When I first heard about the movie Cloverfield, it’s wasn’t even called Cloverfield! It was referred to 1-18-08, the date it was to be released. I was hooked the moment I realized it was JJ Abrams of LOST fame doing the movie.
So when I watched the first trailer (that I can’t find online now) I was excited. My favorite part was in the blond said “Rob is awesome“. Now that’s quotable!
I’ve seen a few trailers on it and each time it seems to go more from mystery to hunt/destroy/run/horror. I didn’t want that! I like story and intrigue, but it was looking to make a turn into a genre I’m not crazy about. My friend Mike saw it:
The “live action” feel of the movie using the Blair Witch video-cam technique really made the film work for me. I don’t think it would have been near as good a movie without that, just because we’ve all seen tons of scary movies with plots like this one. But with the first-person perspective, it was a real nail-biter. The acting was great, the special effects were great, the gradual disclosure of the crisis facing Manhattan was great.
But what Mike likes, others don’t. A theater in Oklahoma has posed a sign warrning:
Due to the filming method used for “Cloverfield,” guests viewing this film may experience side effects associated with motion sickness, similar to riding a rollercoaster.
Great. I’m not a big coaster fan. Put me on a plane with turbulence and I’m okay. Put me on a boat and I’m mostly okay. Put me in a theater or “ride” at a park that tries to make me think I’m moving and I’m not? I’m done.
The sickest I’ve been on a ride in the last decade was on a Star Wars ride at Disney’s MGM. You sit still but the screen in front of you makes you feel like you’re flying. Also got woozy at the 360 movie of Canada in EPCOT. Yeah, weak.
So now I’m freaked about seeing Cloverfield. Maybe I’ll wait for the DVD. I can usually handle the small screen just fine.
via Neatorama
UPDATE: Just read a CNN.com article with more:
“This is a classic case of vertigo,” said Dr. Michael G. Stewart, chairman of otorhinolaryngology (ear, nose and throat medicine) at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weil Cornell Medical Center. “You can look around and feel like things are moving, when they aren’t.”
Vertigo is caused when a person’s balance system gets confused. Your body feels a strong visual sensation of movement but in reality, you aren’t moving at all. The disconnect confuses your brain sensors and can cause dizziness and nausea, Stewart said.
“A person would be fine watching from home,” Stewart said. “When you are on your couch, you have perspective around the screen so your mind knows the movie is moving and the room isn’t.”
I feel better already.
