Cloverfield: 15th Anniversary Limited Edition Steel Book 4K UHD Blu-ray Disc Review

 

I still remember seeing this strange trailer attached to The Transformers depicting a twentysomething going away party interrupted by the sudden attack of an unseen creature on Manhattan that culminated in the head of the Statue of Liberty literally hurling and crashing down the street and that became one of the most talked about upcoming genre films of the coming year. The trailer instantly became the subject of speculation with tie-in websites that gave clues to the origins of the creature as well as newsgroups, fan sites, and even disinformation. Soon puzzles and videos related to the film began to appear online fueling more speculation and publicity and creating a phenomenon not at all unlike the trend setting clever use of the internet to market The Blair Witch Project nearly ten years earlier. Now however the internet has grown so much that broadband connections are standard in American homes, e-mail addresses are as important as phone numbers, and there are more ways to create virtual worlds with a few simple websites and clips. This is a technique that is used on TV shows like LOST, which should be no surprise since Cloverfield is a J.J. Abrams production through his Bad Robot label. The idea to attempt to give Americans a Godzilla like monster and tell the story from the point of view of people experiencing the attack from a retrieved camera after the fact is more or less the same basic storytelling technique used in The Blair Witch Project, but taking the film on it’s own without the online tie-ins that provide some subtle background to the story, Cloverfield can be taken as an eerie thriller or monster picture that just throws the viewer into the action with no explanations regarding the origins of the monster and so forth. It could have been an extended episode of The Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits and it would have been hailed as one of the best episodes ever.

Extra features give basic information about the creature and if you visit the official or fan made websites like http://cloverfieldclues.blogspot.com, you will get a good idea about the monster’s origins, which are guessed at by the character of Hud (T.J. Miller) in the film. Of course there are a lot of explanations or theories Hud speaks about as he videos the events in order to keep from completely panicking. Only one is close if not correct. Outside of the tragic events that echo real life horrors like the World Trade Center attacks in New York, essentially Cloverfield can be looked upon as a metaphor for star-crossed love not only for the main characters, but arguably the agitated monster creating havoc in The Big Apple, but in a way, are not the best monster pictures about seeking out love and acceptance? Think about the classics like King Kong or The Bride Of Frankenstein and see for yourself if there is indeed a pattern or archetype here.

Many people, including the person I saw the film with got motion sickness during the theatrical screening and subsequently have said they are not keen to see it again, but while no one can guarantee the film will not have a similar effect on 4K Ultra High Definition Blu-ray Disc, personally I found the experience to be better than the theatrical one fifteen years earlier in part because many home theaters have better equipment than some movie theaters back then and in part because I could freeze frame scenes, magnify the screen for details and generally I found the 16 by 9 widescreen aspect ratio to be cleaner than the theatrical print used for older home video releases. You also get far more opportunities to examine the monster in the film and extra features, which look as though it could have been another creature from Stephen King’s The Mist and it would fit right in there too. 

The discs inside Steel Book packaging are the same 4K UHD and Blu-ray combo from 2018, the artwork is the same - even the copyright date is identical so there’s nothing new there. The SteelBook follows recent Paramount and Lionsgate SteelBook releases with the base artwork being accented by a slick plastic slipcover to complete the image.

Originally shot on digital cameras that max at 1080p resolution, definition and clarity remain relatively similar to its Blu-ray counterpart. There are many scenes that look a tad sharper and in better focus, but the difference is not terribly significant. Dolby Vision adds a more natural if not warmer look to the film.

The English Dolby TrueHD Surround Soundtrack is very well mixed as should be expected, adding to the “you are there” feel of the film. French, Portuguese and Spanish Language Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtracks as well as English Subtitles for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired and English, French, Spanish,  German, Japanese, Portuguese, Danish, Dutch and Finnish Language Subtitles are encoded as options too.

Director Matt Reeves gives an informative retrospective feature film commentary track and also had optional commentary on a reel of deleted scenes (3:34) and two subtly different alternate endings (4:34) that are also presented in a 16 by 9 enhanced aspect ratio along with the option of viewing the scenes individually or through a “Play All” feature.  This is supported by behind the scenes featurettes covering the making of the film (28:17) and the other detailing the visual effects (22:29) as well as some shorter clips. The menus are are easy to navigate.  The Limited Edition Steel Book Packaging holds both discs securely and is slick and eye catching too.

Cloverfield 15th Anniversary 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc Limited Edition Steel Book is available now at retailers on and offline courtesy of Paramount Home Entertainment.

(C) Copyright 2023 By Mark A. Rivera.

All Rights Reserved.