Cloverfield

Cloverfield is a 2008 American monster movie shot in found-footage style. Matt Reeves directed it, and Drew Goddard wrote the script. The cast includes Lizzy Caplan, Jessica Lucas, T.J. Miller, Michael Stahl-David, Mike Vogel, and Odette Yustman. The story follows six friends trying to escape a monster rampaging through New York City.

The project started when producer J.J. Abrams began brainstorming a monster film and brought in Neville Page to design the creature, later named Clover. Paramount Pictures secretly approved the film in February 2007, with Abrams’s Bad Robot producing. Principal filming took place in Los Angeles and New York City during 2007. The movie went by several working titles, including Slusho, Cheese, and Greyshot. A teaser trailer without a title played before screenings of *Transformers* (2007) as part of a viral marketing campaign. The final title appeared in a second teaser attached to *Beowulf* (2007). With few details released beforehand, fans speculated online, creating forums and websites to dig up hidden information. Tie-ins like a prequel manga series also supported the marketing.

Released on January 18, 2008, *Cloverfield* earned generally positive reviews, with critics praising Reeves’s direction and the cinéma vérité style. It made $172.4 million worldwide on a $25 million budget. This is the first entry in the *Cloverfield* franchise, followed by *10 Cloverfield Lane* in 2016 and *The Cloverfield Paradox* in 2018. A direct sequel is currently in development.

**Plot**

The U.S. Department of Defense recovers footage from a personal camcorder in the area “formerly known as Central Park,” with a disclaimer about multiple sightings of a case labeled “Cloverfield.”

On April 27, 2008, Rob Hawkins wakes up with Beth McIntyre in her father’s apartment before they go on a date around New York City and Coney Island.

On May 22, 2008, Rob’s brother Jason and Jason’s girlfriend Lily Ford throw a surprise farewell party for Rob at his Lower Manhattan apartment before he moves to Japan for a new job. Jason asks Rob’s best friend, Hudson “Hud” Platt, to film testimonials for Rob during the party. Beth, upset that Rob hasn’t contacted her after their one-night stand, shows up with another man. They argue, and she leaves just before an earthquake causes a brief citywide blackout.