Was just reading through this.... Clears up quite a lot
Took me bloody ages to put all of the urls into it and make the titles bold and underlined
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A NOTE ABOUT SPOILERS
The following FAQ entries may contain spoilers. Only the biggest ones will be covered with spoiler tags. It is assumed that no one who is diligently avoiding spoilers will be visiting this page in the first place.
Does this film have an official website?
The following websites are probably official:
1) www.cloverfieldmovie.com. The background shows a picture of the Statue of the Liberty, partly destroyed. The trailer starts as soon as one opens the main page. There is also a link to view the trailer in HD (high definition).
2) http://www.1-18-08.com/. The site is owned by Paramount Pictures. It currently shows ten photos that appear to have been taken from a digital camera. One can flip the photos over to read messages written on the back. One message is in Japanese. The message on the back is a recipe for a cold noodle dish that uses "honey of the sea." This could be the same ingredient in the Slusho drinks.
3) http://www.0-00-00.com/. This site is nearly identical to 1-18-08.com.
4) Characters have their own MySpace pages. See Rob for an example.
5) http://www.slusho.jp/. This site is designed to look like a commercial website for a fictitious beverage called Slusho. Slusho has appeared in two other productions from J.J. Abrams: "Lost" and "Alias."
The Slusho site is elaborate enough to seem real. It includes a "Happy Talk" comment page, a page listing stores that sell the product, a page about mixing the various flavors of Slusho, and more. A page on the company's history gives clues to what the movie is about. There are hints throughout the site that Slusho can turn a person into a monster.
6) www.tagruato.jp. This is a site for the fictional company that produces the fictional beverage, Slusho. (See #5.)
The site is made to appear as if someone has hacked into it and added the message "Tagruato is destroying our oceans." A photo of Ganu Yoshida, the head of the company, has been vandalized. He is shown with horns on his head; he is looking over a ruined city and a number of sea animals, each with its name written on its body.
This site reports a disturbance at its latest deep sea mining facility off the North East coast of the United States.
In "An Open Letter from Ganu Yoshida," he acknowledges damage to the deep sea mining facility and attributes the action to a terrorist group. "Our newest and brightest oil rigging development, Chuai Station, was attacked by a terrorist environment group called Tidowave."
On January 18, 2008, the website was taken down, with a message written in Japanese. The message read "Under Maintenance."
The site has been running again since Jan. 25, 2008, and appears to be the same as it was before the January 18 "shut down".
7) Tidowave has its own webpage. It is made to look like the Tagruato site, but the hands holding up the planet become claws that squeeze the planet and drain its red color. Then we read, "Bleeding the planet dry since 1945."
On January 18, 2008, the website was locked, with a Department of External Affairs watermark in the center of the front page, and a USC code at the top.
The code is the US CODE: Title 18,2332b. Acts of Terror Transcending National Boundaries. (See also: this webpage).
The site has been running again since Jan 25, 2008 and appears to be the same as it was before the January 18 "shut down." Similar to the Tagruato site.
8) http://www.jamieandteddy.com password is: jllovesth
Jamie Lascano recorded eleven videos of herself and put them up on this website. In video 5, Jamie opens a gift she received from her boyfriend, Teddy. She gets a tape from him saying he has been captured by Tagruato. There is also an unknown item she received that says, "Jamie, don't eat this." She assumes it is a joke and eats it.
Jamie Lascano was supposed to be a main character in the film, but she's only in it for a few seconds at the beginning. She's the blonde woman passed out on the couch at the party.
9) http://www.missingteddyhanssen.blogspot.com
This site is unconfirmed, but given the amount of evidence, including a post on Tidowave directly addressing "MissingTeddyHanssen," aka Alyse Hanssen, the likelihood of it being legitimate is high.
What does the title "Cloverfield" mean?
e The director, Matt Reeves, explained in a USA Today article that Cloverfield is the name of the military operation dispatched to battle the monster. This is spelled out in the film, at the very start: "Multiple sightings of Case designate 'Cloverfield.'" The phrase is superimposed over a backdrop that says "US Department of Defense - Do Not Duplicate."
Why "Cloverfield"? Fans have many ideas, including the notion that the three-toed monster's footprints make the ground he walks on look like a field of clover.
Originally, "Cloverfield" was reported to be nothing more than an early working title, derived from the name of a street near J.J. Abrams's office.
In an Entertainment Weekly article (Issue #975, "A New York State of...Panic!" 1/25/08), Drew Goddard, the screenwriter for Cloverfield, says the title was his creation. And the meaning behind the title? "I've never told anyone my reasons," he says. "Not even J.J."
Matt Reeves, in an LAist interview, confirms that the title Cloverfield did come from Goddard. He says it's a confused version of the name of a corporation Paramount owns.
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When we started the project there was going to be an announcement in the trades. In this case, they wanted to keep everything under wraps. So the movie was going to be made under this outside corporation that was basically a property of Paramount. That corporation had a name that I don't know the name of. I think Clover was the first part of it. Maybe it was Cloverdale. When Drew [Goddard] was putting a name to the project, there was supposed to be a name for the project like there was for The Manhattan Project. So he said, "I am going to use that weird mysterious thing," and he misheard it. He didn't even understand that it wasn't Cloverfield, it was Cloverdale. Maybe that was because of the street by J.J.s old office, but the truth is he just misunderstood it.
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Was this movie supposed to be called "Bertha"?
No. The film was shipped to American theaters under the fake title, Bertha. (In the UK, however, it was shipped under its real title, Cloverfield.)
What cameras were used to film this movie?
The camera the characters use is probably supposed to be a Panasonic HVX200.
The production team actually used a variety of different cameras, including the HVX, the Sony F23, and the Thomson Viper.
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[Director of Photography Michael] Bonvillain used the Viper in FilmStream mode [4:4:4 RGB Data], since some of the trailer footage would be incorporated into the film, recording to tape, but also relied on a variety of other cameras throughout production. We shot with $400 cameras and $80,000 cameras. We used whatever worked for a given scene. Basically, if we could use the [Panasonic] HVX[200], and there were no visual FX, we did. It is really small and felt the most like a small consumer camera. After testing the Viper, the Panavised F900 and the then-brand-new Sony CineAlta F23 at night in downtown Los Angeles, Bonvillain decided to use the F23 for the New York phase of shooting. I found the F23 to be more sensitive in available light situations. Unlike the Viper, which comes back with a green bias that has to be dialed out, the F23 looked a lot more natural to my eye.
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-- International Cinematographers Guild, "A Monster on the Loose" (Note: Javascript must be turned off or the link will redirect you to the homepage.)
The actual Panasonic HVX-200 video camera supposedly used to film "Cloverfield" was sold on eBay on January 23, 2008, for $4,605.00. The starting bid was $2,500.00. The eBay item number was 130190870984, and the listing was entitled "PANASONIC HVX-200 CAMERA USED ON THE MOVIE CLOVERFIELD". An additional copy of the eBay listing and its photos of the camera can be found here in case the eBay listing link expires. The listing contained the following description:
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THIS FANTASTIC CAMERA IS A TRUE 24P HD MOTION PICTURE CAMERA, AND IT WAS USED EXCLUSIVELY FOR THE MOVIE "CLOVERFIELD". I was the Digital Imaging Supervisor on the movie, and we used the HVX-200 extensively. "Cloverfield" is shot entirely from a video camera's point of view and THIS is that camera!! I bought this HVX as a backup camera to our main shooting cam. It was BARELY used throughout shooting, as shown by the picture below which lists the Operation and Recording Hours (6 Operation Hours and Not even ONE Recording Hour).
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What music is playing during the party?
A promotional CD compilation was given away at one of the release parties for the movie and is called "Rob's Party Mix." This mix is also currently available as a "mix tape" on iTunes.
The complete list of tunes from the compilation:
1 "West Coast" Coconut Records | 2 "Taper Jean Girl" Kings of Leon | 3 "Beautiful Girls" Sean Kingston | 4 "Do I Have Your Attention" The Blood Arm | 5 "Got Your Moments" Scissors For Lefty | 6 "Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker)" Parliament | 7 "19-2000" Gorillaz | 8 "The Underdog" Spoon | 9 "Pistol of Fire" Kings of Leon | 10 "Disco Lies" Moby | 11 "Do the Whirlwind" Architecture in Helsinki | 12 "Grown So Ugly" The Black Keys | 13 "Four Winds" Bright Eyes | 14 "The Ride" Joan as Policewoman | 15 "Seventeen Years" Ratatat | 16 "Wraith Pinned to the Mist (And Other Games)" Of Montreal | 17 "Fuzz" Mucc
Note that it doesn't include the Timbaland track. The list may be missing other songs as well.
What is the monster?
J.J. Abrams said, "It's a giant monster from the ocean." And he would say no more.
The public saw it for themselves on opening night. It vaguely resembles a giant salamander, with gray, scaly flesh and a long, slender fish tail. It has long, gangly forearms like a wingless bat, large hind legs, similar to a grasshopper's in shape, and several pairs of vestigial limbs.
What is certain beyond any doubt is that, like Hellboy , the monster is completely immune to fire, excessive heat or chemical explosions of any kind, WITHOUT having a visible material or field force shield. It is doubtful that even nuclear or hydrogen bombs could destroy it, since several hours of incessant firing by large caliber machine guns, tank shells, RPGs, bazookas and napalm didn't hurt it at all. In his final and only appearance in daylight, the monster looks completely unharmed and as good as new.
