without all these online supplements, you don't really get the full story. Enjoyable movie for sure.
- NeoCortex, on 01/22/2008, -4/+30WTF does Ron Paul have to do with this?
- pp7k, on 01/22/2008, -2/+26Let the quoting begin...
"I'm just saying how freaky would it be if a flaming homeless guy came out of no where" - roadtripper, on 01/22/2008, -3/+27"As much as I would have liked to know more about the monster, I left the movie satisfied."
to me, that was the beauty of it . . . not knowing. with that, i'm left to draw my own conclusions and rely on my own imagination vs. being stuck with whatever the story called for. - GregorCZ, on 01/22/2008, -2/+22Lol at anyone actually watching Cloverfield on a poor, low resolution video like that. That's like drinking the best wine from a toilet.
- jewdiknight, on 01/22/2008, -5/+25I for one would love to see a sequel be made. The movie doesn't need one since it told a great story on its own, but I would love to see more monster smashing into things. If the sequel sucks then oh well, I don't need to see it again. But, if its as good as the first then wow, America has itself a new Monster Icon like King Kong, but scarier. Also, I really want to get the Camera that Hud uses, that thing is built like a tank.
- inactive, on 01/22/2008, -1/+20I'm not sure how I feel about a sequel yet. Cloverfield was awesome imo, but if they make a sequel and JJ Abrams and Matt Reeves aren't involved then it will surely suck.
Plus, what more can they do? I personally don't want a second film to explain the this one, it's fine the way it is and the mysterious aspect of the monsters origins is appealing to me. Why chance ruining it?
No to mention that a sequel would most likely drop the handicam gimmick, which imo was a benefit to the movie as well. Anyone remember the sequel to Blair Witch? (granted, Blair Witch wasn't a great movie either, but that sequel was atrocious) - pp7k, on 01/22/2008, -9/+27I just can't understand why people need to jump into comments to let everyone know that they're not interested in the subject matter. Seriously, why the ***** are you here? Not interested? Move on! Are there not enough articles here for you? If you really think it's stupid, fine. Digg it down. Jesus, even if you thought the movie sucked, at least that would be something.
Well, I'm off to find a discussion group about Hummel figurines so I can tell everyone that Hummels are stupid. Yay Me! - cwigley, on 01/22/2008, -3/+20personally...i enjoyed the ride. Take the movie for what it is...don't rationalize it, and you'll enjoy it too.
text from the link
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Cloverfield’ Mythos Explored: Monsters + Marketing = Millions
WARNING — SPOILERS AHEAD: This article contains background information and plot details on the film CLOVERFIELD and its viral marketing campaign, and recklessly indulges in spoilers and speculation, so beware.
Cloverfield movie posterParamount’s Cloverfield broke the box office record for best January opening ever, earning an estimated $46 million this holiday weekend. Not so shocking since the J.J. Abrams-produced monster flick was probably the most anticipated film to be released in a month known for its poor box office returns. What is shocking is that special-effects-filled film was made for a mere $25 million, though, that’s not counting all the money spent all its well-known viral marketing campaign.
And what a campaign it was. You can say it all started on 2007’s Fourth of July weekend when an unnamed trailer debuted in front of Transformers. The teaser showed a group of friends at a surprise going-away party for their pal Rob, who’s leaving the next day for his new job in Japan. Right in the middle of the merriment, the building is rocked by what feels like an earthquake. When the party-goers hit the streets to see what happened, WHOA!, flying through the air comes the head of the Statue of Liberty.
Now that’s an attention grabber. Since the teaser didn’t have a name, it became known simply as “Cloverfield” to the hordes of Internet browsers wanting to know WHAT IS THIS MOVIE?!?! Soon after, viral Web sites began springing up, including www.1-18-08.com, which eventually became the film’s the official site. More cryptic were the other sites, which we’ve found out more recently may hold a key to the origins of the Cloverfield monster: slusho.jp, a fictional Japanese company that makes the “Slusho” frozen drink (seen previously in other J.J. Abrams projects); tagruato.jp, a site for the bogus deep-sea drilling company Tagruato; and tidowave.com, the environmentalist organization T.I.D.O WAVE which is fighting against Tagruato. (According to Cloverfield Clues, the T.I.D.O. site was recently locked by the “Internal Affairs Department” presumably for allegedly destroying Targruato’s Chuai oil-rig station and attacking the company’s CEO Ganu Yoshida.)
