With 10 Cloverfield Lane hitting theaters this weekend I thought now was as good a time as ever to make sure you’re up to date on your Cloverfield lore. After all, it was all the way back in 2007 when the cryptic teaser that played in front of Transformers set the internet on fire. Back then the film known only by its release date 1-18-08 had fans searching every nook and cranny of the internet trying to uncover the mystery behind J.J. Abrams’ latest project. From theories that the film was a live action Power Rangers, to some some believing it was an adaptation of the classic arcade game Rampage, no theory was too far-fetched to consider.
In the end Cloverfield was simply a monster movie, but a pretty great one at that. J.J. Abrams had managed to create an interesting lore behind the creature and the found footage technique served to put the massive size of the monster into a uniquely human perspective. But that was nearly 10 years ago so you’d be forgiven if you haven’t saw or thought about Cloverfield in a while. Luckily for you I’m here to refresh your memory on what exactly is Cloverfield. Who knows, maybe we can glean some information for what to expect in the sequel. So let’s get started, what do you want to know?
Okay so what’s Cloverfield?
Cloverfield is a found footage film that captures the events that took place in New York City when a monster emerged from the river and destroyed the city, killing thousands of people including several well dressed hipsters that were partying that night. The name Cloverfield is a nickname the production team gave the monster. It’s also been referred to as “Clover”.
I warned you not to vote Trump.
Good to know, thanks, Goodbye…
Not so fast.
What?
There’s actually more to Cloverfield than you might think.
Okay like what?
Like have you ever wondered where the monster came from?
It came from space, I remember seeing it drop down from the sky in that last scene of the movie in Coney Island.
Not necessarily, the consensus is that the object that fell from the sky wasn’t the Cloverfield monster, but a satellite.
The internet finally agreed on something (well sort of). The object that fell from the sky was a satellite.
Oh really, so where did it come from then?
From deep within the Atlantic Ocean, but it doesn’t end there. If you’ve read the manga cross media tie-in you’d learn that a Japanese mega corporation Tagruato is responsible for waking up the Cloverfield monster. That satellite that fell into the ocean at the end of Cloverfield was owned by them. When that satellite landed on the ocean floor, it awoke the monster from an ancient slumber.
Oh interesting, what happened?
I’m glad you asked, it just so happens that Tagruato owns a subsidiary named Slusho! And Slusho! made these incredibly popular and incredibly addictive drinks that are said to contain Seabed Nectar as its main ingredient.
That sounds… not good.
No it isn’t, especially when Seabed Nector is described as making your stomach burst with happiness. And guess where’s the only place one can get Seabed Nectar? Yup, deep down in the ocean floor.
Wow, now that you say it, Slusho! does sound familiar.
It should, at the beginning of Cloverfield we learn that Rob Hawkins our protagonist is getting ready to take a new marketing job in Japan with Slusho!
Yeah, but somewhere else too.
Slusho! has been referenced in a several J.J. Abrams projects, from Alias to Star Trek.
Oh cool, so what else?
There is speculation that the monster from the original film was merely a baby and that there’s more of them out there. Also the Cloverfield monster sheds these smaller creatures that live on it. They’re called Parasites and are said to contain high volumes of this Seabed Nectar in their blood.
That can’t be good huh?
No it’s not, because of their high level of Seabed Nectar when these Parasites bite, you go boom. In other words when you get bit you’ll get sick, bloat, and eventually explode.
Oh hi, you seem friendly.
That sounds like a nightmare.
I know right? I always thought that was one of the cooler aspects of Cloverfield that doesn’t get enough attention. This Seabed Nectar is also said to be responsible for the size of the Cloverfield monster.
How so?
You have to understand while the Cloverfield monster is thought to be thousands of years old, it’s still considered an infant. It grew to this massive size by drinking Seabed Nectar right from the source.
How did they end up killing it?
We’re not actually sure if it was killed. We do know that after a long night of trying to fight the monster, the military initiated the HAMMER-DOWN protocol that bombed and essentially leveled Central Park seemingly killing the monster. But if you stuck around until after the credits you can sort of hear someone say “it’s still alive”.
Oh wow, so what’s 10 Cloverfield Lane about? When does that take place?
10 Cloverfield Lane is a sequel of sorts to the original film. But not a lot is known at this point. I’m not even sure if the film takes place during or after the initial attack in New York City.
So what do you know about it?
Well I know it’s not a found footage film anymore, and it stars John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and John Gallagher Jr.
Oh I love them.
Yeah everyone does, but that’s not all, 10 Cloverfield Lane won’t be directed by Matt Reeves who did the original film, for 10 Cloverfield Lane Dan Trachtenberg has been called to the helm.
Oh really, and who’s he?
Dan Trachtenberg is a filmmaker that gained some internet attention for his Youtube show The Totally Rad Show. Most recently he released the live action Portal No Escape to great acclaim. 10 Cloverfield Lane will be his feature film debut.
Nope, no monsters here.
Do you know anything else?
Well I can only speculate but it seems like John Goodman is holding Winstead and Gallagher Jr. against their will in a bunker and is very scared to open the door. Presumably because there are monsters or a monster outside. Both Winstead and Gallagher Jr. seem to be injured but no word on how these injuries occurred. As I mentioned above 10 Cloverfield Lane is no longer a found footage film which is sort of a bummer if you were into that back when it came out. I certainly was but I’m willing to go into this with an open mind.
So when does 10 Cloverfield Lane come out?
March 11th
That’s this Friday…
Yes it is.
Should I get tickets?
If you want to watch it you probably should.
Maybe I will. So do you think it’ll be any good?
I sure hope it is. I’m a big fan of the world J.J. Abrams created, the cast, and of Dan Trachtenberg but honestly, who knows.
Oh please tell me one more thing before you go.
Okay, some people don’t think even 10 Cloverfield Lane is a true sequel, but merely a spinoff.
Those people can go to hell.
Well said my imaginary friend, well said.
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