The toy manufacturer, Hasbro, is releasing a 14" model of the Cloverfield monster (with two interchangeable heads) that also includes 10 of the smaller parasite monsters with it. Three pictures of the Cloverfield monster model are now available at the Cloverfield monster toy's product page. The three pictures show a full picture of the monster from the front with a closed mouth, the side with an open mouth, and a closeup picture of the monster's head with its mouth open. No pictures of the toy renditions of the parasites are available yet.
IGN recently added an article complete with photos about the Hasbro Cloverfield toy that was shown at the 2008 Toy Fair.
The big monster is not the only monster in the film. There are smaller (likely parasitic) monsters attached to the big one. These look like a cross between an angry shrimp and a spider--specifically a camel spider. They are seen clinging and walking on the ceiling in the subway tunnel and can jump with great power when attacking. We see them attacking people throughout the movie.
Because the monster seems to fluctuate in size, it is suggested that some of the small monsters are capable of becoming big ones. The director Matt Reeves said that the monster only appears to change its size because of the way it was filmed. "The monster has a pretty consistent size in the film," he says, "even though it's shot in such a way [at the end] that there is a perspective change that makes him look a bit smaller; but it is in fact the monster at his biggest."
Yahoo.com added a one-minute preview video clip of the movie that shows the monster for several seconds up close when the army first engages it early in the movie.
Where does the monster come from?
The producer J.J. Abrams says, "The concept for the monster is simple. He's a baby. He's brand-new. He's confused, disoriented and irritable. And he's been down there in the water for thousands and thousands of years."
And where is he from? "We don't say deliberately," notes the writer, Drew Goddard. "Our movie doesn't have the scientist in the white lab coat who shows up and explains things like that. We don't have that scene."
The film does give us clues. You can clearly see an object flying into the ocean behind Rob and Beth in the closing shot, though many internet commentatorsbelieve that this is a satellite, which was part of the marketing campaign for the film.
(It should also be noted here that the inspiration for the movie was a trip by producer Abrams and his son to Japan. While there, he noted the iconic nature of Godzilla in toy stores and wanted to create a similar story for America. According to Godzilla's lore, America is blamed by Japan for creating the lizard monster through nuclear testing. It might be Abrams' return salute to Japan to have them responsible for the monster that destroys New York, as it would have been awakened by that nation's satellite.)
Note that in the "viral" marketing campaign for the film, there were hints concerning the "Bloop" incident. Several times during the summer of 1997, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recorded an ultra-low frequency underwater sound using U.S. Navy "spy" sensors 3,000 miles apart. The origin of the sound is still unknown, but the frequency of the sound meant it had to be much louder than any recognized animal noise, including that produced by the largest whales, and much louder than the sounds produced by the Cloverfield monster.
Also in the viral campaign were several news reports concerning the destruction of an oil drilling rig, further linking the creature to the deep ocean.
On the website for "Slusho" it says an ingredient in the drink is found in the ocean that can "turn a man into a monster" and also the maker of the drink dreamt that he was "a small fish and when he ate the ingredient he turned into a giant whale".
Does the viral game give any hints about the monster's origins?
Information gleaned from the viral game tells us that a Tagurato submarine went six miles under the ocean and found the Cloverfield monster and his parasites. The sub scared the creatures, resulting in the destruction of the Chuio Station and Manhattan.
What could account for the monster's size and power?
There is a phenomenon known as deep-sea gigantism. The term means that some creatures, who are relatively small when conceived near to the surface, get progressively larger as they develop deeper and deeper in the ocean. For example, squid are usually a maximum of 60 cm in length, but the Giant Squid, which can reside at depths of over 900 m, can reach up to 13 m in length. As for what kind of creature grew to that size, the monster does somewhat resemble animals in the amphipod order.
It could be posited that the monster was disturbed by the oil drilling rig and then followed a tanker ship to the New York harbor (the first thing it destroyed was a tanker ship), where it then proceeded to rip apart the city, finding it a threat. The little creatures that attached themselves to it could be ectoparasites that live on the monster.
One might imagine that the monster's strength, and the toughness of its skin, might be some sort of adaptation to the extremely high pressures of the deep ocean. But this would be wrong, because real-life deep sea organisms do not require such features to survive. As discussed here, it is differences in pressure that are dangerous to organisms, so they will experience no significant problems as long as the liquid in their body is at equally high pressure as the surrounding water, and as long as they have no gas-filled body cavities at lower pressure like humans do. This page says in the "Pressure" subsection that "[w]ith good samples, we now know that deep sea creatures have adapted to pressure by developing bodies with no excess cavities, such as swim bladders, that would collapse under intense pressure. The flesh and bones of deep sea marine creatures are soft and flabby, which also helps them withstand the pressure."
As for respiration, while it is unlikely that the monster could breathe the air if it really was a deep-sea organism, the deep ocean is a low-oxygen zone, meaning the monster would have had to develop ways to absorb and process what oxygen it had available, as well as store it for long stretches of time.
If you follow the faux sites such as 1-18-08.com they describe a secret ingredient for a drink named Slusho. This ingredient named Seabed Nectar is found deep underwater under awesome pressure and in freezing temperatures. It is possible that this chemical mutated a deep sea animal and created the monster, or that the chemical came from the monster itself.
Could a creature really get that big?
A normal living organism of ordinary density could not realistically grow to the size of the Cloverfield monster and still be able to support its weight on land.
As discussed in Section 3 of The Biology of B-Movie Monsters, if one imagines increasing the size of a creature without changing its proportions, the load-bearing strength of its legs will increase in proportion to their cross-sectional area (meaning that if you multiply the creature's length by N, the legs can bear N^2 times as much weight) but its weight will increase more rapidly in proportion to volume (so if you multiply the creature's length by N, the weight will increase by N^3). This is why larger land organisms need to have proportionally thicker legs to support themselves. And yet, as seen in the movie, the legs of the monster do not appear particularly thick in proportion to its body. A physicist calculates here that a land animal could not grow much larger than 10^5 or 10^6 kg (100 - 1000 tonnes). If it were any larger than that its legs would need to be so thick it would be unable to move. The largest dinosaurs probably didn't weigh much more than 60 tonnes (see here), while the paleontologist Kenneth Carpenter estimates in "The Official Godzilla Compendium" that if Godzilla is imagined to be 100 feet tall, it would weigh around 9,800 tonnes; the Cloverfield monster would presumably be even larger, given that the Statue of Liberty is over 111 feet from its feet to its head, and the base that it stands on is over 150 feet high (see here). If the monster approaches this height, its length must be nearly 500 feet. So, an organism made out of the usual biological materials could not really have the size and proportions of the monster without collapsing under its own weight. In comparison the largest dinosaurs (based on a scattering of remains) would have attained a maximum length of 200 feet and a height of 60 feet.
However, one could posit that the monster might be made out of significantly stronger materials than anything found in known earthly organisms; perhaps the tensile strength of its legs are closer to steel or carbon nanotubes than to bone.
Are the smaller creatures parasites or the larger monster's babies?
They are nothing more than parasites, like barnacles. They have no relation to the monster's species in any way.
Matt Reeves confirmed this by referring to the smaller creatures as "parasites" in the Slashfilm interview, "Cloverfield Monster In Detail":
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The parasites have a voracious, rabid, bounding nature, but they also have a crab-like crawl, Reeves explains. They have the viciousness of a dog, but with the ability to climb walls and stick to things.
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Are there two giant monsters?
No. Differences in the main monster's appearance, such as color and size, can be explained by lighting and camera angles.
In the film, the military refer to just one: "Whatever it is, it's winning." The filmmakers have consistently referred to it as "the monster" rather than "monsters." And as mentioned in the entry, "What Is the Monster?," director Matt Reeves has confirmed that the way the creature is filmed merely creates the illusion that there are differences in size.
Is there a picture of King Kong in the movie?
This video shows that directly after the helicopter crash there is a picture of the original King Kong from 1933:
In the static following the short clip of Beth on the train, there is also a picture from The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms (1953). Elsewhere in the film, there is a picture from Them! (1954).
The three hidden pictures can be seen on
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8F-7izRuv8k [/youtube]
What's the date of the attack?
According to the "viral" marketing campaign, the attack takes place on May 22nd and 23rd of 2008.
But in the last scene Rob clearly says, "Saturday, May 23," which takes place in 2009. You decide.
Incidentally, efforts to promote the film's release date has confused matters. On www.1-18-08.com the pictures are dated 1-18-08. The last time the characters logged into their MySpace pages was on 1-18-08.
What does the man in the alley say?
The man asks for help finding his daughter and his family. He says he wouldn't want to live without them.
What is the first skyscraper to collapse?
We can't be sure what happened off-camera. However, the first building we see collapse is the Woolworth Building, located in Downtown Manhattan on Broadway. We see the building while facing directly down Broadway towards the Battery.
This structure has been incorrectly referred to as The Empire State Building, and the Chrysler Building, by some reviewers (no damage is seen done to either of these, though that doesn't mean it didn't happen). While not as iconic as those famous towers, the Woolworth Building is still among the tallest buildings in Manhattan (792 ft.), and was the tallest building in the world when finished in 1913. Its older age, and sunken-caisson foundation, may account for its collapse despite the lack of actual damage seen done to it prior to its destruction.
Is the Statue of Liberty's head too small?
No. The movie shows us the actual proportions of the Statue of Liberty.
These dimensions are taken from the National Park Service:
Head from chin to cranium - 17 feet, 3 inches (5.26 metres)
Head thickness from ear to ear - 10 feet, 0 inches (3.05 metres)
The head could easily fit on a city street, even on its side. The whole statue is only 151 feet (46.02 metres) high. The pedestal adds another 154 feet (46.94 metres).
