Cloverfield A Ruse

In a world already nervous from hijackers and terrorists, Hollywood has begun to exploit the unending barrage of terrorist news. Every night, Americans watch the latest update on the war in Iraq, and with every report, we think back to the events of 9/11. The memory is etched in everyone's mind. We remember where we were, what we were doing, how we felt--the shock and the pain. Then we are hyped into believing that Cloverfield was the latest in film technique. What we learn is that 9/11 thrust us into the latest film-noire.

The film's plot unwinds around the personal plight of victims of a savage attack. A hand-held camera is used to document their fight to survive in a terror-ridden night. They flee--sometimes directly into--an unknown terror. They speculate on what is attacking and are victimized by it over and over. Smaller monsters attack, making it a one-on-one fight. No one knows if she or he will survive, but the audience already feels hopeless.

The film's mood and setting are reminiscent of New York the day of Al Qaeda's terrorism. A famous landmark becomes the first victim. The head rolls through the street as people gape in shock. Paper and gray dust fills the air, and people flee from the growing devastation. Buildings fall; people die. There is chaos on a grand scale as people try to leave the area, only to be trapped by the threat. It is 9/11--only in the dark. The audience tries not to close their eyes against the ugliness.

The theme is that of terrorism run amok. The attacker is unknown, but it sends a clear message as an oil-tanker is tossed like a hand grenade. People are attacked individually and en-masse. The army is called in to fight a hopeless urban battle. As civilians are caught in the middle, the military makes decisions that will end with more hapless victims. The audience relives the nightly Iraq conflict.

Abrams has left us no doubt; he has critiqued the war on terrorism with a thinly-veiled tale of horror. Only, it is the audience who is horrified, left in shock with the images we've seen before. The shaky camera makes us nauseous, unable to focus on the threat, just like 9/11 and the war. Who would have thought we needed such an ugly reminder?