City Creature: Dystopian Dreams?
This film is really a new Godzilla.
So why are film audiences interested in a new giant urban-devastating mysterious creature with strange physical deformities/vulnerabilities (like Godzilla)?
Well, Cloverfield presents the story of a bizarre giant alien-like deformed monster showing up suddenly and out of nowhere (perhaps risen from the sea or something) terrorizing Americans living in the city.
Perhaps since the modern age is all about networking savvy (e.g., Facebook, European Union, etc.) and traffic consciousness (e.g., immigration, multi-culturalism), a giant deformed creature appearing out of nowhere reminds us of the strange intrigue associated with urban density!
Imagine a G.I. Joe (Hasbro) paramilitary fantasy-adventure storyline involving the patriotic American crusaders (the Joes) vying with a giant lizard-like deformed alien-creature (similar to the one in Cloverfield) created (or released) by the Satanic terrorist organization Cobra.
That's the modern age signature of storytelling and film-making --- "Aaah! Watch out for that giant monster (or creepy numerous lizards) crawling out of the sewers of NYC!!"
Whatever would survive a creature encounter such as the one presented in Cloverfield surely deserves some kind of Purple Heart or Red Courage Medallion.
That's what makes this film a bizarre 'champagne-toast' to new age population paranoia surrounding urban environments (not unlike what Sherlock Holmes films or Sinbad voyager films were to yesteryear's focus on the development of industrialization and large ships/boats).
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SURVIVOR 1: What the hell is that creature?
SURVIVOR 2: Maybe it's an alien or something that came out of the ocean!
SURVIVOR 1: Why is it attacking the city?
SURVIVOR 2: Maybe it hates the confluence of people (or it's just angry!).
SURVIVOR 1: I can't tell if it's humanoid or monstrous!
SURVIVOR 2: It's probably a hybrid or an evolutionary monstrosity.
SURVIVOR 1: Maybe it's a giant squid that grew a brain from toxic waste!!
SURVIVOR 2: That's paranoid! I'm sure it's just plain evil.
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G.I. Joe:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G.I._Joe:_A_Real_American_Hero