The makers of the film cited Escape from New York's poster as the inspiration for the Statue head scene in Cloverfield. However, that film's poster depicts the head as unrealistically large, which might account for the misconception that the head in Cloverfield is too small.
How does the camera's battery last for seven hours or more?
It doesn't. The camera is turned on and off many times throughout the night (a seven-hour period), which preserves the battery life for a cumulative recording time of about 74 minutes. This is well within the reach of a consumer digital camcorder. However, there is the larger question of finding a camera which can record 74 minutes of footage of the movie's quality, and can store 74 minutes of that footage on an SD card (as noted in the movie's opening title card).
Few, if any, consumer cameras can record footage which looks like the movie itself. The movie was shot on high-quality HD video cameras, either cinematic cameras or professional handheld cameras (e.g. the HVX-200 camera mentioned above) which give conspicuously high-quality results. The cinematic cameras used to film the movie record on film, disks, or non-SD memory cards. The handheld camera records on either P2 cards (which are not SD cards and also do not allow someone to "record over" footage as seen on the film, and are limited in their capacity) or MiniDV tapes (which provide the capacity and overwriting ability seen in the film but also are not SD cards). The audio quality is also (although authentically degraded) not of a quality expected of a consumer camera.
The camera used in the film is of no specific model. It is probably not the HVX-200 used in filming, as such a camera could not be carried around as easily and used one-handed as seen in the movie. Few consumer or prosumer digital cameras include the active near-IR night vision mode seen in the movie. A number of cameras use SD or cosmetically identical SDHC cards, and can record in a high-definition format for around 100 minutes, but do not meet the video quality requirements of the movie itself.
In summary, the camera's battery life is consistent with consumer digital camcorders in general. The camera's ability to record such high-quality footage for such a time must be chalked up to dramatic license.
What building is Beth's dad's apartment in? Does it really exist?
It does exist, though it's not strictly an apartment complex. The building is the Time Warner Center, located at Columbus Circle on the southwest corner of Central Park. There are two towers, containing offices and residences, connected to one base which contains a shopping center. It was completed in 2003.
Where in Manhattan does the action take place? How close are the locations to each other?
This fan-made map pinpoints all the key scenes in the film by geographical location. The film is remarkably accurate with regard to geography.
Be aware that the map itself contains spoilers.
How long would it have taken to walk from Spring Street to 59th Street in the subway tunnel?
It is about three miles' distance. A person walking briskly travels at about three miles per hour (and most New Yorkers walk even faster). Considering that the protagonists were also in a hurry, they could have made the trip in well under an hour.
Could Rob really have gotten a signal in the subway station?
Yes and no. Many New York subway stations receive a faint signal near their entrances, or wherever there are gratings above that open to the sidewalk. Each station is different; but Rob stays fairly close to the stairway when he's on the phone.
See the question over when the movie takes place. NYC subway stations should be wired for cellular service by 2009; if that's so, and if the movie really is set in 2009, then it's even more likely that Rob would have gotten a signal.
Though it might be coincidental, as the Spring Street station was a film set in California, the actual Spring Street station in Manhattan does receive fairly good reception for cell phone calls.
Why didn't the helicopter pilot fly away from the monster during evacuation?
The monster may have paralleled the helicopter's flight path by accident. It seems to attack at a single point as the helicopter takes off; but then it begins walking down a city street as the helicopter flees the scene.
There are several possible reasons why the pilot did not alter his flight path away from the monster at that point. More than one explanation could simultaneously apply: (1) the pilot didn't notice the monster's direction of travel; (2) the pilot didn't believe the monster could threaten the crew at that altitude; (3) the altitude of the chopper was only barely above the highest Manhattan rooftops at that point, and it may have still been trying to gain altitude before changing direction; (4) the pilot may have been given orders to evacuate via a fixed route, and the pilot may have been reluctant to disobey his orders; (5) the pilot may have been instructed to stay on his current flight path in order to avoid the risk of being hit by the bombs falling near him from the B-2 bomber above him.
The airspace over a battlefield is tightly controlled. Numerous force packages of attack aircraft and bombers are targeting the creature. And there is probably fire from artillery units as well. All of those use parts of the airspace above the battlefield. The evacuation helicopters would have been given certain routes that are free of high speed tactical aircraft; strategic bombers; the ordnance those platforms would be dropping; and the incoming artillery shells. To leave the narrow preplanned flight path would be to invite destruction by an air to air collision or by getting hit by ordnance or incoming fire.
What happens to Marlena, the girl who gets bitten?
Marlena, the girl who gets bitten, starts to bleed from her eyes and ears; then the military takes her behind a curtain. Watch closely and you'll see her stomach expand and burst.
This event is foreshadowed when a dead soldier, whose chest and stomach had burst open, is wheeled in a stretcher past the camera. And earlier, when the monster first attacks, the characters pass by several ambulances. In one of the ambulances we can hear a woman scream, followed by some unusual noises. Her scream is loud and piercing; later, Marlena will make the same horrible scream.
Why this happens is unclear. Maybe something in the monster's saliva causes the body to create an excess of fluid or gas. Maybe the small monsters reproduce by biting their prey and impregnating them (somewhat like the Alien movies. Note that as she's being taken away by two medics, a rifle is trained on her stomach). Whatever caused it, Marlena suffers horribly and dies.
What happens to Lily?
We don't know. After her helicopter leaves, we don't see her again. One thing that suggests she might have died is that Lily has not logged back into her MySpace account. She has this in common with Hud and Marlena, who both unquestionably died, and Rob and Beth, who probably died. (Note that the real-life MySpace accounts for fictional characters are part of a marketing campaign; and no one is obligated to take publicity into account.)
The survival of Lily has at least two arguments in its favor. Or rather, her survival has one argument in its favor and one common argument against it proven wrong.
First, Rob lists the persons he saw killed by the monster--Marlena, Jason and Hud. He doesn't mention Lily, which at least suggests that he believes she's alive.
Second, after the second helicopter takes off, we see a flaming mass thrown into a military truck. Many people have assumed that this is Lily's helicopter. But if you look closely it is obvious that the wreck is actually a truck. The mass is too small to be a helicopter, and a pair of headlights can be seen on the front.
The special effects featurette on the DVD confirms that the flaming wreck is indeed a truck and not a helicopter (although, again, no one need take into account any evidence outside the film itself).
What happens to Hud?
The monster bites him in half.
As the monster chews him, there is about one second where we can see Hud's legs sticking out between the monster's teeth, right before the monster bites down hard and Hud's top half goes spinning towards the ground. As he falls out of the monster's mouth, we can see his legs above him, still sticking out of the teeth.
As the camera falls to the ground, we can see Hud's left hand flailing about in front of the camera; and we can see his face. When the top half of Hud's body lands on the ground, the camera is showing only his head (right profile shot) and shoulders.
Hud's fate is foreshadowed early in the movie. Marlena says that she witnessed the monster "eating people."
On Hud's official viral Myspace.com page his height was changed on the day following the movie's debut to 2' 6".
See also: "Proof that Hud was bitten in half":
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=fcQTdpVMepw [/youtube]
What happens to Rob and Beth?
Nobody knows for sure; we don't actually see what happens to them when the bridge collapses. The camera gets buried under a pile of rubble after the first explosion. We can see Rob's back. He is hunched over, presumably in an attempt to protect Beth.
After the end credits, there is a whisper that sounds like "Help us." When played backwards, it says "It's still alive." Presumably, the voice is Rob's. But because it was Matt Reeves, and not the actor playing Rob, who recorded the message, the identity of the speaker is in doubt.
Do any of the characters in this movie survive?
EditHistoryDelete The question does not have a clear answer.
We know that Jason was killed when the monster smashed its tail over the Brooklyn Bridge. Marlena died from a parasite bite that burst her stomach open. Hud was bitten in half by the monster.
Rob and Beth were probably crushed to death by rubble, following some kind of explosion. But their fate is open to question.
Lily, the girl who was put on a separate helicopter and never seen again, is rumored to have survived. But many viewers say that her helicopter was destroyed along with Rob's.
What type of weapon does the U.S. Military use at the very end?
Specifically, does the U.S. Military use a nuclear weapon against the monster? Some reviewers have assumed they do. Although we never see the events after the rubble envelops the camera, the answer would appear to be no, for several reasons:
1. The two explosions that take place outside the tunnel, filling it with debris, appear to be from conventional weapons. A nuclear weapon would have produced a blinding white flash followed by a much larger "vaporizing-effect" explosion. Assuming the military was attempting a direct hit on the monster, and the monster was still nearby (meaning, still in the park with Rob and Beth), then Rob, Beth, the bridge, and the camera would have been completely vaporized, leaving no record.
2. The production team got all their geography and physics right. We can assume that had they intended to suggest a nuclear weapon, they would have portrayed it in the correct way, with the above-mentioned flash. The two distinctly separate explosions reinforce the idea that the filmmakers took great care with their effects.
3. Although the soldier refers to "level[ing] Manhattan," being "prepared to let this whole area go," and "Operation Hammer Down," no one uses the phrase "nuclear weapon." The military may have been prepared to go that far, but there is no evidence that they use nuclear weapons during the events depicted the film. And even if the military had been prepared to use such weapons they do not control the use of nuclear weapons on the ground. It would have required direct Presidential action to authorize the use of a nuclear weapon.
