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Matt Reeves’ 2008 creature feature Cloverfield joined the Paramount+ streaming library on September 1st. The blockbuster movie, produced by J. J. Abrams, is set in New York City in the middle of a rampaging monster attack and follows a group of friends as they attempt to flee, their terrifying ordeal captured on a handheld video camera. Cloverfield was a massive success upon its release and was followed by an even better sequel, 10 Cloverfield Lane, in 2016. Unfortunately, that movie is not streaming on Paramount+, though it can be streamed on Prime Video, MGM+, and AMC+.
Why You Should Watch Cloverfield
Cloverfield is a masterclass in found footage filmmaking. Although the jarring first-person POV resulted in some moviegoers becoming nauseated and caused some theaters to post warnings about the potential motion sickness, a phenomenon dubbed the “Cloverfield Illness,” the film’s shaky, found-footage cinematography helps place viewers directly in the center of the action, creating a sense of authentic, chaotic terror, fear, and confusion. The found-footage perspective is one of the many things that contributes to Cloverfield being an excellent example of a great creature feature, in addition to the fact that the film takes a “less is more” approach by showing only glimpses of the creature, something that builds suspense and forces the audience to fill in the blanks.
