Rant: Expect No Answers From Cloverfield

12/30/07

Rant: Expect No Answers From Cloverfield

12/30/2007 |

Posted by Dave and Thomas

Cinema Blend takes a look at the "Cloverfield" phenomenon.

"We’re getting increasingly closer to that 01-18-08 release date that had everyone captivated a few months ago. Finally we’ll get to see what all the hype has been about as Cloverfield hits theaters. As you might expect, the movie’s commercials have continued to shroud much of the film in secrecy. Fans who were critical of Michael Bay unveiling the Transformers crew prior to the film’s release, after such a build up of anticipation, are the same people who are seeing every new commercial and whining that there’s no sign of the monster. Well, I’ve got news for you: get used to it.

Let me be frank: I don’t expect Cloverfield to deliver much in the way of a traditional “monster” movie, regardless of how much producer J.J. Abrams and writer/director Matt Reeves say their intent was to create that. And that’s what they’ve said: America lacked a true “monster movie” so they created one. ”We need our own Godzilla,” Abrams told MTV in July. But let’s look at what we know about the movie, and you’ll see an American Godzilla isnt’ what we’re getting.

First of all, take a look at the film’s premise, as promised by the studio: Five young New Yorkers throw their friend a going-away party the night that a monster the size of a skyscraper decends upon the city. Told from the point of view of their video camera, the film is a document of their attempt to survive the most surreal, horrifying event of their lives.” That’s the text that appears on the “about the movie” description over at CloverfieldMovie.com, the official site for the film. Now, let’s break that down. (...continue)"

Labels: cloverfield, cloverfield ads, cloverfield monster, cloverfield movie, cloverfield spoilers, cloverfield trailer

2 comments:

Unknown said...: I still have my fingers crossed about seeing at least one clear shot of the monster by the end of the movie.; December 30, 2007 at 9:09 PM
Dave and Thomas said...: Same here. Hopefully it will all be worth it in the end!; December 30, 2007 at 9:21 PM

What is Cloverfield?

Welcome to 1-18-08 Project Cloverfield Blog.

Cloverfield is the J.J. Abrams (Lost, Alias) produced monster flick directed by Matt Reeves. Get caught up on all the Cloverfield news including the viral world of Tagruato, TIDOwave, and Slusho!? And now Aladygma?

However, I love viral campaigns. Cloverfield taught me the fun of being involved with the viral world of movies and TV. That's why I'd like to branch out this site to cover some of the major viral campaigns as they are developing. Feel free to drop me a line or tip on any you find interesting.

Welcome to Cloverfield

Very few facts emerged from the viral campaign that was Cloverfield. It all started after a short, teaser trailer for Cloverfield appeared with the Transformers movie in early July of 2007. Since then, speculation surrounded what the title of the movie would be (Monstrous, Overnight, etc...) and what the monster really is and why it is tearing up New York City.

A few pictures and covert videos from the film showed up online and there were only a few core facts we knew of including the poster, the teaser trailer, and a few websites at 1-18-08, Tagruato Corp, and Slusho .

In November, the official full-length Cloverfield trailer was released that helped open up the story as well as cement the "Cloverfield" name for the movie. A short glimpse of the Cloverfield Monster was seen but for most people they still had little or no clue as to what it was.

The movie centered around five young New Yorkers throwing their friend a going-away party the night that a monster the size of a skyscraper descends upon the city. Told from the point of view of their video camera, the film is a document of their attempt to survive the most surreal, horrifying event of their lives. Cloverfield opened the weekend of 1-18-08 and set box office records for a movie in January with a monster take of over $40M. Continue to check back here for updates on the mystery and viral campaigns of Cloverfield.

Get Started with the Cloverfield Viral Marketing

If you're new to the Cloverfield viral world than let's get started. First off, for the beginners let's look at what we're talking about.

What does viral marketing mean? Click here.

1-18-08.com Updates with pictures randomly. Each picture is layered onto of the previous update and all can be dragged and moved around the screen. Click and hold the mouse to 'grab' an image and move it around. While holding the image, shake it back and forth quickly and it will flip over. Some images have writing on the back.

Slusho This is the Japanese frozen drink made from a secret ingredient gathered from the bottom of the ocean. Slusho gives you a kick and makes you extremely happy. Prior to 1-18-08 Slusho was not sold in the US. However, recent FDA approval gave Slusho clearance to come to the states. Rob Hawkins, the lead character, was recently promoted to vice-president of Slusho and was on his way to Japan the night of the attack. Slusho is owned by the Tagruato Corp. of Japan. Slusho also first made an appearance on J.J. Abrams Alias during a scene where characters buy the drink at a store.

Tagruato This ficticious Japanese company is the parent company of Slusho as well as the Yoshida Medical Research, Bold Futura, and ParafFUN! Wax Distributors. Besides drilling the oceans for Slusho ingredients, Tagruato builds everything from space satellites to medical gear.

T.I.D.O wave An activist group set out to bring to light all the damage Tagruato has done to the envirnoment.

Jamie and Teddy A minor character from the movie, Jamie popped up on a 1-18-08.com picture and the MySpace profiles for the movies characters before getting famous for her "Jamie and Teddy" website. The site is comprised of video journals from Jamie. The site is password protected but can be accessed by the password "jllovesth"

1-18-08 Project Cloverfield - Warning! Spoilers