SlushoWhat do all these viral sites have to do with the New York-based Cloverfield? Well, as it turns out, main character Rob revealed a few weeks ago on his MySpace Blog that the job he’s taking in Japan is as the V.P. of Marketing and Promotions for Slusho. Slusho happens to be owned by Tagruato and the company’s CEO Ganu Yoshida was planning a trip to NYC to meet with the owner of BevVo, the largest privatized water manufacturer in the world, to discuss distributing Slusho through pre-established public waterways and to tour potential Slusho manufacturing plants in the United States.
T.I.D.O. is against Tagruato because they claim that Tagruato’s research and practices are destroying our oceans, which would be the cause for T.I.D.O.’s alleged guerilla tactics.
Cloverfield Manga Tie-inNow, how does this involve the monster? A recently released Japanese online manga tie-in (said to be the first issue of four) follows the story of Kishin, a Japanese boy who, along with his mother, has something to do with the monster. Simultaneously, we’re shown a cargo ship at sea pulling something chained to the back; we don’t seen exactly what’s being pulled until the last panel when a pair eyes emerges from the water. The ship bears the Targuato logo. (Cloverfield Clues has an English translation; Wired also has coverage.)
So, that ship could be pulling the “Coverfield” monster OR possibly its mother. According to the film’s production notes, Abrams claims that “Clover” is a baby who’s been “down there in the water for thousands and thousands of years.” In the film, it’s insinuated that the confused, frightened monster sprung up from New York Harbor (hence, its first target, The Statue of Liberty) where it either overturned an oil tanker or was disturbed by a capsized oiler tank. According to Cloverfield News, the oil tanker looks like it too bears the Targuato logo.
According to FSR, director Matt Reeves revealed to them that in the final scene with Rob and Beth on the ferris wheel at Coney Island a month before the monster attack, something can be seen splashing into the water behind them. (The clue was to “Watch the skies, my friends. Watch the skies.”). Speculation is that this was the monster either falling into the water, or just splashing around in it. (See image just below at right of the splash in the water.)
Cloverfield Coney IslandBut, if the monster was down in the water for thousands of years already, how could it have fallen from the sky? Another theory is that it could be the rogue piece that recently fell off the Japanese government’s “ChimpanzIII” satellite. Why? Because according to the Tagruato Web site, coincidentally, Tagruato scientists and engineers are working on tracking down the missing piece which disappeared into the Atlantic Ocean (the Targuato site is currently “down for maintenance”). Perhaps the fallen satellite is what disturbed the monster’s slumber. Also, according to Cloverfield Ending Credits, the main ingredient for Slusho is found at the satellite deep ocean dropzone and that while searching for satellite and ingredients, Targuato woke the Cloverfield monster. The main ingredient of Slusho apparently has the power to turn a tiny fish into a huge whale (explains the monster’s size) and since deep sea creatures naturally have very high heat resistance, this is why the monster was unaffected by the military bomb attacks.
Whatever the cause, the skyscraper-sized monster is awake now and seemly impervious to military assaults. The filmmakers realized that because of the monster’s size and strength, there’d be no way for the human characters to have intimate contact and combat with it. That’s where all those smaller spider/crab-like parasites come in. If the monster started out as a baby with maybe microscopic parasites on it, it would make sense that if the monster grew to a much larger size, so would the parasites. Apparently, once the monster tore into the city, it was able to remove these pests from its body by rubbing its back against a building, thereby setting the fast-paced and now very vicious parasites free to ravage the citizens of New York City.
Cloverfield Production Photo-Marlena is TakenAnd here’s where we get into the super-unknown territory. While we know that the monster is just scared and hungry, chomping away on the tiny little humans, what we don’t know is what the parasites are out for. Typically, a parasite will attach itself and live off a larger organism. In the film, the parasites are smaller than the humans and are attacking by biting. Perhaps they are just blood-sucking parasites? There’s no evidence that they enter the human bodies and take over their new host. Either way, the affects of their attack on the humans is unexplained. Soon after Marlena, one of the main characters, is bitten, she begins bleeding from the eyes and then it seems like her stomach explodes (the audience doesn’t get to see this up close, since Marlena is behind a tarp when this happens and only the outline of her body is shown).