4. The United States government would be extremely reluctant to use nuclear weapons to eliminate a threat on American soil. The blast would kill refugees in the surrounding boroughs and the additional problem of wide spread radioactive contamination, especially from a surface burst weapon, would have been unacceptable unless it was the absolute last resort.
5. There are a variety of large air dropped ordnance that would have been used before the deployment of a nuclear weapon. These include thermobaric weapons and fuel air explosives. Both of these use extremely large amounts of chemicals that rapidly react to produce tremendous quantities of heat and a large blast overpressure. Unlike nuclear weapons they do not produce radioactive fallout and their effects are generally far more limited in scope than most nuclear weapons. The Thermobaric bombs, and extremely large high explosive weapons such as the MOAB (Massive Ordnance Air Burst) are guided by GPS so hitting a moving target, even one as large as the Cloverfield monster would be difficult. Other ordnance uses laser guidance so they can hit any target being designated (painted) by the correct type of laser. This includes "bunker buster" ordnance, which are several thousand pound bombs with a thick steel casing designed to allow them to penetrate several yards of heavy concrete before detonating.
6. In addition, the two explosions suggest multiple bombs falling upon Central Park. If a nuclear device was being used, it would seem pointless in dropping several bombs prior to the nuclear detonation that some people believe to be the ending. Also, multiple bombings (conventional then nuclear) would require several different jets in the air. In order to drop a nuclear bomb, a specific type of jet is required, to shield it from the EMP (electro magnetic pulse) generated from the bomb.
7. For the military to "retrieve" the camera (as stated in the opening title cards) from a nuclear blast zone would mean that after the bombing, they engaged in a massive search & recovery effort, which would have meant digging through many square miles of radioactive waste and rubble. Not only is this unlikely in itself, but for them to find and single out the miraculously undamaged footage from what would have been millions of personal effects scattered throughout Manhattan is borderline impossible.
Were nuclear weapons used after the events depicted? That's unlikely. Again, a nuclear explosion would have destroyed the recording inside the camera. Even if the blast and fireball did not destroy the camera the electromagnetic pulse would have destroyed the recording.
Is there something seen falling from the sky in the very last shot of the film?
Look for the splash on the right side of the screen when the camera is looking out over the sea. This scene occurs immediately after the noisy scene where Rob and Beth are bombed while taking shelter under the arch in Central Park. After the bombing scene, the camera cuts to a relatively quiet ocean-and-shore scene filmed from atop a Ferris wheel at Coney Island, then Rob turns the camera on himself and Beth sitting in the caged Ferris wheel car. The object splashes into the ocean during this first ocean footage, a fraction of a second before Rob turns the camera back toward himself and Beth. The falling object occurs on the lower right part of the screen, entering at about a 45-degree angle from the right to the left, passing over the two ships seen on the right, and splashing to the left of both ships, but about a mile farther out to sea than the ships are, aligned between the two telephone poles on shore. A small, dark, stationary, spherical object is positioned in the sea close to shore, but contrary to earlier speculation, that is not the falling object. The falling object's trajectory is black and the object has been described as being black or gray in color. The trajectory is seen for only about a half second, and terminates in a white splash, comparable in size to the size of the two ships.
Though many believe this to be the monster, the storyestablished in the "viral" marketing campaign for the film says that a piece of the Japanese Government's "ChimpanzIII" satellite fell from space into the Atlantic ocean sometime before the monster's attack, so this might be the object seen falling from the sky. Internet rumors say that J.J. Abrams has confirmed that this is what it was, but we have been unable to find an interview or other source for this claim.
Director Matt Reaves has also mentioned that there is an object that can be seen splashing down in the final scene. He did not elaborate on what that object might be.
It should also be noted here that the inspiration for the movie was a trip by producer Abrams and his son to Japan. While there, he noted the iconic nature of Godzilla in toy stores and wanted to create a similar story for America. According to Godzilla's lore, America is blamed by Japan for creating the lizard monster through nuclear testing. It might be Abrams' return salute to Japan to have them responsible for the monster that destroys New York, as it would have been awakened by that nation's satellite.
What do they whisper at the end?
EditHistoryDelete It sounds like "Help us." But the line is backmasked, or played backwards. Played backwards, the line is "It's still alive!"
Listen to the reversed line on boomp3.com here
Are there any pictures of the monster?
Yes:
Hasbro, the toy manufacturer has finished producing a 14" replica model of the Cloverfield monster and added a product page with three pictures of the monster. There are three pictures currently available of the Cloverfield monster replica: a full view of the monster from the front, a full view from the side, and a close up of the monster with an open mouth.
Media and Entertainment website IGN added an article complete with photos about the Hasbro Cloverfield toy that was shown at the Hasbro 2008 Toy Fair.
All of these pictures are from the video titled "The Monster Revealed": http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809873032/video/5955724/
Clover's Face: http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg19 … 1201929750
Clover's Face(v2): http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg19 … 1201929359
Clover's Face(v3): http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg19 … 1201929378
Clover's Face (Casual): http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg19 … 1201929408
Clover's Body: http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg19 … 1201929445
Clover's Body(v2): http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg19 … 1201929491
Clover's Body(v3): http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg19 … 1201929507
Clover's Foot (REALLY nice): http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg19 … 1201929524
Clover's Arm: http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg19 … 1201929563
How could the monster reach a helicopter flying high above it?
The monster ordinarily crawls on four legs, and even when crawling is already comparable in height to many Manhattan skyscrapers. The monster has long and powerful back legs, and one theory is that the monster could easily reach much higher by standing up on its hind legs, or by leaping on its hind legs. The monster may have seen the helicopter's lights through the dust, and may have disliked bright lights, especially if the monster came from dark ocean depths.
Another theory is that the monster could easily reach the helicopter with its mouth by standing or propelling itself with its front legs. The Hasbro 14" replica toy of the Cloverfield monster depicts it with significantly longer and wider front legs than back legs as seen in this photo
Are there any pictures of the parasites?
A few photos have been collected here:
http://www.simnia.com/film/specific/clo … parasites/
Why are no children or elderly people shown in the movie?
One old man can be seen when the Statue of Liberty's head lands in the street. The crying of a baby can be heard in one stairwell scene early in the film.
One defense of the absence of children and the elderly in the film is that children and the elderly are less likely to be out at night, especially after midnight when the monster attack begins. Moreover, the 30ish screenwriter wrote a story about persons around his own age, who don't have children and don't spend time with the elderly after midnight. The story's focus makes it not so strange that the very young and very old are excluded from the movie.
Other critics blame practical filming issues, citing several constraints on filmmakers: (1) child labor laws prevent filmmakers from using child models at night; (2) children are more likely to disclose guarded information to the public; (3) children require added efforts to keep them safe; (4) underage models require an additional signature on their release forms, which creates delays and coordination problems; (5) the American public is very sensitive about the depiction of children being harmed or killed in films.
Was there really a guy in the news setting homeless people on fire?
There have been several real life incidents of homeless people being set on fire in New York, as well as in other cities across the U.S., but there was no single perpetrator common to such attacks. For example on October 5, 2007, a 48-year-old homeless man, Felix Najera, died after a group of several teens set him on fire in East Harlem. On April 22, 1992, three Bronx teenagers set a 60-year old homeless man on fire in a subway stairwell, and six more copycat incidents happened earlier that year in the subway system. On October 7, 1988, 34-year-old Michael Howard died from being set on fire near Penn Station in Manhattan. In May 2001, three teenage boys set fire to 47-year-old Walter Eakman, who was drunk and sleeping in a stairwell, and who died two days later from his burns.
Will there be a sequel?
The producers have discussed the possibility of a sequel, or rather a retelling of the movie's premise, noting that there were probably many other movies being shot that night. Abrams pointed out, for example, that somebody is filming next to Hud during the bridge scene and that this moment would provide a natural point for the two movies to cross over. But they say they don't intend to release a film purely on the success of the first--a sequel would have to be in the "spirit" of the original.
There are many other possible sources of footage of the "Cloverfield" incident. Most of the soldiers in the movie have video cameras mounted on their helmets (as in real life), and there is extensive TV news coverage of the monster.
There's also the possibility of a prequel. The backstory for this film is only available on the internet.
When did this come out on DVD?
It came out on April 22nd, 2008 in the US, May 21st in New Zealand and May 22nd in Australia. It is scheduled for a June 9th release in the UK. The following are all the currently known editions of the movie:
1) Standard Edition - Everywhere
2) Steelbook Edition - FYE, Suncoast, and HMV (UK only)
3) TJ Miller Video Diary Edition - Best Buy
4) Rob's Party Mix Edition - Target
5) Ringtone Edition - K-Mart and Sears
6) Production Booklet Edition - Borders
CloverfieldClues reviewed three of these, giving the Steelbook the highest grade with a solid A. The TJ Miller Video Diary edition received a B+. And the Rob's Party Mix Edition received a B-.
The Region 4 DVD, which came out in New Zealand and Australia on May 21st and 22nd, respectively, comes with a One-Disc and a Two-Disc edition. The One-Disc edition has the film, the Director's Commentary and "Cloverfield Supplemental Files" (which are small "Making Of" clips that play throughout the film). The Two-Disc edition contains the first disc from the One-Disc version, plus all of the special features present on the Region 1 One-Disc edition.
The 2-Disc edition will be released in the UK and Australia. It is currently unknown if it will be released in New Zealand, although it is likely that it won't be.
Has Clover attacked anywhere else?
The viral explains all:
In the Manga series, we learn Clover also attacked Japan. And when the film was released on DVD in Australia, videos of Clover attacking Sydney appeared.
