McNutt Against the Music

So I went to see Transformers last night. The full review will have to wait, I’m afraid, but it’s not like what I have to say is going to affect whether or not you go see the film. In fact, my criticisms aside, I highly suggest you do, even if only for the surprise waiting before the opening credits roll.

Playing in front of Transformers nationwide is one of the most mysterious, bizarre movie trailers of the modern era, one that sent a buzz throughout the packed house I saw it with. In a day and age where most trailers are as predictable as the films they’re selling, this one is designed to get people talking (which, after they run out of ways to describe robots colliding with one another, they will). It begins inconspicuously and ends a final shot so iconic that the only comparison I can think of is the brilliant teaser trailer for Independence Day 12 years ago. Adding to the mystery is that the trailer gives no title for the film it’s promoting. We’re only given two details – a name (J.J. Abrams, creator of Lost and Alias and director of Mission Impossible III) and a release date (01.18.08).

So what the hell is this all about?

The trailer is for a project that wasn’t even public knowledge until less than two weeks ago when Ain’t It Cool News broke the story. The reason that the trailer gives no name for the film is because it doesn’t have one yet; in fact, the trailer was put together before a single frame of actual footage for the film was shot. For now, the project is being referred to by the codename “Cloverfield.”

Want to know what “Cloverfield” is going to turn out like? Here’s what AICN has learned about about the project:

Well, word from inside the company is that CLOVERFIELD is a giant monster movie, featuring something that’s being referred to internally as “The Parasite”…And what makes this different than any other giant monster movie? Well, as I understand it, most of the film is going to be shot using home video cameras, as if from the point of view of real people who are experiencing an attack on New York. It’s designed as a fairly small picture, all things considered, and right now, they’re working to make sure the script is going to deliver some wild thrills (like an earthquake that levels Manhattan or an oil tanker flipping over by the Statue of Liberty), but that it’s not suddenly going to turn into a giant $150 million movie. It’s a tricky balance, and if they pull off everything they’re trying to do, CLOVERFIELD could be something really groovy.

If that doesn’t pique your interest, perhaps the talent involved will. Abrams is apparently taking a supervising role on the picture as producer, and the script is in the hands of the fantastic Drew Goddard, script writer on Buffy, Angel, Alias and now Lost. And while the resume of director Matt Reeves isn’t distinctive (only one feature film to his credit) he’s a longtime member of the Bad Robot family whose television background is likely ideal for the perspective the film seems to be going for.

And that’s it. That’s all we know about the project. There’s hardly that much information on its Wikipedia page. But trust me – once you see this trailer, you’ll be as curious as I am about where “Cloverfield” might take us.

Edit: Video-camera versions of the trailer have been appearing on YouTube sporadically over the past couple of days, usually staying up there for a few hours until Paramount takes them down. I’m not going to link to them here – they’d be gone too quickly, plus it’s not really the way the trailer deserves to be seen – but you can find them easily enough on your own if you’re interested.

Edit 2: The Hollywood Reporter gives us the first official details on the film.

Edit 3: The trailer, labeled only as “01-18-08″ is now online over at Apple Trailers. The film’s description merely says “No synopsis provided by the studio.”