The movie begins with an official-looking government label, describing what we're about to see as a videotape found in the area of New York "formerly known as Central Park." That's as much foreshadowing as we get for the first 15 minutes, as we're treated to camcorder footage of a young couple - Rob (Michael Stahl-David) and Beth (Odette Yustman) - in morning-after cuddling in an apartment overlooking Central Park. The "tape" then jumps to a month later, as Rob's brother Jason (Mike Vogel) and Jason's bossy girlfriend Lily (Jessica Lucas) are planning a surprise going-away party for Rob, who has taken a job in Japan.
At the party, Jason gives the camera to Rob's buddy Hud (T.J. Miller) to capture testimonials to the guest of honor. Hud keeps the camera rolling through an argument between Rob and Beth, and later when an unseen monster starts destroying Manhattan and throws the head of the Statue of Liberty into the neighborhood.
The camera continues to roll as a group of the partygoers - Rob, Jason, Lily, Hud and Marlena (Lizzy Caplan), a Goth chick Hud has a crush on - joins the evacuation of Manhattan. When Rob gets a call from Beth, who's trapped near Central Park, the group makes the fateful decision to go back for her.
The filmmakers are from producer J.J. Abrams' stable - director Matt Reeves worked with Abrams on "Felicity," screenwriter Drew Goddard is a co-executive producer on Abrams' "Lost," and cinematographer Michael Bonvillain won an Emmy for the "Alias" pilot - and move the action briskly through New York's streets, subways and skyscrapers. What suffers is the human element, because there's no time (at 84 minutes, 12 of which are credits) to know these too-beautiful young Manhattanites.
And like "Godzilla" or last year's excellent Korean monster mash "The Host," "Cloverfield" hints at ambitions beyond just frightening teenagers. The continuous camcorder footage - like "The Blair Witch Project," but with snazzier special effects - aims, perhaps a little too hard, on our cameraphone-to-YouTube instant media mindset. The falling skyscrapers and clouds of dust recycle images of 9/11, as the monster serves as a Rorschach-test allegory for terrorism, war or whatever nameless dread you prefer.
As an intellectual exercise and a frightfest to squeeze the adrenal glands, "Cloverfield" delivers the monster-movie experience you seek.
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SEAN P. MEANS can be reached at movies@sltrib.com or 801-257-8602. Send comments about this review to livingeditor@sltrib.com.
Cloverfield
WHERE: Theaters everywhere.
WHEN: Opens today.
RATING: PG-13 for violence, terror and disturbing images.
RUNNING TIME: 84 minutes.
BOTTOM LINE: A monster rampages through Manhattan in this high-tech/low-tech thriller.