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Source
Took me bloody ages to put all of the urls into it and make the titles bold and underlined
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A NOTE ABOUT SPOILERS
The following FAQ entries may contain spoilers. Only the biggest ones will be covered with spoiler tags. It is assumed that no one who is diligently avoiding spoilers will be visiting this page in the first place.
Does this film have an official website?
The following websites are probably official:
1) www.cloverfieldmovie.com. The background shows a picture of the Statue of the Liberty, partly destroyed. The trailer starts as soon as one opens the main page. There is also a link to view the trailer in HD (high definition).
2) http://www.1-18-08.com/. The site is owned by Paramount Pictures. It currently shows ten photos that appear to have been taken from a digital camera. One can flip the photos over to read messages written on the back. One message is in Japanese. The message on the back is a recipe for a cold noodle dish that uses "honey of the sea." This could be the same ingredient in the Slusho drinks.
3) http://www.0-00-00.com/. This site is nearly identical to 1-18-08.com.
4) Characters have their own MySpace pages. See Rob for an example.
5) http://www.slusho.jp/. This site is designed to look like a commercial website for a fictitious beverage called Slusho. Slusho has appeared in two other productions from J.J. Abrams: "Lost" and "Alias."
The Slusho site is elaborate enough to seem real. It includes a "Happy Talk" comment page, a page listing stores that sell the product, a page about mixing the various flavors of Slusho, and more. A page on the company's history gives clues to what the movie is about. There are hints throughout the site that Slusho can turn a person into a monster.
6) www.tagruato.jp. This is a site for the fictional company that produces the fictional beverage, Slusho. (See #5.)
The site is made to appear as if someone has hacked into it and added the message "Tagruato is destroying our oceans." A photo of Ganu Yoshida, the head of the company, has been vandalized. He is shown with horns on his head; he is looking over a ruined city and a number of sea animals, each with its name written on its body.
This site reports a disturbance at its latest deep sea mining facility off the North East coast of the United States.
In "An Open Letter from Ganu Yoshida," he acknowledges damage to the deep sea mining facility and attributes the action to a terrorist group. "Our newest and brightest oil rigging development, Chuai Station, was attacked by a terrorist environment group called Tidowave."
On January 18, 2008, the website was taken down, with a message written in Japanese. The message read "Under Maintenance."
The site has been running again since Jan. 25, 2008, and appears to be the same as it was before the January 18 "shut down".
7) Tidowave has its own webpage. It is made to look like the Tagruato site, but the hands holding up the planet become claws that squeeze the planet and drain its red color. Then we read, "Bleeding the planet dry since 1945."
On January 18, 2008, the website was locked, with a Department of External Affairs watermark in the center of the front page, and a USC code at the top.
The code is the US CODE: Title 18,2332b. Acts of Terror Transcending National Boundaries. (See also: this webpage).
The site has been running again since Jan 25, 2008 and appears to be the same as it was before the January 18 "shut down." Similar to the Tagruato site.
8) http://www.jamieandteddy.com password is: jllovesth
Jamie Lascano recorded eleven videos of herself and put them up on this website. In video 5, Jamie opens a gift she received from her boyfriend, Teddy. She gets a tape from him saying he has been captured by Tagruato. There is also an unknown item she received that says, "Jamie, don't eat this." She assumes it is a joke and eats it.
Jamie Lascano was supposed to be a main character in the film, but she's only in it for a few seconds at the beginning. She's the blonde woman passed out on the couch at the party.
9) http://www.missingteddyhanssen.blogspot.com
This site is unconfirmed, but given the amount of evidence, including a post on Tidowave directly addressing "MissingTeddyHanssen," aka Alyse Hanssen, the likelihood of it being legitimate is high.
What does the title "Cloverfield" mean?
e The director, Matt Reeves, explained in a USA Today article that Cloverfield is the name of the military operation dispatched to battle the monster. This is spelled out in the film, at the very start: "Multiple sightings of Case designate 'Cloverfield.'" The phrase is superimposed over a backdrop that says "US Department of Defense - Do Not Duplicate."
Why "Cloverfield"? Fans have many ideas, including the notion that the three-toed monster's footprints make the ground he walks on look like a field of clover.
Originally, "Cloverfield" was reported to be nothing more than an early working title, derived from the name of a street near J.J. Abrams's office.
In an Entertainment Weekly article (Issue #975, "A New York State of...Panic!" 1/25/08), Drew Goddard, the screenwriter for Cloverfield, says the title was his creation. And the meaning behind the title? "I've never told anyone my reasons," he says. "Not even J.J."
Matt Reeves, in an LAist interview, confirms that the title Cloverfield did come from Goddard. He says it's a confused version of the name of a corporation Paramount owns.
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When we started the project there was going to be an announcement in the trades. In this case, they wanted to keep everything under wraps. So the movie was going to be made under this outside corporation that was basically a property of Paramount. That corporation had a name that I don't know the name of. I think Clover was the first part of it. Maybe it was Cloverdale. When Drew [Goddard] was putting a name to the project, there was supposed to be a name for the project like there was for The Manhattan Project. So he said, "I am going to use that weird mysterious thing," and he misheard it. He didn't even understand that it wasn't Cloverfield, it was Cloverdale. Maybe that was because of the street by J.J.s old office, but the truth is he just misunderstood it.
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Was this movie supposed to be called "Bertha"?
No. The film was shipped to American theaters under the fake title, Bertha. (In the UK, however, it was shipped under its real title, Cloverfield.)
What cameras were used to film this movie?
The camera the characters use is probably supposed to be a Panasonic HVX200.
The production team actually used a variety of different cameras, including the HVX, the Sony F23, and the Thomson Viper.
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[Director of Photography Michael] Bonvillain used the Viper in FilmStream mode [4:4:4 RGB Data], since some of the trailer footage would be incorporated into the film, recording to tape, but also relied on a variety of other cameras throughout production. We shot with $400 cameras and $80,000 cameras. We used whatever worked for a given scene. Basically, if we could use the [Panasonic] HVX[200], and there were no visual FX, we did. It is really small and felt the most like a small consumer camera. After testing the Viper, the Panavised F900 and the then-brand-new Sony CineAlta F23 at night in downtown Los Angeles, Bonvillain decided to use the F23 for the New York phase of shooting. I found the F23 to be more sensitive in available light situations. Unlike the Viper, which comes back with a green bias that has to be dialed out, the F23 looked a lot more natural to my eye.
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-- International Cinematographers Guild, "A Monster on the Loose" (Note: Javascript must be turned off or the link will redirect you to the homepage.)
The actual Panasonic HVX-200 video camera supposedly used to film "Cloverfield" was sold on eBay on January 23, 2008, for $4,605.00. The starting bid was $2,500.00. The eBay item number was 130190870984, and the listing was entitled "PANASONIC HVX-200 CAMERA USED ON THE MOVIE CLOVERFIELD". An additional copy of the eBay listing and its photos of the camera can be found here in case the eBay listing link expires. The listing contained the following description:
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THIS FANTASTIC CAMERA IS A TRUE 24P HD MOTION PICTURE CAMERA, AND IT WAS USED EXCLUSIVELY FOR THE MOVIE "CLOVERFIELD". I was the Digital Imaging Supervisor on the movie, and we used the HVX-200 extensively. "Cloverfield" is shot entirely from a video camera's point of view and THIS is that camera!! I bought this HVX as a backup camera to our main shooting cam. It was BARELY used throughout shooting, as shown by the picture below which lists the Operation and Recording Hours (6 Operation Hours and Not even ONE Recording Hour).
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What music is playing during the party?
A promotional CD compilation was given away at one of the release parties for the movie and is called "Rob's Party Mix." This mix is also currently available as a "mix tape" on iTunes.
The complete list of tunes from the compilation:
1 "West Coast" Coconut Records | 2 "Taper Jean Girl" Kings of Leon | 3 "Beautiful Girls" Sean Kingston | 4 "Do I Have Your Attention" The Blood Arm | 5 "Got Your Moments" Scissors For Lefty | 6 "Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker)" Parliament | 7 "19-2000" Gorillaz | 8 "The Underdog" Spoon | 9 "Pistol of Fire" Kings of Leon | 10 "Disco Lies" Moby | 11 "Do the Whirlwind" Architecture in Helsinki | 12 "Grown So Ugly" The Black Keys | 13 "Four Winds" Bright Eyes | 14 "The Ride" Joan as Policewoman | 15 "Seventeen Years" Ratatat | 16 "Wraith Pinned to the Mist (And Other Games)" Of Montreal | 17 "Fuzz" Mucc
Note that it doesn't include the Timbaland track. The list may be missing other songs as well.
What is the monster?
J.J. Abrams said, "It's a giant monster from the ocean." And he would say no more.
The public saw it for themselves on opening night. It vaguely resembles a giant salamander, with gray, scaly flesh and a long, slender fish tail. It has long, gangly forearms like a wingless bat, large hind legs, similar to a grasshopper's in shape, and several pairs of vestigial limbs.
What is certain beyond any doubt is that, like Hellboy , the monster is completely immune to fire, excessive heat or chemical explosions of any kind, WITHOUT having a visible material or field force shield. It is doubtful that even nuclear or hydrogen bombs could destroy it, since several hours of incessant firing by large caliber machine guns, tank shells, RPGs, bazookas and napalm didn't hurt it at all. In his final and only appearance in daylight, the monster looks completely unharmed and as good as new.
