Cloverfield a love story?

This weekend I went to see a movie I have wanted to see since I saw the strange trailer from six months ago. Plus it would be the first movie I saw for 2008. It was the sci-fi alien fest called Cloverfield. The ironic thing is that I saw a movie about NYC being destroyed right in Times Square in NYC. After I finished watching it, I really did think it was lame. $11.75 for this piece of crap?!?! Yes, I really did think this. (Well, I didn’t pay for my ticket since my friend paid for me. See, there are gentlemen in the world)

But after a few days I found myself thinking about this movie and going over what I saw in my head. Suddenly I had come to a conclusion. Cloverfield is a tragic love story. It begins with two lovers together and ends the same way. The first part of the plot is about giant alien destroying a city, but the subplot is about our hero trying to get to his heroine and save her.

The movie starts with our hero, Rob waking up after spending a night with his friend Beth. Rob and Beth were friends but they finally have become lovers. The day is beautiful and these two are so happy. They even spend the day together at Coney Island. Fast forward to a month later. Rob has found a job in Japan and will be leaving to go work there. His brother Jason and his girlfriend Lily are throwing a goodbye party for Rob. Originally Jason was supposed to videotape the event, but he gives that responsibility to Jason’s best friend Hud. Hud in turn has a bad crush on Lily’s friend Marlena. Rob is surprised and a bit sad because this will be his LAST NIGHT in NYC and with that he must leave Beth behind. Something has happened in the past month because Rob and Beth are not talking. She comes to the party, they fight and she leaves.

And this is where the story really begins. The alien monster comes along and begins to destroy everything in its path. Rob, Jason, Lily, Marlena and Hud all try to run and find safety in Brooklyn. They are almost home free when Rob gets a call from Beth. She is hurt, scared and maybe dying. Rob has a decision to make, either continue with his friends to freedom or go into the alien war zone and save the love of his life.

Rob quickly decides he must go back and find Beth, regardless of the fact that he may die or that Beth could already be dead. Now I was thinking what is wrong with this guy?? In the immortal words of Monty Python- “RUN AWAY!!” But the simple fact is, what if it was your true love or if you were a parent and your child called you asking for help? Rob makes the decision and heads to Beth. Because Rob goes, Lily follows and because Marlena is good friends with Lily, she goes also and then there is Hud who because he is such good friends with Rob, will also come along and help his friend. (As for Jason, well Jason doesn’t come). These four are now warriors going into a war zone where they may not come out alive. And this is where I realized the underlying story of this sci-fi movie is in essence a love story.

We have a love story between Rob and Beth. We have a true love and friendship with Rob and his friend Hud and of course Lily who is good friends with Marlena. But this is a tragic love story so you probably can guess that some of these people won’t survive. But what I can tell you is that our two lovers, Rob and Beth are reunited and end up together much like they way they were at the beginning of the movie. As they declare their love (which they never have said) for each others there is a possibility they may not survive.

This is the type of love that we read in our romances, where the hero will die trying to get to his one true love and save her. And when the hero and heroine believe they maybe separated forever, that is when all feelings come to the surface and they passionately say “I love you”. And honestly, that has to be the perfect way to go.

Cloverfield, a love story? Who would have thought it?

Katiebabs