Critic Reviews
Cloverfield (2008) Rank 2 Reviews
Expert Review Summary
based on (290) reviews
Click on the numbers to the right of the graph to see reviews of that rating
Poor
0
(0)
Reviews by Score:
Q Network Film Desk (James Kendrick)
ViewLondon (Matthew Turner)
Sacramento News & Review (Jim Lane)
Orlando Sentinel (Roger Moore)
A jolt to the genre. The camera tumbles, the smoke billows, gigantic footsteps thunk, women shriek and the car alarms blare. And we are there. ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at Orlando Sentinel (Roger Moore)
Premiere Magazine (Eric Alt)
It's not the life-changing movie experience the intense viral marketing attention would lead you to think it is, but its decision to focus on ground-level humanism rather than epic disaster is what separates it from the pack. ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at Premiere Magazine (Eric Alt)
Antagony & Ecstasy (Tim Brayton)
It might be a clever new-media commentary, but it's an awfully circumspect one. ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at Antagony & Ecstasy (Tim Brayton)
Bullz-Eye.com
While âCloverfieldâsâ approach to monster movies is indeed unique â itâs âGodzillaâ from the point of view of the guy on the street who points and yells, âOh nooooooooo!â â the truth is that there isnât a single technique employed he ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at Bullz-Eye.com
Eye for Film (Angus Wolfe Murray)
ReelTalk Movie Reviews (Jeffrey Chen)
touches upon interesting themes ... But it doesn't do much more than just glaze over [them]. ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at ReelTalk Movie Reviews (Jeffrey Chen)
Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)
Cloverfield's premise isn't dissimilar to The Blair Witch Project in that it is a mock home video taken of a terrifying event shot by one of the eyewitnesses. The opening written blurbs indicate that the tape is somehow now being used by the government to ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)
Killer Movie Reviews (Andrea Chase)
CLOVERFIELD is brought to you by many of the folks who bring us televisionâs âLostâ, which is a series not known for being either obvious or direct. The same can be said of their film, which offers a refreshing update on the classic genre of a big ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at Killer Movie Reviews (Andrea Chase)
DVD Talk (Randy Miller III)
Dark Horizons (Garth Franklin)
is simply a clever, albeit derivative, spin on a very predictable genre, and as such its easy to indulge in if you go with the inherit silliness. ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at Dark Horizons (Garth Franklin)
Media-Assault.com (Sean Caszatt)
Filmspotting (Adam Kempenaar)
is an 82-minute amusement park ride I was glad I grabbed a ticket for. ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at Filmspotting (Adam Kempenaar)
Window to the Movies (Jeffrey Chen)
If current movies like Cloverfield are any indication, self-preservation is now less instinctive than ensuring the safety of a loved one, even if it means having to face off against giant monsters. Think of the recent Korean movie, The Host, with ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at Window to the Movies (Jeffrey Chen)
7M Pictures (Kevin Carr)
If the monsters weren't in the scene, I kept wondering when they would show up so they could eat more people. ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at 7M Pictures (Kevin Carr)
ComingSoon.net (Edward Douglas)
Worthwhile only for the scale of the destruction and the sheer audacity of its marketing campaign. ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at ComingSoon.net (Edward Douglas)
Film e Dvd
Lanciato da una fortissima campagna pubblicitaria sulla rete internet come poche si erano viste in precedenza, e con enormi aspettative dovute allâalone di mistero che ne avvolgeva lâintera genesi, questo film prodotto dallâormai consacrato J.J. Abr ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at Film e Dvd
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"An alien attack on New York, captured on frenzied videocam, grows annoying quickly." ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at Atlanta Journal-Constitution
TV Guide's Movie Guide (Maitland McDonagh)
Despite the lengthy party sequence that introduces the cast, these people are less characters than easy-on-the-eyes conceits: Young, hip, essentially interchangeable and willfully stupid. What's worse, though, is that the film is all surface. ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at TV Guide's Movie Guide (Maitland McDonagh)
Preview Family Movie Review
Michael Stahl-David, Mike Vogel, Odette Yustman, Lizzy Caplan. Written by Drew Goddard. Directed by Matt Reeves.FILM SYNOPSIS: Five young New Yorkers throw their friend a going-away party the night that a monster the size of a skyscraper descends upon ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at Preview Family Movie Review
Future Movies (Jay Richardson)
It is more than likely that you will have reservations about this film
once you've seen it. At least that was my feeling when I saw this
newest scifi release "Cloverfield" from directors J. J. Abrams, and
Matt Reeves. After the film was over I did see ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at
Entertainment Spectrum (Vince Koehler)
