A few thoughts on the movie, Cloverfield, which I took in at the local Regal Cinema Sunday night.
As is well known by now, the film gives a new take on the classic "monster rampages through Tokyo" motif by changing the setting to New York City and using the device of the first-person Handycam point of view.
The discerning viewer could easily sense the hand of LOST producer JJ Abrams in the characterization, theme, and plot twists. For example, Rob, the protagonist, fit the role of angst-ridden overachiever, much as Jack does in LOST. Likewise, Hud (who operates the camera throughout most of the film) was quite similar to LOST's rotund clown, Hurley.
Another aspect borrowed from LOST was the thematic relationship of the characters to the Unknown--unkown with a capital U. Throughout most of the film, the characters are running around, quite literally "lost," and not knowing who to turn to, where to seek help, or exactly what the thing is that's confronting them.
Much has been made of the similarities to 9/11. This is true, and when you think about it, the device makes sense. What was the most scary aspect of 9/11 (besides the president's rendition of "My Pet Goat" while the country was under attack)? The most frightening thing was fear of the unknown--those first crazy hours when we didn't know what had hit those buildings in New York and Washington, or why. Were more attacks imminent? Who among us did not cast a fearful and watchful eye at the sky that day?
Fleeting glimpses of the monster and buildings falling over seemingly without a force behind them, as well as the bugs skittering in the dark, evoked terror and awe much more effectively than, say, Peter Jackson's inartful clobbering of the viewer with monster after monster in King Kong.
Oddly, the critics summarized the film along the lines of "Godzilla for the Youtube generation." Yet, at the end of the movie, the film was booed by a sizeable number of teenage boys, who apparently couldn't grasp its deeper archetype. Fans of classic horror movies like me appreciated the film's cunning references, which were mentioned during the closing credits, including Them and The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms.
I guess the kiddies got flustered because there was no clear resolution to the film, although resolution came suddenly and agonizingly to its four principal characters. That's another idea related to LOST: in art, as in life, resolution is often shrouded in a fog of ambiguity.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Sunday, January 20, 2008
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