Cloverfield. 2008. USA. Directed by Matt Reeves. Screenplay by Drew Goddard. With Michael Stahl-David, Mike Vogel and Odette Yustman. 85 min.
The sensation of watching the relentlessly kinetic Cloverfield mimics the chaotic experience its characters endure. Released seven years after 9/11, Matt Reeves’s found-footage monster movie gives horror fans an opportunity to work through the collective trauma of that life-altering day. The film opens at a going-away party that’s interrupted by the world changing forever, as a giant monster descends on New York City, demolishing everything in its path and releasing vicious aliens into the streets. In one scene, as billowing smoke rolls by outside a bodega window, it is difficult not to shudder at the all-too-familiar image. As the characters traverse an increasingly unrecognizable city to rescue a loved one, we’re reminded of other heroic efforts in the face of bleak odds. Written by Drew Goddard (Cabin in the Woods), Cloverfield is about the fear of external threats and invasion, as well as a remembrance of those we love.