Something has found us. Now that could have been a great tag line, if what found us was even remotely great. ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at Entertainment Spectrum (Vince Koehler)
Los Angeles Times (Kevin Crust)
While it [the "camcorder ploy"] injects the film with a run-and-gun urgency, the device grows tiresome and ultimately leaves the film shortchanged. ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at Los Angeles Times (Kevin Crust)
Bronsonfive (Michael Ferraro)
, and since that isn't the first or last time you'll read that comparison, think of a movie that results in something less profound. ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at Bronsonfive (Michael Ferraro)
NewsBlaze (Prairie Miller)
Mystery monster really mad at Manhattan on rampage, making the collective audience skin crawl and leaving you with sweaty palms and clenched teeth, no matter what row you're sitting in. ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at NewsBlaze (Prairie Miller)
The Denver Post
And phone calls from love interest Beth figure into the choices he and three friends make after New York City comes under attack by a creature from the sea. ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at The Denver Post
National Public Radio (Bob Mondello)
Apart from the fact that a $25 million budget bought producer J.J. Abrams what looks like a poorly shot home movie â at the pitch meeting, someone must've said The Blair Godzilla Project â there's nothing unorthodox about this monster flick. It's goin ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at National Public Radio (Bob Mondello)
Film Journal International (Ethan Alter)
When you think about it, the disaster movie may just be the strangest cinematic genre ever created. Films like The Towering Inferno and Earthquake ask us to find entertainment value in images that, if seen in real life, would inspire cries of horror ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at Film Journal International (Ethan Alter)
New York Press (Armond White)
Itâs the Cloverfield hype campaignânot the dissatisfying, unimpressive film itselfâthat is the work of art. Surely Warhol would have appreciated the exploitation of pop memory and cultural anxiety that is detonated in the scenes of casually frolicki ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at New York Press (Armond White)
CLOVERFIELD is a cute concept but little more. Devoid of any genuine
character development or notable acting, the film is a slapdash affair which
manages to be neither funny nor frightening.
Wanting badly to be a BLAIR WITCH PROJECT for the latest ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at
New York Post (Lou Lumenick)
âCLOVERFIELD" combines unpleasantness and stupidity to a degree that would be difficult to match unless you were stuck in bed with a case of the shingles while being forced to watch âThe Ghost Whisperer." As "The Blair Witch Project" meets "Godzilla" ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at New York Post (Lou Lumenick)
Los Angeles Times (Kevin Crust)
WITH the running times of most popcorn movies lurching well past two hours on the way to three these days, it's not often that we're left wanting more. But that's precisely the response induced by the 21st century monster movie "Cloverfield" as it clocks ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at Los Angeles Times (Kevin Crust)
The New York Sun (Grady Hendrix)
It's big. Really, really big. So huge, in fact, that you can see it from practically any street corner in Manhattan. It's so huge people in Japan are talking about it. It consumes everything in its path. It induces panicked, frenzied behavior in adults. ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at The New York Sun (Grady Hendrix)
Slant Magazine
After an expertly executed marketing campaign anchored in secrecy, the Cloverfield monster is finally out of the proverbial bag, and lo and beholdâ¦it's a monster! More specifically (spoilers herein), it's a screeching, stomping, pissed-off ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at Slant Magazine
New Times (Luke Y. Thompson)
Since many people are asking what exactly âCloverfieldâ means in the context of the movie, let's deal with that right of the bat â it doesn't mean anything. It wasn't even supposed to be the film's real title initially, just a red herring to throw p ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at New Times (Luke Y. Thompson)
Time Out Chicago (David Fear)
A giant-monster movie thatâs presented strictly from a ground-level view: Why had no one thought of this before? Cloverfieldâs tale of a humongous creepy-crawly attacking Manhattan, as seen through Blair Witchâesque found footage, is ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at Time Out Chicago (David Fear)
Twitch (Todd Brown)
Lower your expectations greatly and you wonât be too disappointed in J.J. Abramsâ production CLOVERFIELD. Technically compelling it manages to wring at least two goosebump moments out of sheer filmmaking skill alone, which is a good thing because the ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at Twitch (Todd Brown)
Empire Movies (Takato Yamashita)
a bit too nauseating for the general public to stomach ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at Empire Movies (Takato Yamashita)
sdo230@gmail.com
There's something inherently rattling about Cloverfield. Like The
Blair Witch Project, it is the majestic effort towards complete
immersion that leaves us jacked on intensity as we leave the theatre.
