What Is "Cloverfield"/1-18-08?
Posted by: Kayode Kendall on July 10, 2007 at 2:42 pm
By now, I think most of us have seen Transformers, and if you did, you more than likely saw the teaser for the latest project from JJ Abrams, the mastermind behind shows like Alias and Lost, who is serving as producer. Shot with a digital camcorder, the teaser shows a loft filled with young and pretty New Yorkers, throwing a “going away” party for a friend. Suddenly, there’s a flickering of lights, and what appears to be an earthquake. Eventually the guests head to the apartment building roof to see what could be the cause, and are shocked to see a huge explosion in the distance that hurls fireballs in every direction. They quickly scurry back into the building and head down to the street, as hell breaks loose. A thunderous roar fills the sky, then we get another object hurled into the street, but this time, it’s the head of the Statue of Liberty.
It’s easily one of the most frustrating yet intriguing teaser trailers I’ve seen in a good long while, much if it due to the fact that there isn’t even a title for the film yet! Supposedly, it revolves around a giant monster wreaking havoc through New York. Some have referred to it as “Cloverfield”, while some sites merely list the teaser by its tentative release date “1/18/08”. Either way, it’s got a lot of people buzzing. Already, a number of sites thought to be associated with the film have surfaced (www.ethanhaaswasright.com, for example), but a message from Abrams himself, posted on Ain’t It Cool News, reveals that only one site is attached directly to the film, www.1-18-08.com, that merely features two photos that you can move around against a black background.
Really, it comes as no surprise that Abrams would even take this approach. Fans of his shows tend to have a love/hate relationship with him, and even I’ll admit, he’s more about the tease than the payoff. Between watching Alias for its entire run and hearing about all the weird shit that happens on Lost, I have to wonder what Abrams tries to accomplish as a storyteller. To that effect, speculation about this project is certainly reaching a fever pitch. So far, the cloak of mystery has sparked debate about what form this giant monster movie will take on; some believe it may be an American remake of any number of Asian monster films, including The Host. Others think it might tie into Cthulu, the creature from the writings of H.P. Lovecraft. Some even think it might be a live-action adaptation of Voltron, although it’s easily the most far-fetched (i.e. “fucking retarded”) of all the theories I’ve read thus far.
All things considered, the next six months should be interesting. A lot of genre films have used the internet rather inventively when it comes to promotion, but at times, it can be hit-and-miss. This time last year, there was a lot of internet-generated hype surrounding Snakes on a Plane, and we all know how that turned out. I think the big issue with the Abrams project is that it may be a little TOO vague, at the moment. So much is left to the imagination of the public, that we have all these theories regarding its premise, and what could ultimately happen is that what we get may pale in comparison to our expectations. As always, I’ll try and take the “wait-and-see” approach as best I can, until more pieces of the puzzle fall into place.
37 Responses to "What Is "Cloverfield"/1-18-08?"
2 | AZ
This viral marketing campaign really is fascinating. The Gossip Rag has started a “Clover Watch” to track the latest surrounding the project. Pretty interesting.
3 | The Mad Gamer
Fucking retarded to think it’s Voltron? Yes…LOL! Knowing Abrams though, it’ll be some shit that won’t be revealed until about 3 movies later. I still want to strangle his ass for what he did to LOST last season.
4 | Ben
December 28th, 2007 at 8:05 pm
To everyone, Cloverfield is Godzilla. I don’t know why they think it’s so easy to hide. If no one believes me just wait until the movie comes out. It’s Godzilla.
5 | Tally
December 29th, 2007 at 2:41 am
I kinda agree with Ben…if you look at the “claw” marks on the statue and the buildings…what other “monster” comes out from the “water” like that?
6 | Tally
December 29th, 2007 at 2:45 am
btw according to Wikipedia…Cloverfield is suppose to be America’s “intense” monster such as Godzilla is to Japan…
7 | sdfas
December 31st, 2007 at 4:04 pm
In both trailers you can hear someone say that it is a lion. Possibly?
8 | Austin
It is Godzilla 2. i read like last summer on upcoming movies they were going to have a godzilla 2 and this is the only thing that is coming out that looks like it. its pretty obvouis from the Rawring sounds, the fire, and the Movie poster of like a line coming out of the water into new york that its Godzilla. And the trailer where it shows it a little like huge monster thing, definetly godzilla they are just hiding it with their trailor so everyone doesnt go oh its going to be suck its godzilla.
9 | Austin
oh and its pretty much a good hint when they say that guy is going to “japan” in the beggining… Figures…
10 | Kayode Kendall
I just find it funny that after all this, the official title of the damn movie is what we were already calling it, anyway.
Oh well, only two more weeks to go!
11 | J.J. Abrams
I agree with Ben, it is Godzilla. You can see its body from the trailer itself, I don’t know which one, and yes I agree with Tally on “claw” marks.
12 | John
I’ll tell you what cloverfield is. cloverfield is a bomb. Anytime you see a movie that’s completely teasers with no substantive showing at all, it’s most likely a bomb.
Mystery Solved!!
13 | hayleeee
this kinda reminds me of godzilla.
just giant monster, new york city – all that jazz.
14 | hayleeee
aha oh shit.
i wrote my godzilla comment before i read any of yours.
yeah i’m pretty convinced it’s godzilla.
during the summer my friend even said there’s a new godzilla coming out, so when i first saw the trailer during transformers i was like “…godzilla?”
16 | christian james
Its not godzilla, I worked on this movie. Its a hemmorhoid in mighty joe young’s ass. And thats why the moaning is so loud. Thank god those kids from the nyc lof come together with a package designer and develop a large preparation H bottle that gets shot up his ass and cools the situation off !
