Tis how we've been doing it for a couple of years now, so it is an unwritten rule.

Unless the thread title has *Spoiler* in it, then anything goes.

If you're watching this... you know more about it than I do...

JEW wrote:

so how did a video tape manage to survive a nuculear explosion that leveled an entire city?

There was no evidence to support it was a nuclear explosion. Just like how Raccoon City was NOT nuked.

I fucking hate the internet...

WARNING: GIANT RANT POST

DarkMaze wrote:

It makes writer Drew Goddard just sound arrogant when he says "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." Well look, Mr. Smug, you DID write the opening computer displays, which by their mere existence means that we SHOULD have seen that.

I disagree. I LOVED Cloverfield because there was no stupid explanations. We just got insanely wild ones from the camera guy (who also seemed to be the only one who cared about it). I don't think it makes Goddard sound arrogant at all.

Honestly, I cared way more about Rob than the monster. ... And not just because his name was Rob and he was leaving the weekend before I was... And that he scaled a building to leap the roof onto a tilted building... Or that he video taped the most awesome date ever with the love of his life... Damn it, it is like someone just threw my life on screen!

Edit: You know, I don't think it would've been appropriate to begin the video with an intro from Marvin Candlewick or something explaining how it went down. The idea was this was an evidence from the DOD and it was ALL that escaped/got released whatever. Those science logs do not get recorded onto evidence. There's no doubt in my mind that the world of Cloverfield is bigger, but I was extremely satisfied with the servings we were given.

Oh, and "how did the tape get there?" You don't really care. I have no problems accepting that it was found and processed by the DOD. In fact, that better god damn happen in this country sense we're so focused on security.

Correction, maybe not found by the DOD, but I have no problems believing that it got into the DOD's hands. In my head, I think a drifter coming back to the ruins of NY found it... okay, his dog started digging and he checked to see what it was and found the tape... He had a DV cam back at his camp from what he's managed to salvage - but he has to be careful. New York is still quarantined and the government doesn't like its own citizens sneaking in to find items to sell. On his way back, the troops did pick him up. They found the numerous items he'd already gotten from this outing on him. They confiscated the goods and sent him away for processing. This included the tape he had. The tape was sent and then watched by one of the agents processing the items that leave New York and discovered that it was relevant. This got it sent to the DOD. They made a copy with the tag in front labeling it. However, not much research was done on the tape because of its irrelevance of how the creature came to be (missing the reports that something falls from the sky in the final Coney Island scene - if those are true). The DOD already knew the destructive path of the monster so after they reconfirmed those theories the tape got sent to the archives. There it was destined to sit for all eternity. Now, you might wonder how did you see it? Well, given that New York is not really destroyed there's a good chance that it was a movie. I don't believe that the tape escaped or got released. I think we were just shown an object from this tangent universe. I don't need an explanation of how it got here.

Seriously, are people too dumb to come up this stuff themselves or what? I love movies that inspire your imagination like this. Not only did Cloverfield completely succeed in making you feel a part of the action, but you could see exactly how that event changed the world. And best of all, it gave you a human perspective.

Okay, I know a lot of "whiner babies"* are complaining about the main characters. I already explained my own connection to Rob, but I seriously got used to these guys. So much so when Rob's brother got the smack down I shouted out "Oh My God!", not just that, but the moment Rob says "Mom" later on the phone I instantly felt like shit. That's a conversation I seriously hope I never have to have. I didn't even know those guys before going into the movie. I saw the teaser and the trailer, but that was it. I wasn't a part of the viral marketing or the Alternate Reality Game. How a film could make me feel lost for the first 15 minutes and then feel like I was part of this group is beyond me. I thought it was masterfully done.

*I don't think I've used the term "Whiner Babies" on here before. The phrase is from "Sky High" said by Bruce Campbell. I tend to use it a lot when referring to people who complain about movies, frequently directed to people on the IMDB or at school. In this case, it was directed at the IMDB and Flixster posters and not the forum members here.

ross_rifle113 wrote:

"OK, no crying, we gotta get the fuck out of here guys!"

I know a girl just like her too. I loved that scene just because you knew shit would happen, but I didn't expect them to do what they did.

Because Hollywood is so predictable, there's already sequel talk. However, despite my huge fan love of this film I am weary for a sequel. I think Cloverfield said all it needed to and a sequel might be redundant. But I also understand that when a monster's successful, ya gotta bring 'em back.

JEW wrote:

also, Raccooon city WAS nuked. it even says in one of those prologues or epilogues "the united states government decided to launch a nuculear warhead." or something like that. find me evidence proving otherwise.

The ending of RE: Outbreak 1 and 2. 2 clearly shows that more than one missile was sent to wipe out the city. And in the first one, Umbrella puts a goddam laboratory on the remains!!!

And the prologue says: "Not taking any chances, the President of the United States ordered a contingency plan - to sterilize Raccoon City."

Sterilized. Not nuked.

Edit: Another prologue:
The American mid-western town "Raccoon City" has been completely decimated due to the T-virus outbreak that was instigated by the international corporation "Umbrella".

Just a random thought: I'm actually glad they didn't make a Hard R of this film as originally intended. I know in this day and age, all of us want a Hard R... But Cloverfield just feels like it should be PG-13. I think a good portion of that is because it stars teenage characters. Granted, we'd all F-bomb the hell out of this situation, I found that didn't matter with this film.