Cloverfield (Blu-ray) Official AVSForum Review [Text View]

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Ralph Potts

05-30-08, 10:42 AM

<img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=110451&d=1210878775"hspace="12"align="left">
The Review at a Glance: (max score: 5 )

Film: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109946&d=1210373692">

Extras: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109946&d=1210373692">

 Audio/Video total rating:
 ( Max score: 100 )
<h2>92</h2>
 
Studio and Year: Paramount - 2008
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Feature running time: 84 Minutes
Genre: Sci-Fi Horror

Disc Format: BD-50
Encoding: VC-1
Video Aspect: 1.85:1
Resolution: 1080p/24
 
Audio Format(s): English Dolby TrueHD 5.1, French/Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese
Starring: Michael Stahl-David, Mike Vogel, Lizzy Caplan, Jessica Lucas, Odette Yustman, T. J. Miller
Directed by: Matt Reeves
Music by: Michael Bonvillian
Written by: Drew Goodard
Region Code: Not indicated

Blu-ray Disc release Date: June 3, 2008

 
<center><h2>"An original and frightening video documentary"</h2></center>

<h4>Film Synopsis:</h4>
 Five young New Yorkers throw their friend a going-away party the night that a monster the size of a skyscraper descends upon the city. Told from the point of view of their video camera, the film is a document of their attempt to survive the most surreal, horrifying event of their lives.

<h4>My Take:</h4>I had seen the trailer for Cloverfield while at the movies last year and I was intrigued. Unfortunately I never got the chance to get it at the theater. I did hear some feedback from those who had. Most claimed the film was good but that the way it was shot from the handheld video cam perspective made it hard to watch. I heard of some more extreme cases where people were suffering headaches and nausea (similar to motion sickness) due to the camera motion. I reviewed the DVD earlier this year and I can’t speak for everyone but I watched it with my family and none of us had any problems. I will admit that you never get used to the constant movement of the camera but after a while it becomes less bothersome. I think that it helps drive the suspense filled story line. <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=111630&d=1212157623"hspace="6"align="right"> Personally I liked Cloverfield. I mean conceptually its nothing new but I enjoyed the characters, the slow build up, the action and even the abrupt ending. This was definitely a throwback to a bygone era when monsters like Godzilla and Mothra attacked Tokyo Japan. This works really well in that it is told from a much more personal perspective which focuses on a select group of individuals. These are strong characters that are reasonably believable and in one case laugh out loud funny. TJ Miller’s character “Hud” is one of the reasons why I liked this film. He is the “cameraman” and his comments as things unfold around him is hilarious. I think that humor/levity in moments of tension helps to ease stress levels a bit. At 84 minutes this is not a long film and once it gets underway things move quickly. There is really never any explanation regarding the mysterious creature (s) and its origin but the story isn’t dependent on that. The entire film is told through the video cam which kind of leaves you feeling like there is something missing in the end. Overall I found this to be an enjoyable film that offered some good cinematic moments.

<h4>Parental Guide:</h4> Cloverfield is rated PG-13 for violence, terror, and disturbing images. The rating is accurate as there are elements present here that could traumatize younger viewers.

 AUDIO/VIDEO - By The Numbers:
REFERENCE = 92-100 / EXCELLENT = 83-91 / GOOD = 74-82 / AVERAGE = 65-73 / BELOW AVERAGE = under 65 

**My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**

(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)

<h4>Audio: 98</h4>
<ul>
<li>Dynamics: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109948&d=1210373699"></li>
<li>Low frequency extension: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109948&d=1210373699"></li>
<li>Surround Sound presentation: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109948&d=1210373699"></li>
<li>Clarity/Detail: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109947&d=1210373699"></li>
<li>Dialogue Reproduction: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109948&d=1210373699">
</li></ul>

<h4>Video: 86</h4>
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)

