ANALYSIS:
CLOVERFIELD is unnerving. It's jarring. It's a jolt in the arm. CLOVERFIELD is a clever take on the big monster movie genre via Godzilla meets the Blair Witch Project. It follows a group of friend's who are videotaping at a one friend's going away party. The guy is going away to Japan for a Vice President gig for some company. Then all crap hits the fan as something wrecks havoc on New York City. The video camera keeps running as the smalll group of friends witness a giant monster attacking the city and the military's attempts to stop it. Then you have little monsters they meet along the way to save the one guy's so-called girlfriend.

CLOVERFIELD whacks you over the head with it's suspense, sometimes shakey camera, moments of genuine terror, and more. CLOVERFIELED could have been longer and it does make you wonder how it all ends when the start of the film says the following videotape was recovered by the U.S. government military. So it is the Department Of Defense reviewing what happened. The CGI is decent. The acting isn't bad and the film keeps you glued to it when everything starts happening. The Cloverfield music overturre during the end credits is a great piece of film music. CLOVERFIELD is the second clever take on monster movies in recent years (the first being last year's THE HOST from South Korea). Yep, this film will make tons of money. It lives up to the hype unlike The Blair Witch Project. See it now!
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Director Matt Reeves has recorded audio commentaries for the feature film, 4 deleted scenes, and two alternate endings. The deleted scenes don't amount to much while the alternate endings are slight variations. CLOVER FUN is the outtakes reel.

THE MAKING OF CLOVERFIELD looks at the production of the film from Los Angeles to New York.
CLOVERFIELD VISUAL EFFECTS shows all of the practical and visual effects that went into the film whether it was against blue or green screen.
I SAW IT! IT'S HUGE! IT'S ALIVE is about the genesis of the ideas for CLOVERFIELD

Previews feature the STAR TREK teaser and a trailer for INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL.

11 easter eggs are featured on the DVD. I was able to find in the Set-Up menu which is the rack them and pack them featurette. The other 10 I found by loading the disc into the computer and clicking on the title functions by using Windows Media Player. You get a Japanese soft drink ad for SLUGGO, four TV broadcasts about a sinking oil rig in four different languages (English, French, Spanish, and Japanese), a green X featurette, and 4 video messages from some blond. I'm still trying to figure out how to find those 10 easter eggs on the DVD player. Also th special features menu show a web site address for www.cloverfieldfiles.com I wish they included the theatrical teaser and trailer on the disc.

FINAL ANALYSIS: CLOVERFIELD is a great film. It may be too short and some of the extras are good, but I wish they wouldn't make the easter eggs really impossible to find.

this DVD review is (c)4-14-2008 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission. send all comments to lord_pragmagtic@hotmail.com  

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