The toy manufacturer, Hasbro, is releasing a 14" model of the Cloverfield monster (with two interchangeable heads) that also includes 10 of the smaller parasite monsters with it. Three pictures of the Cloverfield monster model are now available at the Cloverfield monster toy's product page. The three pictures show a full picture of the monster from the front with a closed mouth, the side with an open mouth, and a closeup picture of the monster's head with its mouth open. No pictures of the toy renditions of the parasites are available yet.
IGN recently added an article complete with photos about the Hasbro Cloverfield toy that was shown at the 2008 Toy Fair.
The big monster is not the only monster in the film. There are smaller (likely parasitic) monsters attached to the big one. These look like a cross between an angry shrimp and a spider--specifically a camel spider. They are seen clinging and walking on the ceiling in the subway tunnel and can jump with great power when attacking. We see them attacking people throughout the movie.
Because the monster seems to fluctuate in size, it is suggested that some of the small monsters are capable of becoming big ones. The director Matt Reeves said that the monster only appears to change its size because of the way it was filmed. "The monster has a pretty consistent size in the film," he says, "even though it's shot in such a way [at the end] that there is a perspective change that makes him look a bit smaller; but it is in fact the monster at his biggest."
Yahoo.com added a one-minute preview video clip of the movie that shows the monster for several seconds up close when the army first engages it early in the movie.
Where does the monster come from?
The producer J.J. Abrams says, "The concept for the monster is simple. He's a baby. He's brand-new. He's confused, disoriented and irritable. And he's been down there in the water for thousands and thousands of years."
And where is he from? "We don't say deliberately," notes the writer, Drew Goddard. "Our movie doesn't have the scientist in the white lab coat who shows up and explains things like that. We don't have that scene."
The film does give us clues. You can clearly see an object flying into the ocean behind Rob and Beth in the closing shot, though many internet commentatorsbelieve that this is a satellite, which was part of the marketing campaign for the film.
(It should also be noted here that the inspiration for the movie was a trip by producer Abrams and his son to Japan. While there, he noted the iconic nature of Godzilla in toy stores and wanted to create a similar story for America. According to Godzilla's lore, America is blamed by Japan for creating the lizard monster through nuclear testing. It might be Abrams' return salute to Japan to have them responsible for the monster that destroys New York, as it would have been awakened by that nation's satellite.)
Note that in the "viral" marketing campaign for the film, there were hints concerning the "Bloop" incident. Several times during the summer of 1997, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recorded an ultra-low frequency underwater sound using U.S. Navy "spy" sensors 3,000 miles apart. The origin of the sound is still unknown, but the frequency of the sound meant it had to be much louder than any recognized animal noise, including that produced by the largest whales, and much louder than the sounds produced by the Cloverfield monster.
Also in the viral campaign were several news reports concerning the destruction of an oil drilling rig, further linking the creature to the deep ocean.
On the website for "Slusho" it says an ingredient in the drink is found in the ocean that can "turn a man into a monster" and also the maker of the drink dreamt that he was "a small fish and when he ate the ingredient he turned into a giant whale".
Does the viral game give any hints about the monster's origins?
Information gleaned from the viral game tells us that a Tagurato submarine went six miles under the ocean and found the Cloverfield monster and his parasites. The sub scared the creatures, resulting in the destruction of the Chuio Station and Manhattan.
What could account for the monster's size and power?
There is a phenomenon known as deep-sea gigantism. The term means that some creatures, who are relatively small when conceived near to the surface, get progressively larger as they develop deeper and deeper in the ocean. For example, squid are usually a maximum of 60 cm in length, but the Giant Squid, which can reside at depths of over 900 m, can reach up to 13 m in length. As for what kind of creature grew to that size, the monster does somewhat resemble animals in the amphipod order.
It could be posited that the monster was disturbed by the oil drilling rig and then followed a tanker ship to the New York harbor (the first thing it destroyed was a tanker ship), where it then proceeded to rip apart the city, finding it a threat. The little creatures that attached themselves to it could be ectoparasites that live on the monster.
One might imagine that the monster's strength, and the toughness of its skin, might be some sort of adaptation to the extremely high pressures of the deep ocean. But this would be wrong, because real-life deep sea organisms do not require such features to survive. As discussed here, it is differences in pressure that are dangerous to organisms, so they will experience no significant problems as long as the liquid in their body is at equally high pressure as the surrounding water, and as long as they have no gas-filled body cavities at lower pressure like humans do. This page says in the "Pressure" subsection that "[w]ith good samples, we now know that deep sea creatures have adapted to pressure by developing bodies with no excess cavities, such as swim bladders, that would collapse under intense pressure. The flesh and bones of deep sea marine creatures are soft and flabby, which also helps them withstand the pressure."
As for respiration, while it is unlikely that the monster could breathe the air if it really was a deep-sea organism, the deep ocean is a low-oxygen zone, meaning the monster would have had to develop ways to absorb and process what oxygen it had available, as well as store it for long stretches of time.
If you follow the faux sites such as 1-18-08.com they describe a secret ingredient for a drink named Slusho. This ingredient named Seabed Nectar is found deep underwater under awesome pressure and in freezing temperatures. It is possible that this chemical mutated a deep sea animal and created the monster, or that the chemical came from the monster itself.
Could a creature really get that big?
A normal living organism of ordinary density could not realistically grow to the size of the Cloverfield monster and still be able to support its weight on land.
As discussed in Section 3 of The Biology of B-Movie Monsters, if one imagines increasing the size of a creature without changing its proportions, the load-bearing strength of its legs will increase in proportion to their cross-sectional area (meaning that if you multiply the creature's length by N, the legs can bear N^2 times as much weight) but its weight will increase more rapidly in proportion to volume (so if you multiply the creature's length by N, the weight will increase by N^3). This is why larger land organisms need to have proportionally thicker legs to support themselves. And yet, as seen in the movie, the legs of the monster do not appear particularly thick in proportion to its body. A physicist calculates here that a land animal could not grow much larger than 10^5 or 10^6 kg (100 - 1000 tonnes). If it were any larger than that its legs would need to be so thick it would be unable to move. The largest dinosaurs probably didn't weigh much more than 60 tonnes (see here), while the paleontologist Kenneth Carpenter estimates in "The Official Godzilla Compendium" that if Godzilla is imagined to be 100 feet tall, it would weigh around 9,800 tonnes; the Cloverfield monster would presumably be even larger, given that the Statue of Liberty is over 111 feet from its feet to its head, and the base that it stands on is over 150 feet high (see here). If the monster approaches this height, its length must be nearly 500 feet. So, an organism made out of the usual biological materials could not really have the size and proportions of the monster without collapsing under its own weight. In comparison the largest dinosaurs (based on a scattering of remains) would have attained a maximum length of 200 feet and a height of 60 feet.
However, one could posit that the monster might be made out of significantly stronger materials than anything found in known earthly organisms; perhaps the tensile strength of its legs are closer to steel or carbon nanotubes than to bone.
Are the smaller creatures parasites or the larger monster's babies?
They are nothing more than parasites, like barnacles. They have no relation to the monster's species in any way.
Matt Reeves confirmed this by referring to the smaller creatures as "parasites" in the Slashfilm interview, "Cloverfield Monster In Detail":
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The parasites have a voracious, rabid, bounding nature, but they also have a crab-like crawl, Reeves explains. They have the viciousness of a dog, but with the ability to climb walls and stick to things.
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Are there two giant monsters?
No. Differences in the main monster's appearance, such as color and size, can be explained by lighting and camera angles.
In the film, the military refer to just one: "Whatever it is, it's winning." The filmmakers have consistently referred to it as "the monster" rather than "monsters." And as mentioned in the entry, "What Is the Monster?," director Matt Reeves has confirmed that the way the creature is filmed merely creates the illusion that there are differences in size.
Is there a picture of King Kong in the movie?
This video shows that directly after the helicopter crash there is a picture of the original King Kong from 1933:
In the static following the short clip of Beth on the train, there is also a picture from The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms (1953). Elsewhere in the film, there is a picture from Them! (1954).
The three hidden pictures can be seen on
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8F-7izRuv8k [/youtube]
What's the date of the attack?
According to the "viral" marketing campaign, the attack takes place on May 22nd and 23rd of 2008.
But in the last scene Rob clearly says, "Saturday, May 23," which takes place in 2009. You decide.
Incidentally, efforts to promote the film's release date has confused matters. On www.1-18-08.com the pictures are dated 1-18-08. The last time the characters logged into their MySpace pages was on 1-18-08.
What does the man in the alley say?
The man asks for help finding his daughter and his family. He says he wouldn't want to live without them.
What is the first skyscraper to collapse?
We can't be sure what happened off-camera. However, the first building we see collapse is the Woolworth Building, located in Downtown Manhattan on Broadway. We see the building while facing directly down Broadway towards the Battery.
This structure has been incorrectly referred to as The Empire State Building, and the Chrysler Building, by some reviewers (no damage is seen done to either of these, though that doesn't mean it didn't happen). While not as iconic as those famous towers, the Woolworth Building is still among the tallest buildings in Manhattan (792 ft.), and was the tallest building in the world when finished in 1913. Its older age, and sunken-caisson foundation, may account for its collapse despite the lack of actual damage seen done to it prior to its destruction.
Is the Statue of Liberty's head too small?
No. The movie shows us the actual proportions of the Statue of Liberty.
These dimensions are taken from the National Park Service:
Head from chin to cranium - 17 feet, 3 inches (5.26 metres)
Head thickness from ear to ear - 10 feet, 0 inches (3.05 metres)
The head could easily fit on a city street, even on its side. The whole statue is only 151 feet (46.02 metres) high. The pedestal adds another 154 feet (46.94 metres).