<ul>
<li>Resolution/Clarity: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109946&d=1210373692"></li>
<li>Black level/Shadow detail: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109947&d=1210373699"></li>
<li>Color reproduction: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109946&d=1210373692"></li>
<li>Fleshtones: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109947&d=1210373699"></li>
<li>Compression: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109947&d=1210373699"</li></ul> <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=111628&d=1212157614"hspace="6"align="left">Cloverfield comes to Blu-ray from Paramount featuring 1080p VC-1 encoded video that has an average bitrate of 35 mbps and Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Lossless audio that has an average bitrate of 3.6 mbps.I reviewed Cloverfield on DVD in early April and was impressed with the quality of the lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. Well after watching it again on Blu-ray with lossless Dolby TrueHD surround I was treated to a truly theatrical experience that left blew me away (literally). As you can see by the scoring this was a first rate presentation that simply rocked. I just love the film’s opening moments. It starts with a black screen accompanied by deep low bass thumps which are later identified as the footsteps of the invading entity. These sounded good on the DVD but here they sounded great. It was easy to note a discernible difference in the depth, tightness, and palpability of the bass here versus the DVD. This was definitely the case throughout the film. Bass heads will have a new demonstration disc to show off the capabilities of their subwoofers. The bass response in my room during several sequences in this film was literally skin tingling. The opening salvo at 18:20 (the rooftop during the party) got things started quite nicely. The attack at the Brooklyn Bridge and shortly after as they enter the subway station was awesome. This soundtrack will test not only the limits of your subwoofer but how well it reproduces bass frequencies within the lower sub levels. Watch the scene down in the subway station as the battle rages on above them. There is a plenty of deep bass energy at various frequencies included in this sequence. It is contained within the background but should be clearly detectable and tactile in nature. This in an aggressive and invigorating surround mix that incorporates a plethora of aurally stimulating effects to create a captivating and sometimes frightening listening experience. Dialogue sounded superb and well defined through the center channel. I loved the perception of hearing variable volume changes in voices as subjects moved closer to the camera. The same was true of flying objects and other sounds within the frame. This created an immersive and symmetrical sound field that bombarded the sweet spot. The scene were Hud is attacked by the creature in the film’s finale pretty much sums up all the positive elements contained in this audio presentation. It sounded really cool. I felt that the video quality on the DVD was less than ideal. Here are my comments from that review:
” The video presentation was a little difficult to judge as the entire film is seen through the “video cam”. This limited apparent resolution which caused the image to look less detailed. It didn’t inhibit the ability to see onscreen events but made images lack sharpness and depth. Add to that the fact that the camera is in motion quite a bit and things just looked blurry sometimes. The idea was to created the feeling of catching glimpses of what was going on and it was done to excellent effect. The majority of what you see takes place at night or in dim or no light. You have to really focus of making out what is happening so that you don’t miss anything. I didn’t make out any extraneous video noise. If there was any I would say that it might be hard to discern it. This is not a film that is designed to be technically proficient in terms of video quality. The more important issue is that the viewer be able to determine what they are seeing and that was never a problem.”
Right off the bat it was obvious that the higher resolution made a noticeable improvement in image perception. Detail was much improved which provided a better sense of visual depth and focus during the rapid camera pans and movement. To me this made a big difference in making out what was occurring. Elevated contrast levels made whites appear too hot which washed them out. Colors were oversaturated with exaggerated primary colors and overcooked secondary colors. I can’t say that it translated negatively to image quality as a whole but it was noticeable. Blacks were good but not the best that I have seen. Shadow detail was inconsistent from sequence to sequence but I think it was good more often than not. Grain appeared well preserved and unobtrusive with only a few exceptions. The beginning of chapter 5 as they enter the apartment building rooftop, and later as they ascend the stairs in route to rescue Beth from her apartment grain was not only visible but fairly heavy. I saw no signs of compression related video anomalies or noise. I was pleased with the quality of this encoding and felt that it greatly improved upon the film’s experience.
My scoring for the DVD’s audio was an 86 and my scoring for its video was a 76. I would say that this Blu-ray Disc yields a marked improvement.

<h4>Bonus Features:</h4>The bonus set offered here is decent and provides good background on the film both in pre-production and during shooting. These are ported over from the DVD release. The Making Of features interviews with the cast, director and production staff. It delves into the conceptual background on the film and reveals that not even the cast knew what was going to happen in story even as they began shooting. This was all kept very close to the vest to prevent it from getting out before the release of Cloverfield. The Visual Effects piece looked at how the camera work was done and the reason for it. Clover Fun was an adlib piece done by a few of the cast members using the camera which was actually pretty funny. The I Saw It, Its Alive, Its Huge feature looked at the design of the creature and the special effects used in the film. The Alternate Endings were all similar and offered nothing different to the theatrical ending. The Deleted Scenes and Commentary tracks were the same ole same ole. I enjoyed the featurettes and found them to be interesting for the most part. The addition of the Special Investigation feature on Blu-ray adds a fun element by playing back the feature in an interface that provides interesting background on the films locations and characters. It has the appearance and feel of a government database that has been setup to catalog the events that transpired at Cloverfield. 