Cloverfield Production Photo-Rooftop RescueWhy don’t we see the gore? In case you didn’t know, Cloverfield is filmed from the perspective of Hud, Rob’s best friend, who was tasked with the recording of Rob’s going-away party. It’s Hud, who, armed with a handycam, captures the Statue of Liberty’s head crashing onto the street in front of their building. From there, Hud and Rob, along with their friends Marlena, Lily, and James, attempt to cross the Brooklyn Bridge during a mandatory evacuation of New York City. Rob then receives a phone call from the woman he loves, Beth, who’s injured and trapped in her apartment in midtown — the opposite direction of the evacuation route. That’s when the group decides to turn back to rescue Beth. Their journey — interspersed with footage of the monster’s rampaging — is all captured by Hud’s shaky video camera work, which is why certain aspects of the film are left to the audience’s imagination.
Where does Coney Island come in? Rob’s brother James took Rob’s video camera to use at the party, but never put in a new tape. (Why Rob would have a camera that still requires tape is quite interesting, considering the camera seems to have a very high battery life as well as night vision of all things!) Hud was inadvertently recording over footage taken a month prior when Rob and Beth spent the day together. (Rob had always been in love with Beth, but they had been “just friends” until that day when, unbeknownst to their friends, they slept together, then spent the next day having fun in Coney Island). This is why the old footage of Rob and Beth will periodically appear on screen and why the movie ends with the couple on the ferris wheel.
What happened to the monster, the parasites, and the rest of the city? Reports from movie-goers are that if you stay until the movie’s end credits, you can hear someone say “Help us.” This could mean that Rob and Beth, who at the end were trapped under a bridge in Central Park after the military bombed it, could still be alive. Also, it’s said that if you play the audio backward, you can hear someone say, “It’s still alive,” which could mean that the Cloverfield monster is still alive.
As far as the humans go, even if Rob and Beth didn’t survive, Lily was evacuated by military helicopter and last we saw, she survived. We know from the beginning of the movie that the reason we’re seeing this film is because some time after the attack the tape was retrieved. But, we also know that the morning after the attack, the military was going to destroy NYC if they couldn’t defeat the monster. Since the bridge in Central Park where Rob and Beth were hiding under gets bombed by the military that morning, it can be assumed that Manhattan is destroyed. OR, perhaps, since the monster conveniently showed up in Central Park, maybe the military was able to kill the monster and maybe even save Rob and Beth.
Cloverfield Website PhotosJudging by the tape’s survival and the new pictures that were posted on the film’s official site, either the monster was defeated or it gave up the attack and left the city. (I think it’s the latter.) One photo from the site shows a man in a small boat floating in bloodied water; another shows the bloody, bitten into carcass of a whale or some other sea creature. (See the images here after left; click for larger view.)
So, with a film this successful, what about the inevitable sequel? B-D spoke with director Matt Reeves, who said, “Only time will tell. While we were on set making the film we talked about the possibilities and directions of how a sequel can go. The fun of this movie was that it might not have been the only movie being made that night, there might be another movie! In today’s day and age of people filming their lives on their iphones and handy cams, uploading it to youtube…That was kind of exciting thinking about that.” So, if there’s a sequel, it might be chronicling the same events, but through the lens of another person’s perspective.
It’s obvious, though, that this is not the last we’ve seen of Cloverfield.
Links:
http://www.1-18-08.com/
http://slusho.jp/
http://cloverfieldclues.blogspot.com/2008/01/tidow ...
http://blog.myspace.com/robbyhawkins
http://www.kadokawa.co.jp/tachiyomi/comic/cloverfi ...
http://cloverfieldclues.blogspot.com/2008/01/clove ...
http://blog.wired.com/underwire/2008/01/cloverfiel ...
http://www.cloverfieldnews.com/2007/12/31/tagruato ...
http://www.cloverfieldendingcredits.com/ - GregorCZ, on 01/22/2008, -0/+16What is that thing?!
~ I don't know. Something terrible.
And that?!
~ Different thing. Also terrible. - krakelohm, on 01/22/2008, -0/+16Hmm... no that still gross.
