The continuing Cloverfield story
Because I might reveal spoilers I’m going to do something I don’t usually do – Continue after the jump.
OK, so you’re here.
I’ve heard a couple reactions to Cloverfield that express no end of dismay that the entire Slusho angle of the marketing campaign had almost nothing to do with the movie, at least not in a tangible manner. That’s completely true, at no point is Slusho, Tagurato or anything else referenced in the film.
But that’s not even the point.
For those of you who saw the movie, how much did that whole aspect of the campaign add to your enjoyment? How much did you sit there and think, “Oh, that’s the thing that destroyed drilling station?” or something like that. I’m willing to bet you all did at some point and I sure as heck was.
The point is that the alternate reality aspect of the campaign provided depth and shading to the world that we were going to be shown in the movie, either directly or indirectly. Tell me you weren’t thinking that this thing must be really honked off about the disturbance of its nest in the harvesting of seabed’s nectar or whatever it is that caused the beastie to become honked off and I’ll call say you just aren’t being honest with me.
There’s already speculation about a sequel and that might be interesting if the filmmakers can find a way to be as innovative and creative with it as they were with this one.
But that’s almost secondary.
What really matters to me is that the studio has a movie platform they can use to extend, sequel or not, the storyline that’s been started almost indefinitely.
Think about it – they could keep the Cloverfield story going, with new reports of the monster’s path, new tie-ins to Slusho and things like investigations into Tagurato, reports from the area formerly known as Central Park and so much more, all at a fraction of the cost of a former sequel and all in much more engaging fashion than a sequel could.
We’re not just talking about a marketing campaign here. We’re talking about something akin to what Joss Whedon is doing with Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. With the TV show long gone he’s extending the story through comics, something that does not require the participation of the cast, something that allows for infinite story direction and which – more importantly – serves the fan base exactly what they want.
At this point in the Cloverfield universe there’s nothing, really, that can be done with the characters we followed in the movie. But since they were incidental anyway – we just happened to be seeing their story because they had a video camera that survived – it’s no problem to introduce more angles to the story. Abrams and his team can do almost anything.
And if they do it in the way that they did the initial marketing campaign – just tell an an interesting story in a way that allows the fans to take it and run with it, offering their own speculation on what everything means – than they just might have a real cultural phenomenon on their hands.
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Comments
It’s almost begging for treatment as an online MMORPG:
1. Subscribe on a website to be given an online New Yorker identity.
2. Spend the first week or two settling into your avatar and then
- whoops – gigantic frigging monster attacks.
3. Spend the rest of the game running like hell.
And there would be power-ups. Of course. I’m not being sarcastic. I would totally play this.
Not sure if this has come up in any responses or posts yet. But Jason was wearing a Slusho T-shirt during the party. I believe his shirt was buttoned up at the beginning of the party, but later on was unbuttoned to reveal the t-shirt underneath. I first noticed it when he and Hud approached Lilly to find out why Rob and Beth had been fighting. I may be way too late in this observation, but thought I’d mention it.
I really hated how the the movie was shot. I can understand the guy was holding while going through mayhem, but how hard is it to keep the stupid camera straight.
I really liked it, the way it was shot ads to the realism. One thing I didn’t like though was the ending, I mean yeah they died and the camera was just left there but still that was one of the worst endings Iv’e seen.
I loved the whole aspect of the combined media. I am dying to know what else is out there.
Did anyone see Jamie Lescano at the party?
This could easily go on online as a search for clues game.
Who cares if the movie was good, the mystery is awesome.
The movie was stupid. I just watched it. Here let me break it down for you. Once upon a time there was a boy who loved a girl and a girl who loved him back. Although they could not admit it as they were both immature. One day the boy got a new job in Japan and decided to move away. Upon the going away party the boy’s friend had planned for him a giant monster attacked their home city NY. The monster killed and destroyed everything including them and their lives. The End.
i thought the movie was very original and for the most part accurate to how most people using a digicam would act if godzilla smashed thier place… on that note the ending was kind of lame for a viewers sence but was what i feel was accurate to how you or I would act with our girl when faced with death or an a_bomb coming at us..
i do however want more background.. where did it comefrom and how why whatever… LOVED THE WHOLE THING!!!!!!!
online game???? or first person survival horror game as in half life and sorts..
thanks DJ
I think that the movie was preaty cool but the only thing was that the whole camera perspective and it really didn’t show where the monster came from and what happened to the footage and how the military recovered it and a bit inside action from other ppl would be
BUT OTHER THAN THAT IT WAS F***ING AWSOME…………..
ok did nobody see the satelite in the end of the movie crash into the ocean thats where they were drilling and thats what woke the sea monster up jc
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I was thinking all of that while watching. It was cool to be “in the know” I guess, but it didn’t make me wish that the backstory was in the film.
I love the film as it is, but more “discovered” footage, from other survivors would be cool to see.