History Film / CloverField

'''Note:''' There were rumors for a time that ''Film/Super8'', directed by Abrams and produced by Creator/StevenSpielberg, was a prequel. It is actually an unrelated film, though this hasn't stopped WildMassGuessing from fans who have noted similarities between the monsters in both movies. Similarly, at one point, the director of ''Film/AQuietPlace'' (Creator/JohnKrasinski) ''considered'' having his movie tie in with the ''Cloverfield'' multiverse, but opted against such a plan. ''Film/Overlord2018'' was also rumored to be a part of this franchise, but this was {{Jossed}} by Abrams, who stated that a "true, dedicated ''Cloverfield'' sequel" was in the works at Bad Robot.

* SkewedPriorities: Subverted. During one scene, a group of bystanders are shown looting an electronics store in the chaos, but eventually they all stop to stare at the live news report on the televisions showing the military attempting to fight the monster.

** The very idea of a kaiju in itself is deconstructed as well; instead of being a supernatural beast, an allegorical character, or an out-of-this-world being, Clover is at his core a normal animal reacting to things the way any other animal would.

* UpperClassTwit: The main characters are mostly this. Late 20s yuppies living in extremely expensive areas of New York City who seem woefully unprepared for any kind of survival situation. Hud especially is just TooDumbToLive the way he continually risks peoples' lives (and ends up sacrificing his own) for the sake of catching the action on camera.

** Instead of focusing on the monster pounding other monsters' faces in or wrecking the military, you're given the perspective from ordinary people... which makes one realize how horrific the bog-standard [[{{Kaiju}} giant-monster movie plot]] would be if it really happened, which brings it back to its original form. ''Film/{{Gojira}}'', often considered the first Kaiju film (and certainly the reason we use the Japanese word), is a very dark movie with long, lingering shots of the destruction and the long term injuries he caused.

* RiddleForTheAges: Because the film follows the perspective of a small group of random civilians, the nature of the monster is left explained. All they know is that it's big and it's wrecking up the city. WordOfGod has provided a few more details however.

The film follows a group of New Yorkers as they attempt to rescue the girlfriend of protagonist Rob Hawkins (Michael Stahl-David, ''Series/TheBlackDonnellys'') during an attack by a [[{{Kaiju}} massive building-sized creature]]. The film is seen through the perspective of Hudson "Hud" Platt, Rob's friend, who [[InUniverseCamera carries around a camcorder throughout the film, documenting the events from his perspective]].

On January 29, 2021, news of a [[https://io9.gizmodo.com/a-direct-sequel-to-cloverfield-is-finally-in-the-works-1846162413 direct sequel written by Joe Barton]] materialized. As of this writing, there is no cast attached, but Babak Anvari (''Film/ICameBy'') is attached to direct. It is not expected to follow the found footage format of this film.

[[caption-width-right:300:[[{{Tagline}} Some Thing Has Found Us.]]]]

* DaylightHorror: [[spoiler: Hud gets chewed up by the monster in broad daylight.]]

'''Note:''' There were rumors for a time that ''Film/Super8'', directed by Abrams and produced by Creator/StevenSpielberg, was a prequel. It is actually an unrelated film, though this hasn't stopped WildMassGuessing from fans who have noted similarities between the monsters in both movies. Similarly, at one point, the director of ''Film/AQuietPlace'' (Creator/JohnKrasinski) ''considered'' having his movie tie in with the ''Cloverfield'' multiverse, but opted against such a plan. ''Film/Overlord2018'' was also rumored to be a part of this franchise, but this was {{Jossed}} by JJ Abrams, who stated that a "true, dedicated ''Cloverfield'' sequel" was in the works at Bad Robot.