- NeoCortex, on 01/22/2008, -1/+16Environmentalism was really only a major part of the early Godzilla franchise. The later movies didn't have any message other than "Look out, it's Godzilla!"
- zyl0x, on 01/22/2008, -0/+14The article contains spoilers, not the title. So if you haven't seen it, don't read it.
- duzytata, on 01/22/2008, -2/+14Is it really that hard to believe that some people might have enjoyed the movie and others might have not? Personal tastes anyone?
- tyme, on 01/22/2008, -0/+12Do you expect them to wait around for everyone to inform them "I've seen it, now you can post your stories?"
uh...right...it came out this weekend. If you haven't seen it yet, and read the spoilers anyways, it's your own damn fault. - Twenty5, on 01/22/2008, -1/+11awesome movie. Great effect used to filmed it. Altho some people found it rather painful to watch.... ( my girlfriend got sick......)
- roadtripper, on 01/22/2008, -6/+16geeks of doom = servers of garbage
site down :( - bdbr, on 01/22/2008, -1/+10Personally I think the "viral marketing" on this movie has been pretty interesting to watch. It was obviously well-crafted and carefully "leaked". It wasn't long that you HAD to say you were looking forward to seeing it, or you'd get dugg down. Now that its out, you HAVE to say you loved it, or you get dugg down.
But isn't that the way of Digg these days? You're only allowed to have an opinion if its the popular opinion? - inactive, on 01/22/2008, -0/+925 million overall, which is tiny for a hollywood blockbuster. With a bunch of unknowns though, the majority of that probably did go to CGI and marketing.
Don't forget that all those sets were built though, so a decent chunk of money went into that too. - geeksofdoom, on 01/22/2008, -0/+9Yep, Our server is being burned by tens of thousands of hits per minute now. If only we knew we were going to be on digg in the middle of a Tuesday afternoon we would have battened down the hatches and prepped our server. Our poor non-commercial server can't well withstand a lunch-hour digg rush and live.
- inactive, on 01/22/2008, -5/+14Nothing wrong with him not liking it, but there is nothing wrong with people burying him either.
- Shorties, on 01/22/2008, -2/+10Yes, while most monster movies are great political statements, (The Host, Godzilla) this one was about the people. It was a different kind of monster movie and thats what made it interesting, you can't say that Cloverfield was a bad movie because it wasn't politically motivated.
- solidus430, on 01/22/2008, -0/+8What exactly makes Americans so much more susceptible to viral marketing than the citizens of any other country? You think that by default if people live in America, they must be gullible? Granted, a good portion of the population here can probably fall into that category, but the same can be said of just about any other nation.
People aren't getting worked up over "not knowing" something. People are getting worked up because the marketing, and the movie itself, are playing on one of the oldest entertainment tricks in the book. It makes us (or rather, it allows us to) suspend our belief, and experience a moment of wonderment and have a brief chance to wonder "what if?," even if it's only for a second. The majority of us love to have those little moments, and that's why this stuff works.
Furthermore, it's not just about tricking people into going to see it. It's a hook to raise curiosity, sure, but people have the freedom to do some research on the movie beforehand to find out more if they want. Whether they choose to take that opportunity is another matter altogether. But really, the promos said all they needed to; that Cloverfield was to be a new monster movie from a reputable producer who has a solid lineup of work behind him. Additionally, the reviews of the movie helped influence a large number of peoples' final decisions about whether to go see the movie or not.
You're making broad generalizations and assumptions based on the fact that you think you're better than other people. Get off your high horse, make your judgements after you've seen the film, and don't go dragging arguments of nationality into this. - daschupa, on 01/22/2008, -0/+7The irony of a camcorder copy of a camcorder movie. Now that's sure to be good quality.
- br0ken1128, on 01/22/2008, -0/+7Nevermind my comment, I just looked up the history of Godzilla in detail and found that the original commenter was way off base .. Godzilla first appeared in the 50s.. not a mutated sea-gull created by pollution from humans.. but as a pre-historic creature that was awakened by a nuclear blast..
- SnuKs, on 01/22/2008, -2/+9As much as Godzilla had an environmental message, I'm sure your typical movie goer didn't see it because it screamed SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT, but rather.. HOLY *****! A monster came outta nowhere and is ***** up Japan!!
- jmas9, on 01/22/2008, -0/+6I dont think saying 'only 49 diggs' implies that he or anyone thought there were only 49 visits that crashed the site. When you look at other sites that stay up after thousands of diggs, you expect a site to be able to a least hold off the initial wave of getting onto the first page. If he had said 'only 49 hits', then yea, he's an idiot. I dont know why some people always need every little detail spelled out for them for them to not call BS.
- norm78, on 01/22/2008, -0/+6Mine too! Maybe she's pregnant...gotta go.
- petenice, on 01/22/2008, -0/+6Shakey cam on big screen = nausea. Wait for video.
- inactive, on 01/22/2008, -0/+6The only thing that you don't know about this movie is what the monster looks like. Everyone who has seen the trailer has seen an abridged version of the movie sans monster. Spoiler Alert!!! A guy has a going away party with his friends. A monster attacks Manhattan. They run. Some die, some don't. Roll credits. The movie was good, but it doesn't explain any of the questions you have, so to say there are spoilers is *****. If you want any answers the best thing to do is visit the wiki, it has the most reliable information, but it still doesn't explain the monster at all.
- directive0, on 01/22/2008, -2/+7Aww, must bug you that so many people enjoyed it, eh champ? Just remember to take deep breaths, it's all going to be okay.
- LankySmurf, on 01/22/2008, -1/+6No, you can have your opinions. It just that no one wants to read 6 pages of an opinion that they don't agree with.
- inactive, on 01/22/2008, -3/+8mirror mirror on the wall...who cant see the article because of crappy severs fall
- Aidje, on 01/22/2008, -0/+5Blocked and reported. Stop spamming.
- solidus430, on 01/22/2008, -2/+7Quick question; how can you talk about how much a movie sucks when you haven't even seen it? To quote your comment later down on this page:
"Yeah, it worked but that's exactly my point...it could have sucked (and may for all I know) but just as many people would have been suckered into going to see it."
That part where you say "and may for all I know" is the part where you admit to not having seen it. Keep your unfounded opinions to yourself, thanks. - MeThePeople, on 01/22/2008, -0/+4"hey im documenting this party"
- JackondaRocks, on 01/22/2008, -0/+4I'm still dizzy from seeing the movie... *****' loved it though!
- GregorCZ, on 01/22/2008, -3/+7Stop bitching and go see it then, you prick.
- grainybazzles, on 01/22/2008, -0/+4I liked not knowing going into this particularmovie. It seems like Hollywood is always shoving "good" movies in our face with over the top promotions, etc.
How many commercials for Fools Gold have we seen in the last 24 hours? - a22e, on 01/22/2008, -0/+4So they can easily find it later to read. Digg needs some kinda 'bookmark' system to stop this kinda thing.
- Shorties, on 01/22/2008, -0/+4All the evidence to figure out where the monster came from is on the tape, pay more attention during the flashbacks...
- decepticrat, on 01/22/2008, -0/+4Your servers seem to be doing much better now.
- drake77, on 01/23/2008, -0/+3It's time to leave the electronics store.
- Smwbigboss, on 01/22/2008, -0/+3It's relative though. The more diggs it has, the more thousands of hits it has.
- Raian, on 01/22/2008, -0/+3That was probably "cloverfield" a super-heroic half-robot/half-alien that has come to save earth from the big monster.... this will be the premise of the sequel... and this time the monster's babies will have grown up and have started attacking other major cities. ;)
- Aidje, on 01/22/2008, -0/+3Probably to bookmark it.
- floorman56, on 01/22/2008, -0/+3It was also VERY anti American... But was toned down when released to the U.S.
- sofaKing812, on 01/22/2008, -0/+3You can present a concept that was initially original and re-imagine the original concept in a way that makes it original again. I think that is way so many people liked this movie. For example, many objects have been painted over and over again, yet the best ones seem original again because of the new vision of the artist.
- davecor, on 01/23/2008, -0/+3Entertainment rule #1 - Always leave them wanting more... I loved the ending - no silly Hollywood ending - contrived and with a silly red bow.
The more you think about a movie days later, the more value you got for your $8.00. -
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