<ul>
<li>(HD)Special Investigation Mode: Enhanced viewing</li>
<li>Director Commentary</li>
<li>(HD)Document 01.18.08: The making of Cloverfield feature</li>
<li>(HD)I saw I ! Its alive ! Its huge ! feature</li>
<li>(HD)Clover fun feature</li>
<li>(HD)4 deleted scenes</li>
<li>(HD)3 alternate endings</li></ul><img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=111627&d=1212157614"hspace="6"align="right">

<h4>Final Thoughts:</h4>

Cloverfield is a quick paced thrill ride that excites your senses (literally). It is not your run of the mill monster attack type film due in large part to the way the story is told. This presentation offers superlative high resolution sound and excellent video quality that will put you right in the action. Paramount Blu-ray has delivered the goods on what is sure to become a favorite among audio enthusiasts. Prepare yourselves to be entertained! I would like to point out that those who are susceptible to motion sickness may want to keep in mind that this film has the potential to aggravate it. It didn’t bother me or anyone in my family. Recommended. 

<img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109949&d=1210373731" align=left>
 
 Ralph Potts
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews

 Reference Review System:


Sony VPL-VW50 SXRD 1080p High Definition Front Projector
Carada Precision Brilliant White 96" Screen
Oppo 970HD universal disc DVD Player (480i HDMI)
Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Panasonic DMP-BD30 Blu-ray disc Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Sony Playstation 3 Blu-ray disc Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Marantz DV7001 Universal Disc Player
Denon AVR 5308CI THX Ultra 2 Preamp/Video Processor
Outlaw Audio Model 7700 seven channel amplifier
B&K Reference 200.7 Series 2 seven Channel amplifier
Canton "Ergo" Series speakers
Axiom Audio QS8 Quadpolar speakers
SV Sound PB-13 Ultra (Rosenut finish)
APC AV S15BLK Power Conditioner/Surge Protector
Wireworld, VizionWare, Audioquest, Best Deal Cables - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
Cool Components - CP-CP102 cooling package

lgans316

05-30-08, 10:55 AM

Two words Ralph. Nailed It :)

Pleasing to hear that the PQ was good and the SQ was excellent. Looks like Paramount is on a roll and determined to gain the top spot.

shadowrage

05-30-08, 11:32 AM

Oh hell yeah. Ralph is usually more critical of audio than other reviewers. I knew the audio was going to be a standout. But enough for a 98.:eek:

I am so amped for this. It really is worth $20 for the audio alone.:)

I will definitely crank this until my ears bleed. So glad that I held out for the BD.

"Colors were oversaturated with exaggerated primary colors and overcooked secondary colors." that's how it looked when I saw it on the DLP in theaters, everything was oversaturated, which made explosions look a little more 'alive'. I remember that, because the colors do standout a bit more than they should. So it sounds like it's a very faithful transfer.

ThePrisoner

05-30-08, 03:42 PM

Can't wait for Tuesday! Great review Ralph!

alkatmsu

05-30-08, 04:36 PM

I intend to purchase this and I don't even have a Blu player yet!

cnikirk

05-30-08, 04:55 PM

Well done Ralph! I'm not sure I will like the movie, but with an audio rating of 98 I have to at least "hear" the movie once!

Djoel

05-30-08, 05:00 PM

There's has been report of a low audio rumbling, that appears to be distortion through some subs at the very beginning, or around of BAD ROBOT scene on sd dvd version!

I wonder if this was fixed on the Bluray copy?

DJoel

stevekaden

05-30-08, 07:01 PM

I'd have to comment that to those who get motion sickness - be prepared for the worst. I am that way in some situations - and this movie, in the theater, was just literally sickening. I had to close my eyes for at least a third of the movie. It took me hours to recover. And as we know, I am not alone here. With the other comments, I also have friends and family who suffered the same.

BUT, that is an incredible testimony to this movie that it is engaging and powerful enough to fight through, and just so true to its concept. It never, ever, wavers from what it is, a replay of a video camera tape during a long fight for survival. A great piece of work, conceptually and in delivery.

(Just have a plastic bag handy.)

BigDad

05-30-08, 07:40 PM

Great review as always, