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 Forum index » Archive » Archive: Cloverfield (1-18-08) » Cloverfield: General / Updates
[META/RANT]Election year political allegory
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brettoniasam
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 		[META/RANT]Election year political allegory
So...

the new trailer pretty much confirms what I've been saying all along:

This is an avant-garde, experimental thinly-veiled political allegory condemning the politics of deceit and fear that this Bush administration has inflicted upon America (and the world) for the past 7 years.

Monsters? What monsters? The "monsters" you "see" (or THINK you see) in the new trailer are absolutely and deliberately as vague and open to interpretation as any "real" video of boogeymen and bugbears like Bigfoot and ghosts and space aliens.

And, as many have long surmised, you've got damn good odds that the full movie won't give you any clearer shot of the "monsters" than what you already "see" in the trailer.

That's cuz they ain't there. Simple enough plot, seen it a thousand times before: military creates killer virus for biowarfare; accidentally releases it in America; needs to kill off the poor bastards who are infected; need to create a cover(up) story to explain all the deaths; so they invent a story about "monsters" in order to quarantine Manhattan and kill off the disease carriers.

In much the same way that Cheney-Bush lie and invent nonexistent "imminent threats" to cover up their real reasons for military adventurism/conquest in the Middle East. You don't have to be Fellini to see the political symbolism there.

And considering that this movie is falling close on the heels of a veritable rash of anti-Bush/anti-Iraq War movies (In the Valley of Elah; Rendition; Lions for Lambs; more to come) in an election year...

...and considering that those other movies failed at the box office (hey, Hollywood is preaching to the choir: we KNOW Bush lied. We GET it. These movies would have been edgy/ controversial/ effective two, three years ago; but now they're just redundant. Too little, too late), I'm sure "Cloverfield" will meet a similar fate among the art-house intelligentsia and the confused fanboys who were expecting a classic monster movie.

PostPosted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 10:54 am
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Lupinicus
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 		While I actually think that could be a good movie and would like to see it, I really don't think it is going to be this movie. Unless Abrahms was flat out lying at the ComicCon, this *is* a monster movie.

PostPosted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 12:18 pm
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brettoniasam
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Lupinicus wrote:
While I actually think that could be a good movie and would like to see it, I really don't think it is going to be this movie. Unless Abrahms was flat out lying at the ComicCon, this *is* a monster movie.


Blair Witch Project is still considered a great horror movie, even though there's no "monster" at all in it, either.

JJ could well be doing that here, but with "Blair Witch" on a MUCH larger scale.

PostPosted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 3:03 pm
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TBILL
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 		So then does the military launch the SoL's head down the street too? Confused

PostPosted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 3:07 pm
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brettoniasam
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TBILL wrote:
So then does the military launch the SoL's head down the street too? Confused


Not necessarily...but a big-ass monster that was CREATED by the military could have. That goes back to the "letting the genie out of the bottle" point -- it's their monster/ virus/ whatever that got loose, now they're having to cover it up.

PostPosted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 3:13 pm
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TBILL
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 		but I thought you said they invented the story about the monster

PostPosted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 3:13 pm
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SlushoLover
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 		Re: [META/RANT]Election year political allegory
brettoniasam wrote:
the full movie won't give you any clearer shot of the "monsters" than what you already "see" in the trailer ... That's cuz they ain't there.


brettoniasam wrote:
a big-ass monster that was CREATED by the military


Can't have it both ways, my friend. Either it's there or it's not. Rolling Eyes

PostPosted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 3:22 pm
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brettoniasam
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 		I'm still reserving judgment on whether or not there IS a monster(s) at all -- the trailer, as I said, is still purposefully vague, like a Bigfoot "sighting." So what we "see" in the trailer might be something entirely different.

In any event, the point is that the movie is showing that it's the guvmint's fault. They either created a monster and/or lethal virus and accidentally released it, or flat-out concocted a story about one, to cover up the fact that THEY are responsible for the destruction of New York. Just like they were on September 11, 2001.

But that's another story. And whether you accept the 9/11 conspiracy theories or not is beside the point -- the point is that this movie makes that case. JJ Abrams appears to be making a movie that's an allegory about that very theory.

PostPosted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 3:23 pm
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gypsy songman
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brettoniasam wrote:

In any event, the point is that the movie is showing that it's the guvmint's fault. They either created a monster and/or lethal virus and accidentally released it, or flat-out concocted a story about one, to cover up the fact that THEY are responsible for the destruction of New York. Just like they were on September 11, 2001.


Not to say your theory isn't intriguing, but mayhap we should wait for the movie to be released before we get in to our symbolic interpretations? Thus far we have nothing to suggest the government is involved, save the presence of troops; frankly, if the SOL's head was torn off and a giant fireball had engulfed central Manhattan, I think they'd have the National Guard mobilized toute suite.

Again, I'm not saying you aren't on to something, but explaining that it's a post-9/11 allegory of the Bush administrations' politics of fear when you've only just seen the first full trailer is a little premature.

PostPosted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 3:39 pm
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TBILL
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gypsy songman wrote:
brettoniasam wrote:

In any event, the point is that the movie is showing that it's the guvmint's fault. They either created a monster and/or lethal virus and accidentally released it, or flat-out concocted a story about one, to cover up the fact that THEY are responsible for the destruction of New York. Just like they were on September 11, 2001.


Not to say your theory isn't intriguing, but mayhap we should wait for the movie to be released before we get in to our symbolic interpretations? Thus far we have nothing to suggest the government is involved, save the presence of troops; frankly, if the SOL's head was torn off and a giant fireball had engulfed central Manhattan, I think they'd have the National Guard mobilized toute suite.

Again, I'm not saying you aren't on to something, but explaining that it's a post-9/11 allegory of the Bush administrations' politics of fear when you've only just seen the first full trailer is a little premature.


I agree. At this point it is very reasonable to assume that since JJ said he wanted to make a monster movie like the Godzilla franchise and since there is evidence that something big is attacking the city and the government is fighting it(run on sentence I know) that this is indeed a monster movie.

PostPosted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 3:42 pm
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motrbotr
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 		Screwy Locky! Locky! Locky!

PostPosted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 10:31 pm
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da_pope
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 		That would be a dope plot in itself but I'm guessing a movie like that would have a bigger budget then a cookie cutter monster movie like this one would.

I don't mean cookie cutter as a bash, I mean this movie looks awesome but it's a pretty generic plotline and one that isnt that appealing to the general public.

PostPosted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 10:37 pm
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Arkaham
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 		So there's a big monster created by the goverment that now trashes a major city and the army is trying to stop him, and that makes this a political movie instead of a monster movie?

Dude, have you even seen a monster movie? For God's sake, even revamped godzilla had exactly that plot, not to mention half of all the monster movies ever done.
_________________
Drowning my worries in Slusho.

PostPosted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 11:06 pm
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Headman
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Joined: 26 Aug 2007
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 		Re: [META/RANT]Election year political allegory
brettoniasam wrote:
So...

the new trailer pretty much confirms what I've been saying all along:

This is an avant-garde, experimental thinly-veiled political allegory condemning the politics of deceit and fear that this Bush administration has inflicted upon America (and the world) for the past 7 years.

Monsters? What monsters? The "monsters" you "see" (or THINK you see) in the new trailer are absolutely and deliberately as vague and open to interpretation as any "real" video of boogeymen and bugbears like Bigfoot and ghosts and space aliens.

And, as many have long surmised, you've got damn good odds that the full movie won't give you any clearer shot of the "monsters" than what you already "see" in the trailer.

That's cuz they ain't there. Simple enough plot, seen it a thousand times before: military creates killer virus for biowarfare; accidentally releases it in America; needs to kill off the poor bastards who are infected; need to create a cover(up) story to explain all the deaths; so they invent a story about "monsters" in order to quarantine Manhattan and kill off the disease carriers.

In much the same way that Cheney-Bush lie and invent nonexistent "imminent threats" to cover up their real reasons for military adventurism/conquest in the Middle East. You don't have to be Fellini to see the political symbolism there.

And considering that this movie is falling close on the heels of a veritable rash of anti-Bush/anti-Iraq War movies (In the Valley of Elah; Rendition; Lions for Lambs; more to come) in an election year...

...and considering that those other movies failed at the box office (hey, Hollywood is preaching to the choir: we KNOW Bush lied. We GET it. These movies would have been edgy/ controversial/ effective two, three years ago; but now they're just redundant. Too little, too late), I'm sure "Cloverfield" will meet a similar fate among the art-house intelligentsia and the confused fanboys who were expecting a classic monster movie.


Quote:
Blair Witch Project is still considered a great horror movie, even though there's no "monster" at all in it, either.

JJ could well be doing that here, but with "Blair Witch" on a MUCH larger scale.


Here we go..............There is always going to be one.

PostPosted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 11:29 pm
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clownnation
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Joined: 04 Sep 2007
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 		I mean, It could make for an interesting movie. But I think you are wanting to see a "Anti Bush" Movie here. It's like looking at clouds, you could take any movie and with enough thought and creativity make it represent almost anything.

And since you gave us your beliefs on how you feel about the government, I just want to say Politicians lie. Sometimes Politicians are misled themselves, Look at past Presidents like Clinton. The US system is still great. We vote for those people, we have the ability to say whatever we feel. Some countries dont have that. Agree with Bush or not, The US has done alot of great things for people. Ive served in Iraq. Ive personally been thanked by people there, that just want to provide for thier families but couldnt for so many years. Ive seen what is going on there. The News spins the truth so bad it makes me sick. No mention on the amount of Jobs that are there now, no mention that more people in Iraq and Afgahnastan has electricity and clean water today, than in the history of either country. No mention on the fact that Iraq has more hospitals and Universities opening than ever before. Did you know that the number of suicide bombers have declined nearly 75% since we got there? We think its so terrible when a bombing happens to us (not saying it isnt, because it is still horrible) but we didnt care when it was just heppening to the innocent that live there. The news only gives you stats from a specific time periods from after we got there.

I know Politicians can leave you feeling uneasy. But we got some great people over there, saving the world and standing up to tyranny and terrorism. Hopefully the Iraqi People can stand on thier own soon. Sorry to get on a soap box. I just think it stinks that people these days are ashamed to be patriotic because they listen to all the conspiracies and/or dont like the President. Thats cool, but America is still the greatest country on Earth in my opinion and Imdamn glad to serve this country and wear this uniform so that others wont have to.

I know this is a downer to some people so I wont debate, I just wanted to say my peace. God Bless America, and lets get back to the ARG PLAY BALL!

PostPosted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 11:39 pm
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