We're wired and nervy, walking our own healthy city ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at sdo230@gmail.com
The Cinematheque (Kevyn Knox)
Do you hear that? Those gargantuan footfalls? That hideous belching roar? That grotesquely insidious cackle? That repulsive stench so permeating, so loathsomely pungent that you can actually hear the stank of it? Run, don't walk from...Harry ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at The Cinematheque (Kevyn Knox)
KyleSmithOnline.com (Kyle Smith)
cinemattraction (Brandon Fibbs)
Cloverfield is an admirable experiment in form even as it is a miserable failure in function. It is a bold and daring film, but not a good one. ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at cinemattraction (Brandon Fibbs)
kids-in-mind
Seen entirely through the lens of a handheld video camera, five young New Yorkers try to survive an attack on Manhattan by a huge monster whose origins cannot be determined. With Lizzy Caplan, Jessica Lucas, T.J. Miller, Michael Stahl-David, Mike Vogel ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at kids-in-mind
Movie Martyr (Jeremy Heilman)
A new entry in the burgeoning camcorder horror subgenre, Matt Reevesâ Cloverfield doesnât do much to take advantage of its once-novel approach to narrative delivery. Instead, it lamely mashes together a monster movie plot with questionable, post-9/11 ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at Movie Martyr (Jeremy Heilman)
sbs.is (Stefan Birgir Stefansson)
could have been good if it had been made like a real movie ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at sbs.is (Stefan Birgir Stefansson)
Twitch (The Visitor)
Iâll try to keep it short and sweet too. ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at Twitch (The Visitor)
Latino Review (Ron Henriques)
I wasn't impressed by "Cloverfield" and though viewing this 75 minute feature didn't make me miserable, I was saddened because it felt like a missed opportunity. ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at Latino Review (Ron Henriques)
Parent Previews
Manhattan is under attack again -- making it possibly the most assaulted borough in the ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at Parent Previews
Compuserve (Harvey S. Karten)
Itâs about time somebody struck terror into the hearts of the yuppies, the 20-something people of little substance who party all weekend, who do no real work other than shuffle papers and crunch numbers. In âCloverfield,â director Matt Reeves brings ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at Compuserve (Harvey S. Karten)
Chicago Reader (J.R. Jones)
Horror may be the only movie genre that thrives on poverty. From the Universal classics of the 30s (Dracula, Frankenstein) to the Val Lewton B movies of the 40s (Cat People, I Walked With a Zombie) to the low-budget shockers of the 60s and 70s (Night of ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at Chicago Reader (J.R. Jones)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Producer J.J. Abrams is about as golden as it gets when it comes to hit TV shows: 'Lost," "Alias" and ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Pop Syndicate (Stefan Halley)
has energy and a sense of urgency but not near enough monster or thrills, along with a story that seems more of an afterthought. ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at Pop Syndicate (Stefan Halley)
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) (Ken Hanke)
If the film reinvents anything other than the public's acceptance of a kind of YouTube crudery as viable entertainment, I missed it. ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) (Ken Hanke)
Metro Weekly (Washington, DC) (Randy Shulman)
plays out, we're left with...'a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.' ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at Metro Weekly (Washington, DC) (Randy Shulman)
SF, Horror and Fantasy Film Review
Colorado Springs Gazette (Brandon Fibbs)
is a savvy marketing campaign masquerading as a movie. ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at Colorado Springs Gazette (Brandon Fibbs)
I.E. Weekly (Amy Nicholson)
It's like Abrams and crew have looked into the void and thought: the only thing worse than Armageddon is if no one witnessing it is hot. ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at I.E. Weekly (Amy Nicholson)
Filmjerk.com (Brian Orndorf)
Itâs difficult to review âCloverfieldâ without at least mentioning the buzz-guzzling hype machine producer J.J. Abrams kicked off with the arrival of the teaser trailer last summer; a cryptic piece of footage that sent the tails of geeks and blogger ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at Filmjerk.com (Brian Orndorf)
The New York Sun (S. James Snyder)
It's not typical that a movie makes history with its trailer, but then again, "Cloverfield" isn't your typical studio blockbuster.
Last summer, as every geek worth his action figure collection was getting ready to see "Transformers" on opening night, ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at The New York Sun (S. James Snyder)
Charlotte Observer (Lawrence Toppman)
is a non-stop smashfest meant to be forgotten as soon as it's over, then repeated the following weekend for people eternally hungry for empty sensations. If you're too old for that, find yourself another film. ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at Charlotte Observer (Lawrence Toppman)
Salon (Stephanie Zacharek)
Do we really need the horror of 9/11 to be repackaged and presented to us as an amusement-park ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at Salon (Stephanie Zacharek)
Slate (Dana Stevens)
To call Cloverfield (Paramount) a cheap gimmick is not a value judgment but a statement of simple fact. The first big-screen collaboration between producer J.J. Abrams and director Matt Reeves (who, between them, created Felicity, Alias, and Lost) was ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at Slate (Dana Stevens)
The New York Times (Manohla Dargis)
Rarely have I rooted for a monster with such enthusiasm. ...read the complete Cloverfield movie review at The New York Times (Manohla Dargis)
from $4.51
(18 sellers)
User Reviews
User Comments
del.icio.us
Digg
StumbleUpon
Yahoo! My Web
Facebook
Google Bookmarks
ma.gnolia
Newsvine
reddit
Windows Live
