Another monster on the loose in NYC
I feel sorry for New York City. Almost seven years after the
Sept. 11 attacks Ground Zero is cleaned up, crime is down and then
a giant lizard-like monster destroys the Brooklyn Bridge, most of
Manhattan and swats the head right off of the Statue of
Liberty.
Another monster on the loose in NYC
I feel sorry for New York City. Almost seven years after the Sept. 11 attacks Ground Zero is cleaned up, crime is down and then a giant lizard-like monster destroys the Brooklyn Bridge, most of Manhattan and swats the head right off of the Statue of Liberty.
“Cloverfield” is the latest in a long string of movies in which New York City is attacked by some sort of giant monster. Next to Tokyo, where the Japanese spend millions on reconstructing the city after every Godzilla attack, I think New York has been attacked more than any other city. It might actually be tied with London, where the 1925 film “The Lost World” had a brontosaurus running loose on the streets.
There are several reasons why New York is always under attack in the movies. Along with San Francisco and Paris it is one of the most recognizable cities in the world. After a few establishing shots of the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State Building the audience knows exactly where they are.
It is also on the coast so it is easy for the giant monsters to get there. The majority of the people walk so it’s fun to watch a monster stomp on them and to see people running through the streets. Just about everything is open 24 hours so it’s easy for a monster to find people out on the town.
The tradition started in 1933 with “King Kong,” the blueprint for all monster on the loose movies. A film crew travels to Skull Island where they discover a 50-foot gorilla. The gorilla falls in love with Ann Darrow, the lead actress. The film crew captures Kong and brings him back to New York City.
Kong rampages through New York City destroying an elevated train and several buildings until he climbs up on the Empire State Building and is brought down by the Air Force.
At the time the Empire State Building was the tallest building in the world. In 1983 for the 50th anniversary of the film a giant inflatable Kong was placed on the Empire State Building. The image of King Kong on top of the Empire State Building is part of American pop culture.
In the 1950s most of the giant monsters were results of nuclear testing. There was “Them!” (1954) about giant ants, “Tarantula” (1955), “The Deadly Mantis” (1957), “Beginning Of The End (1957) with giant grasshoppers and “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms.”
In “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms” (1953) a frozen dinosaur is awoken by nuclear testing in the Arctic and works his way to New York City. In this film the dinosaur walks down Wall Street and smashes up a roller coaster at Coney Island.
This is one of the best films of the ’50s. It was based on a Ray Bradbury short story and has great special effects by Ray Harryhausen. It was also the first of the films to feature a giant monster awakened by nuclear testing.
The first remake of “King Kong” was in 1976. In this version Kong climbed the World Trade Center buildings and not the Empire State Building. Employees of the Empire State Building were upset that the remake was taking place at the World Trade Center and picketed the 102nd floor of the Empire State Building dressed in monkey suits.
This movie is now remembered fondly because of the World Trade Center. I was working at a Blockbuster Video when the 9/11 attacks happened and afterwards people came in wanting to rent this movie. People wanted to watch anything that had the World Trade Center and they remembered the film.
In 1982 the movie “Q” was about a giant flying lizard that bites people’s heads off while they are on the rooftops of New York City. This is a low budget film written and directed by Larry Cohen who wrote several blaxploitation films. The cast includes David Carradine, Candy Clark and Richard Roundtree. It’s a fun movie. The monster lives in a nest at the Chrysler building.
When the American version of “Godzilla” was released in 1998 critics and fans panned it. They were upset because Godzilla didn’t look like the Godzilla from the Japanese films. The film has excellent special effects. Godzilla is chased by helicopters through Manhattan, he climbs the Chrysler Building and a bunch of baby Godzillas destroy Madison Square garden.
Peter Jackson (The Lord Of The Rings) lovingly remade “King Kong” in 2005. Unlike the 1976 version this one was set in the 1930s. Jackson’s vision of New York City is so romantic and beautiful it can only belong in the movies. His version was faithful to the 1933 original and he kept the ending with Kong on top of the Empire State Building.
The recent “Cloverfield” is the most realistic monster on the loose movie ever made. A group of 20-somethings are having a going away party when a giant lizard-like monster attacks New York City.
Hud, one of the partiers, documents the entire attack with his digital camera. He helps Rob, Lily and Marlena get across town to rescue Rob’s ex-girlfriend. The film is shown from the point of view of his camera. The film is shaky and jumps around. According to news reports people are getting motion sick in theaters.
There are two images from the film that stick in my mind. An empty hansom cab being pulled by two white horses down a deserted street and a massive dust cloud engulfs the street after the monster destroys a building. I saw the exact same thing in news footage after the World Trade Centers fell in 2001. Another scene shows people walking down the street covered in fallen ashes.
What makes it realistic is the cast of unknowns. There is no major star so you don’t know who is going to live or not. The special effects are so realistic that it feels like you are in the movie. There is no explanation for the monster or why it is attacking the city. We only get to see parts of the monster until the end when it is filmed from above in a helicopter. It’s a cross between the new Godzilla and the creature from “20 Million Miles To Earth” (1957).
The title “Cloverfield” was originally just a code name for the movie. It’s the street in Santa Monica where the production offices were located during the making of the film.
It’s great to see a giant monster movie so mature and done so well. I love the old films from the ’50s, but after what happened on September 11, 2001, setting a film like this in New York City needs to be realistic. While watching this movie you know what had happened then and you root for the people and the city. No matter what happens you know that the monster can’t win, that New Yorkers are tough enough to beat it.
