Wednesday, January 09, 2008

I really and truly thought I was gonna hurl

I don't want to get in trouble for reviewing the movie too early or something, but by now you've probably started seeing ads for Cloverfield, and may be considering checking it out when it hits theaters January 18. By all means, go with your own gut on this, but I saw an advanced screening of it today and, if I may, here's a quick word about your gut before you take on this movie.

It's shot entirely with a hand-held camera. ENTIRELY. The whole concept of the movie is to really try and put you IN the experience. So it's all hand-held camera work, and the sound can get really brutal. There's also a fair amount of screaming and lots of people talking at once.

There were a truckload of people in today's screening, and lots of them seemed unfazed by this whole deal. I, on the other hand, really and truly thought I was gonna hurl about 10 minutes in. About 10 minutes after that, I moved as far back in the theater as I could, and still had to look away from the screen a lot. And the loudness, screaming, and talking-over thing made my head hurt. Basically I really wished I could lie down after it wrapped, and it's not even that long (about 1 hr 15 min).

So, you know, if you're curious about the movie but found the Bourne Ultimatum to be a bit too shaky and Blair Witch made you vomit in your mouth a little, then maybe this isn't the movie for you. Or, if you really want to check it out, but are concerned about the motion sickness, maybe sneak in some Saltines & ginger ale in your bag. Or some Dramamine. Or a barf bag. Those squooshy ear plugs you can get for concerts might not be a bad idea either.

I'm not saying the movie is bad--there's a lot about it that's really cool and interesting and creative and authentic and I don't mean to review it. I'm just saying, if I'd had anything in my stomach besides coffee, and maybe some earplugs, and my seat was even further away, I might have enjoyed the movie a little bit more. Just a little public service announcement from me to you, my fellow movie fans.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the warning! I hate those jiggly camera movies, especially the Bourne Ultimatum. Why choreograph all those cool fights if we won't be able to see them? Why do they want me to barf at the movies?

Dinah said...

I was thinking of you, especially since we were kind of sitting in the same area of the theater we were in when we saw Blair Witch together--another time I thought I was gonna blow chunks. Borne Ultimatum didn't bug me at all, but then they also at least balanced the hand-held POV with some still shots.

Tell you what: we'll hook you up when it comes on DVD, and you can skim through it at your own pace so you can at least see some of the cool stuff that I don't want to spoil. :)

Jeffery Evans said...

I agree. Thanks for the heads up. I thought the movie looked interesting from the previews, but that kind of thing will make we wait for the DVD every time.