The makers of the film cited Escape from New York's poster as the inspiration for the Statue head scene in Cloverfield. However, that film's poster depicts the head as unrealistically large, which might account for the misconception that the head in Cloverfield is too small.
How does the camera's battery last for seven hours or more?
It doesn't. The camera is turned on and off many times throughout the night (a seven-hour period), which preserves the battery life for a cumulative recording time of about 74 minutes. This is well within the reach of a consumer digital camcorder. However, there is the larger question of finding a camera which can record 74 minutes of footage of the movie's quality, and can store 74 minutes of that footage on an SD card (as noted in the movie's opening title card).
Few, if any, consumer cameras can record footage which looks like the movie itself. The movie was shot on high-quality HD video cameras, either cinematic cameras or professional handheld cameras (e.g. the HVX-200 camera mentioned above) which give conspicuously high-quality results. The cinematic cameras used to film the movie record on film, disks, or non-SD memory cards. The handheld camera records on either P2 cards (which are not SD cards and also do not allow someone to "record over" footage as seen on the film, and are limited in their capacity) or MiniDV tapes (which provide the capacity and overwriting ability seen in the film but also are not SD cards). The audio quality is also (although authentically degraded) not of a quality expected of a consumer camera.
The camera used in the film is of no specific model. It is probably not the HVX-200 used in filming, as such a camera could not be carried around as easily and used one-handed as seen in the movie. Few consumer or prosumer digital cameras include the active near-IR night vision mode seen in the movie. A number of cameras use SD or cosmetically identical SDHC cards, and can record in a high-definition format for around 100 minutes, but do not meet the video quality requirements of the movie itself.
In summary, the camera's battery life is consistent with consumer digital camcorders in general. The camera's ability to record such high-quality footage for such a time must be chalked up to dramatic license.
What building is Beth's dad's apartment in? Does it really exist?
It does exist, though it's not strictly an apartment complex. The building is the Time Warner Center, located at Columbus Circle on the southwest corner of Central Park. There are two towers, containing offices and residences, connected to one base which contains a shopping center. It was completed in 2003.
Where in Manhattan does the action take place? How close are the locations to each other?
This fan-made map pinpoints all the key scenes in the film by geographical location. The film is remarkably accurate with regard to geography.
Be aware that the map itself contains spoilers.
How long would it have taken to walk from Spring Street to 59th Street in the subway tunnel?
It is about three miles' distance. A person walking briskly travels at about three miles per hour (and most New Yorkers walk even faster). Considering that the protagonists were also in a hurry, they could have made the trip in well under an hour.
Could Rob really have gotten a signal in the subway station?
Yes and no. Many New York subway stations receive a faint signal near their entrances, or wherever there are gratings above that open to the sidewalk. Each station is different; but Rob stays fairly close to the stairway when he's on the phone.
See the question over when the movie takes place. NYC subway stations should be wired for cellular service by 2009; if that's so, and if the movie really is set in 2009, then it's even more likely that Rob would have gotten a signal.
Though it might be coincidental, as the Spring Street station was a film set in California, the actual Spring Street station in Manhattan does receive fairly good reception for cell phone calls.
Why didn't the helicopter pilot fly away from the monster during evacuation?
The monster may have paralleled the helicopter's flight path by accident. It seems to attack at a single point as the helicopter takes off; but then it begins walking down a city street as the helicopter flees the scene.
There are several possible reasons why the pilot did not alter his flight path away from the monster at that point. More than one explanation could simultaneously apply: (1) the pilot didn't notice the monster's direction of travel; (2) the pilot didn't believe the monster could threaten the crew at that altitude; (3) the altitude of the chopper was only barely above the highest Manhattan rooftops at that point, and it may have still been trying to gain altitude before changing direction; (4) the pilot may have been given orders to evacuate via a fixed route, and the pilot may have been reluctant to disobey his orders; (5) the pilot may have been instructed to stay on his current flight path in order to avoid the risk of being hit by the bombs falling near him from the B-2 bomber above him.
The airspace over a battlefield is tightly controlled. Numerous force packages of attack aircraft and bombers are targeting the creature. And there is probably fire from artillery units as well. All of those use parts of the airspace above the battlefield. The evacuation helicopters would have been given certain routes that are free of high speed tactical aircraft; strategic bombers; the ordnance those platforms would be dropping; and the incoming artillery shells. To leave the narrow preplanned flight path would be to invite destruction by an air to air collision or by getting hit by ordnance or incoming fire.
What happens to Marlena, the girl who gets bitten?
Marlena, the girl who gets bitten, starts to bleed from her eyes and ears; then the military takes her behind a curtain. Watch closely and you'll see her stomach expand and burst.
This event is foreshadowed when a dead soldier, whose chest and stomach had burst open, is wheeled in a stretcher past the camera. And earlier, when the monster first attacks, the characters pass by several ambulances. In one of the ambulances we can hear a woman scream, followed by some unusual noises. Her scream is loud and piercing; later, Marlena will make the same horrible scream.
Why this happens is unclear. Maybe something in the monster's saliva causes the body to create an excess of fluid or gas. Maybe the small monsters reproduce by biting their prey and impregnating them (somewhat like the Alien movies. Note that as she's being taken away by two medics, a rifle is trained on her stomach). Whatever caused it, Marlena suffers horribly and dies.
What happens to Lily?
We don't know. After her helicopter leaves, we don't see her again. One thing that suggests she might have died is that Lily has not logged back into her MySpace account. She has this in common with Hud and Marlena, who both unquestionably died, and Rob and Beth, who probably died. (Note that the real-life MySpace accounts for fictional characters are part of a marketing campaign; and no one is obligated to take publicity into account.)
The survival of Lily has at least two arguments in its favor. Or rather, her survival has one argument in its favor and one common argument against it proven wrong.
First, Rob lists the persons he saw killed by the monster--Marlena, Jason and Hud. He doesn't mention Lily, which at least suggests that he believes she's alive.
Second, after the second helicopter takes off, we see a flaming mass thrown into a military truck. Many people have assumed that this is Lily's helicopter. But if you look closely it is obvious that the wreck is actually a truck. The mass is too small to be a helicopter, and a pair of headlights can be seen on the front.
The special effects featurette on the DVD confirms that the flaming wreck is indeed a truck and not a helicopter (although, again, no one need take into account any evidence outside the film itself).
What happens to Hud?
The monster bites him in half.
As the monster chews him, there is about one second where we can see Hud's legs sticking out between the monster's teeth, right before the monster bites down hard and Hud's top half goes spinning towards the ground. As he falls out of the monster's mouth, we can see his legs above him, still sticking out of the teeth.
As the camera falls to the ground, we can see Hud's left hand flailing about in front of the camera; and we can see his face. When the top half of Hud's body lands on the ground, the camera is showing only his head (right profile shot) and shoulders.
Hud's fate is foreshadowed early in the movie. Marlena says that she witnessed the monster "eating people."
On Hud's official viral Myspace.com page his height was changed on the day following the movie's debut to 2' 6".
See also: "Proof that Hud was bitten in half":
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=fcQTdpVMepw [/youtube]
What happens to Rob and Beth?
Nobody knows for sure; we don't actually see what happens to them when the bridge collapses. The camera gets buried under a pile of rubble after the first explosion. We can see Rob's back. He is hunched over, presumably in an attempt to protect Beth.
After the end credits, there is a whisper that sounds like "Help us." When played backwards, it says "It's still alive." Presumably, the voice is Rob's. But because it was Matt Reeves, and not the actor playing Rob, who recorded the message, the identity of the speaker is in doubt.
Do any of the characters in this movie survive?
EditHistoryDelete The question does not have a clear answer.
We know that Jason was killed when the monster smashed its tail over the Brooklyn Bridge. Marlena died from a parasite bite that burst her stomach open. Hud was bitten in half by the monster.
Rob and Beth were probably crushed to death by rubble, following some kind of explosion. But their fate is open to question.
Lily, the girl who was put on a separate helicopter and never seen again, is rumored to have survived. But many viewers say that her helicopter was destroyed along with Rob's.
What type of weapon does the U.S. Military use at the very end?
Specifically, does the U.S. Military use a nuclear weapon against the monster? Some reviewers have assumed they do. Although we never see the events after the rubble envelops the camera, the answer would appear to be no, for several reasons:
1. The two explosions that take place outside the tunnel, filling it with debris, appear to be from conventional weapons. A nuclear weapon would have produced a blinding white flash followed by a much larger "vaporizing-effect" explosion. Assuming the military was attempting a direct hit on the monster, and the monster was still nearby (meaning, still in the park with Rob and Beth), then Rob, Beth, the bridge, and the camera would have been completely vaporized, leaving no record.
2. The production team got all their geography and physics right. We can assume that had they intended to suggest a nuclear weapon, they would have portrayed it in the correct way, with the above-mentioned flash. The two distinctly separate explosions reinforce the idea that the filmmakers took great care with their effects.
3. Although the soldier refers to "level[ing] Manhattan," being "prepared to let this whole area go," and "Operation Hammer Down," no one uses the phrase "nuclear weapon." The military may have been prepared to go that far, but there is no evidence that they use nuclear weapons during the events depicted the film. And even if the military had been prepared to use such weapons they do not control the use of nuclear weapons on the ground. It would have required direct Presidential action to authorize the use of a nuclear weapon.
4. The United States government would be extremely reluctant to use nuclear weapons to eliminate a threat on American soil. The blast would kill refugees in the surrounding boroughs and the additional problem of wide spread radioactive contamination, especially from a surface burst weapon, would have been unacceptable unless it was the absolute last resort.