17 | K
January 12th, 2008 at 11:32 pm
I just watched the HD trailer and I thing it is Godzilla or at least very Godzilla-esque. And in the trailer, he doesn’t say it’s a lion, he says “it’s alive”.
18 | bro
i think it is rampage
like that old game where those three monsters a gorilla lizard and like a wolf i think go around and knock down buildings and stuff seems logical
19 | Kayode Kendall
January 14th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, it’s INHUMANOIDS!!!
20 | risa yanai
RAMPAGE! lol good stuff! good game ^_^ could be more than one monster. like godzilla and voltron LOL
21 | mantius
if its godzilla wats with the one scene that looks like everyone is sick, and you hears someone say “we have a bite”
25 | danny rivera
January 15th, 2008 at 11:16 am
It might be Godzilla… i mean i the end of part one suttin did hatch out the egg.. and it will probably be a poppin movie… who knows.. it cant be no alien thing because that will be like a independence day two and that wuld be wak… it can also be some parasite thing.. that why people looked sick and i hav heard of a parasite chimera… maybe it can be a huge lion * PARASIT CHIMERA* look it up who knows tho only 3 more days i cant wait to see wat it is
26 | Gorbachoph
It isnt Godzilla
1.They said its not…? why lie?
2.Why would they set the film in new york again?
3.Yes in Godzilla a single egg did survive, but they made the story into a cartoon program with the same name, were godzilla helped mankind.
4.Even without the cartoon, u think the hatchling made it out of new york, into the sea and came back?
The best evidence I found on what it could be is this
http://www.massiveblack.com/stabby/stabbysidefinal.jpg
It would make sence looking at the claws and it IS something new
But the question remains…. What is Cloverfield!
27 | SeRiAl
it isnt godzilla
ive seen the movie
its nothing like godzilla and doesnt even come close
for 1 godzilla tended to remain hidden this moster is on a straight forward rampage
as i say ive seen the movie and i thought it was godzilla 2 as everyone else did
but soory to dissapoint you it isnt it is a piece of work though
and very enjoyable
a tad confusing but it is a documentary with shaky camera angles and bad lighting it isnt meant to lay the story line out to you
it is a good movie and i recomend it to anyone
28 | Vince
Saw it last night it is not godzilla, but if u called it godzilla no one would argue, and yes it came from space. oh and the movie sucks its like blair witch, with godzilla. i still dont know what is cloverfield though, never explained, thats why im here.
30 | MIchael Rodrick
January 18th, 2008 at 11:27 pm
To whom it may concern. I am a film editor that worked directly on this film. I have first hand knowledge of this film. And you are all wrong. Yes it was suppose to fool you into thinking it was another Godzilla. But actually it is a crash landed alien from another planet. It looks nothing like Godzilla.. wait and see!!
33 | liam keating
January 20th, 2008 at 12:56 am
Michael Rodrick
im not going to ask you “is it godzilla” but is there any insight you could possibly give to any of the people in here including me, a really great film but is it an original?
are there any other say cartoons or novels or comic book that this based off of?
The movies way of hidding everything gives absolutly nothing to the viewer (not saying that takes anything from the movie itself)
So, its from another planet?
how’d it get here?
why was there no space ship? with that question if there was one it would mean it would have had to have been here for a millenia
why is it impossible to hurt? not one injury was seen on it in the movie
and then the “infection” those little things infect people, and the little things came from the big one, meaning its Asexual, does it turn people into a pawn of its cause? or just kill them, because from what the movie has given us thats all we have.
and then…. how many are there, different kinds?… ive only noticed one other than the one shown….
on the bridge, in the scene where Jason dies because a tenticle hit him….
sure, the creature does have long front legs but it deffinatly had a bone structure, as jason dies on the bridge from being crushed you can see a very flexible limb come out of the water and destroy the bridge, aslo its curved from the news copters view (later on in the movie) and the rest of this creature is compleatly submerged
so what is this, a war of worlds, a alien race, or some kind of byproduct of humanity’s work (slightly noted from the movie)
can we not hear about what no one knows?
34 | Ken
If you get to see only one movie this year…….DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME ON THIS ONE!!!!!!!!!!!! EVERYONE in the theater was pissed at the end. EVERYONE was talking about what other movies they could have seen instead of CLOVERFIELD. Nothing is answered…..Nothing is explained. It was like watching someones crapy vacation movie that had the battery die right in the middle of the trip.
Big monster trashes the city…….everyone dies. Thats it.
My 13 yr old son could have made a better movie!
35 | jasmin
January 21st, 2008 at 10:43 pm
I share kens’ feelings.
I’m still confused, and I want my $10.75 back. Why isn’t anything explained?!
36 | Adam
January 21st, 2008 at 10:57 pm
It was the best movie I have seen in a LONG time. EVERYONE in the theater stayed for the after credits hidden message. Everyone I have talked to loved this movie. The camera shaking can get a tad dizzying, but it was great at other times. The creature is NOT from space. Goto the Cloverfield websites and read up on it. It does not look anything like Godzilla. The creatures that fall of it are parasites, like fleas. It is not giving birth to anything and it is not little versions of itself. I would have liked to know how being bitten by the parasites causes you to explode. Granted you do not get the answers to some of these questions in the movie… but to be honest it does not really matter, I did not care one bit where the monster came from I just thought it was so kewl to see it!!!! I was thinking about the movie for hours after seeing it.
37 | Ryan
Woohoo another alien movie!!!! as if the other five million in the past ten years were good!!! get a grip hollywood
