[wp-review id=”85098″]

In New York City, Rob’s brother Jason and friends are throwing him a going away party because tomorrow he leaves for Japan to become VP for the Slusho Corporation.   Jason’s girlfriend Lily took Rob’s video camera and has asked Jason to film people as testimonials so he delegated the filming to Hud.  There’s a sudden earthquake feeling that shakes the entire city so they whole party heads to the roof.  When they get up there, there’s a huge explosion with fire shooting into the sky.  New York is under attack by something unknown and it’s a force to be reckoned with.
 
CLOVERFIELD is directed by Matt Reeves and produced by J. J. Abrams.  The idea came from a trip that Abrams took to Japan and saw how Godzilla is the official monster for that country.  He came back and said that America needs to have a monster of her own.  Cloverfield is the name of the exit that he takes to get to his production offices so they went with that.  This film has a lot of viral marketing and before its release; people just knew that it was some kind of monster movie.  
 
It’s in the found footage genre and it is shot from the point of view of Hud.  Now, aside from THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, this was released before the hype of the genre and everyone discovered movies can be filmed on phones in 4k.  You can feel that there is more of a focus on production value and making sure that the way things are filmed keeps the illusion that this has been found after the event.  The acting feels natural and even the humor doesn’t ever get out of hand.
 
Cast
Michael Stahl-David – Rob Hawkins
T.J. Miller – Hud
Jessica Lucas – Lily
Odette Yustman – Beth
Lizzy Caplan – Marlena
Mike Vogel – Jason Hawkins
 

VIDEO QUALITY:

4k UHD
The video is a 2160p HEVC/H.265 presentation that fairs better than the Blu-ray but not by leaps and bounds.  This film was captured on high-end camcorders to keep the authenticity and let the cast record some scenes if the moment calls for it.  Here’s where I’m going with this: this movie should not do well as a 4k upgrade and Dolby Vision, right?  Well, as it turns out, there is improvement in the video from the Blu-ray format.  I assume its because some of the digitally filmed scenes were then cleaned up when increasing the resolution. 
 
In this case, Dolby Vision increases the blacks that may not have been as dark as they should such as the subway tunnel or even in the department store.  As for the other image, they remain gritty but detailing looks stronger.  At the base, you can see the small fabric particles floating in the air and the detail the looks nice.  You can see the grime on everyone and even the practical makeup effects look really good.  Coloring is good for the most part.  In some scenes and settings, there are warms tans and they can quickly change to cool white in the FOB.  
 
Blu-ray 
The video is a 1080p VC-1 presentation that is only slightly under the rating for the 4k UHD.  This is due to the way that the film is shot and the source material from the camcorder. A lot of the positives have been there since the Blu-ray’s original release in 2008.  The old video encode suits the film well.  You still get the subtle details coming through every once in a while but there is a lot of movement (This also made taking screenshots a real challenge).  The coloring at time with the blood or Lily’s brilliant, violet dress leaps off of the screen.
 

AUDIO QUALITY:

The audio on both the 4k UHD disc and the Blu-ray are the same Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mix.  Before I get into the mix, I have to say that this is the very definition of a missed opportunity.  This is a movie that has a stellar mix to begin with and is very alive at every turn but to not give this the most recent audio is confusing.  A Dolby Atmos or DTS:x track has the potential to be incredibly immersive.
 
The TrueHD track is a monster (see what I did there) with powerful LFEs from every stomp, explosions, and collapsing building.  There are times where the voice can get a little distorted but I feel like that was completely planned by the filmmakers.  Other than these moments, all of the effects and dialogue are prioritized well.

SUPPLEMENTS & PACKAGING

-Audio Commentary with Matt Reeves: This is a very good commentary and it sheds some light on both the concept as well as making of the film.
 
-Special Investigation Mode: This is watching the movie with a map and objects that follow the events of the movie.
 
-Document 01.18.08: The Making of CLOVERFIELD: This nearly 30-minute featurette with a mix of the cast and crew.
 
-CLOVERFIELD Visual Effects: This featurette is of the film’s effects.
 
-Moving along, I Saw It! It’s Alive! It’s Huge!: This is all about the monster itself.
 
-Clover Fun: These are outtakes from the movie.
 
-Four deleted scenes: with optional commentary by director Matt Reeves.
 
-Alternate endings
 
Disc Details
2-disc set w/ 1 4k UHD and 1 Blu-ray 
Digital copy
 
Running Time
85 mins
 
Edition Ratings
Rated PG-13
 
Region Coding
Region Free
 
4k UHD
Video Resolution
2160p HEVC/H.265
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
HDR: Dolby Vision and HDR10
 
Audio Mixes
English Dolby TrueHD 5.1
French (Canada) Dolby Digital 5.1
French Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
Portuguese Dolby Digital 5.1
German Dolby Digital 5.1
Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1
 
Subtitles
English
English SDH
French
German
Japanese
Portuguese
Spanish
Danish
Dutch
Finnish
Norwegian
Swedish
 
Blu-ray
Video Resolution
1080p VC-1
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
 
Audio Mixes
English Dolby TrueHD 5.1
French Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
 
Subtitles
English
English SDH
French
Portuguese
Spanish
 

THE BOTTOM LINE:

CLOVERFIELD has meshed a few genres and created an enjoyable experience.  There is a little something for everyone and it stays entertaining until the very end.  One thing I meant to mention earlier in the review is that if you haven’t seen the movie and you’re susceptible to motion sickness, be careful when viewing this movie.  Some people can’t handle the shaking of the camera.  
 
The 4k UHD disc has some impressive moments where the HDR kicks in for some color boldness and deeper blacks.  The details have increased a little but not to the point where it begins to expose issues in the transfer.  As for the audio, it has always been strong mix so you won’t be disappointed.  I would’ve liked to have heard what this movie would sound like in a newer encode but maybe the next time around.  The extras included are the same from the 2008 Blu-ray release and they are pretty good but the commentary is really worth checking out.  If you don’t own the movie, this is the version to pick up.