5. There are a variety of large air dropped ordnance that would have been used before the deployment of a nuclear weapon. These include thermobaric weapons and fuel air explosives. Both of these use extremely large amounts of chemicals that rapidly react to produce tremendous quantities of heat and a large blast overpressure. Unlike nuclear weapons they do not produce radioactive fallout and their effects are generally far more limited in scope than most nuclear weapons. The Thermobaric bombs, and extremely large high explosive weapons such as the MOAB (Massive Ordnance Air Burst) are guided by GPS so hitting a moving target, even one as large as the Cloverfield monster would be difficult. Other ordnance uses laser guidance so they can hit any target being designated (painted) by the correct type of laser. This includes "bunker buster" ordnance, which are several thousand pound bombs with a thick steel casing designed to allow them to penetrate several yards of heavy concrete before detonating.
6. In addition, the two explosions suggest multiple bombs falling upon Central Park. If a nuclear device was being used, it would seem pointless in dropping several bombs prior to the nuclear detonation that some people believe to be the ending. Also, multiple bombings (conventional then nuclear) would require several different jets in the air. In order to drop a nuclear bomb, a specific type of jet is required, to shield it from the EMP (electro magnetic pulse) generated from the bomb.
7. For the military to "retrieve" the camera (as stated in the opening title cards) from a nuclear blast zone would mean that after the bombing, they engaged in a massive search & recovery effort, which would have meant digging through many square miles of radioactive waste and rubble. Not only is this unlikely in itself, but for them to find and single out the miraculously undamaged footage from what would have been millions of personal effects scattered throughout Manhattan is borderline impossible.
Were nuclear weapons used after the events depicted? That's unlikely. Again, a nuclear explosion would have destroyed the recording inside the camera. Even if the blast and fireball did not destroy the camera the electromagnetic pulse would have destroyed the recording.
Is there something seen falling from the sky in the very last shot of the film?
Look for the splash on the right side of the screen when the camera is looking out over the sea. This scene occurs immediately after the noisy scene where Rob and Beth are bombed while taking shelter under the arch in Central Park. After the bombing scene, the camera cuts to a relatively quiet ocean-and-shore scene filmed from atop a Ferris wheel at Coney Island, then Rob turns the camera on himself and Beth sitting in the caged Ferris wheel car. The object splashes into the ocean during this first ocean footage, a fraction of a second before Rob turns the camera back toward himself and Beth. The falling object occurs on the lower right part of the screen, entering at about a 45-degree angle from the right to the left, passing over the two ships seen on the right, and splashing to the left of both ships, but about a mile farther out to sea than the ships are, aligned between the two telephone poles on shore. A small, dark, stationary, spherical object is positioned in the sea close to shore, but contrary to earlier speculation, that is not the falling object. The falling object's trajectory is black and the object has been described as being black or gray in color. The trajectory is seen for only about a half second, and terminates in a white splash, comparable in size to the size of the two ships.
Though many believe this to be the monster, the storyestablished in the "viral" marketing campaign for the film says that a piece of the Japanese Government's "ChimpanzIII" satellite fell from space into the Atlantic ocean sometime before the monster's attack, so this might be the object seen falling from the sky. Internet rumors say that J.J. Abrams has confirmed that this is what it was, but we have been unable to find an interview or other source for this claim.
Director Matt Reaves has also mentioned that there is an object that can be seen splashing down in the final scene. He did not elaborate on what that object might be.
It should also be noted here that the inspiration for the movie was a trip by producer Abrams and his son to Japan. While there, he noted the iconic nature of Godzilla in toy stores and wanted to create a similar story for America. According to Godzilla's lore, America is blamed by Japan for creating the lizard monster through nuclear testing. It might be Abrams' return salute to Japan to have them responsible for the monster that destroys New York, as it would have been awakened by that nation's satellite.
What do they whisper at the end?
EditHistoryDelete It sounds like "Help us." But the line is backmasked, or played backwards. Played backwards, the line is "It's still alive!"
Listen to the reversed line on boomp3.com here
Are there any pictures of the monster?
Yes:
Hasbro, the toy manufacturer has finished producing a 14" replica model of the Cloverfield monster and added a product page with three pictures of the monster. There are three pictures currently available of the Cloverfield monster replica: a full view of the monster from the front, a full view from the side, and a close up of the monster with an open mouth.
Media and Entertainment website IGN added an article complete with photos about the Hasbro Cloverfield toy that was shown at the Hasbro 2008 Toy Fair.
All of these pictures are from the video titled "The Monster Revealed": http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809873032/video/5955724/
Clover's Face: http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg19 … 1201929750
Clover's Face(v2): http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg19 … 1201929359
Clover's Face(v3): http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg19 … 1201929378
Clover's Face (Casual): http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg19 … 1201929408
Clover's Body: http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg19 … 1201929445
Clover's Body(v2): http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg19 … 1201929491
Clover's Body(v3): http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg19 … 1201929507
Clover's Foot (REALLY nice): http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg19 … 1201929524
Clover's Arm: http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg19 … 1201929563
How could the monster reach a helicopter flying high above it?
The monster ordinarily crawls on four legs, and even when crawling is already comparable in height to many Manhattan skyscrapers. The monster has long and powerful back legs, and one theory is that the monster could easily reach much higher by standing up on its hind legs, or by leaping on its hind legs. The monster may have seen the helicopter's lights through the dust, and may have disliked bright lights, especially if the monster came from dark ocean depths.
Another theory is that the monster could easily reach the helicopter with its mouth by standing or propelling itself with its front legs. The Hasbro 14" replica toy of the Cloverfield monster depicts it with significantly longer and wider front legs than back legs as seen in this photo
Are there any pictures of the parasites?
A few photos have been collected here:
http://www.simnia.com/film/specific/clo … parasites/
Why are no children or elderly people shown in the movie?
One old man can be seen when the Statue of Liberty's head lands in the street. The crying of a baby can be heard in one stairwell scene early in the film.
One defense of the absence of children and the elderly in the film is that children and the elderly are less likely to be out at night, especially after midnight when the monster attack begins. Moreover, the 30ish screenwriter wrote a story about persons around his own age, who don't have children and don't spend time with the elderly after midnight. The story's focus makes it not so strange that the very young and very old are excluded from the movie.
Other critics blame practical filming issues, citing several constraints on filmmakers: (1) child labor laws prevent filmmakers from using child models at night; (2) children are more likely to disclose guarded information to the public; (3) children require added efforts to keep them safe; (4) underage models require an additional signature on their release forms, which creates delays and coordination problems; (5) the American public is very sensitive about the depiction of children being harmed or killed in films.
Was there really a guy in the news setting homeless people on fire?
There have been several real life incidents of homeless people being set on fire in New York, as well as in other cities across the U.S., but there was no single perpetrator common to such attacks. For example on October 5, 2007, a 48-year-old homeless man, Felix Najera, died after a group of several teens set him on fire in East Harlem. On April 22, 1992, three Bronx teenagers set a 60-year old homeless man on fire in a subway stairwell, and six more copycat incidents happened earlier that year in the subway system. On October 7, 1988, 34-year-old Michael Howard died from being set on fire near Penn Station in Manhattan. In May 2001, three teenage boys set fire to 47-year-old Walter Eakman, who was drunk and sleeping in a stairwell, and who died two days later from his burns.
Will there be a sequel?
The producers have discussed the possibility of a sequel, or rather a retelling of the movie's premise, noting that there were probably many other movies being shot that night. Abrams pointed out, for example, that somebody is filming next to Hud during the bridge scene and that this moment would provide a natural point for the two movies to cross over. But they say they don't intend to release a film purely on the success of the first--a sequel would have to be in the "spirit" of the original.
There are many other possible sources of footage of the "Cloverfield" incident. Most of the soldiers in the movie have video cameras mounted on their helmets (as in real life), and there is extensive TV news coverage of the monster.
There's also the possibility of a prequel. The backstory for this film is only available on the internet.
When did this come out on DVD?
It came out on April 22nd, 2008 in the US, May 21st in New Zealand and May 22nd in Australia. It is scheduled for a June 9th release in the UK. The following are all the currently known editions of the movie:
1) Standard Edition - Everywhere
2) Steelbook Edition - FYE, Suncoast, and HMV (UK only)
3) TJ Miller Video Diary Edition - Best Buy
4) Rob's Party Mix Edition - Target
5) Ringtone Edition - K-Mart and Sears
6) Production Booklet Edition - Borders
CloverfieldClues reviewed three of these, giving the Steelbook the highest grade with a solid A. The TJ Miller Video Diary edition received a B+. And the Rob's Party Mix Edition received a B-.
The Region 4 DVD, which came out in New Zealand and Australia on May 21st and 22nd, respectively, comes with a One-Disc and a Two-Disc edition. The One-Disc edition has the film, the Director's Commentary and "Cloverfield Supplemental Files" (which are small "Making Of" clips that play throughout the film). The Two-Disc edition contains the first disc from the One-Disc version, plus all of the special features present on the Region 1 One-Disc edition.
The 2-Disc edition will be released in the UK and Australia. It is currently unknown if it will be released in New Zealand, although it is likely that it won't be.
Has Clover attacked anywhere else?
The viral explains all:
In the Manga series, we learn Clover also attacked Japan. And when the film was released on DVD in Australia, videos of Clover attacking Sydney appeared.
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Last edited by stkhoplite (2008-06-08 10:22:07)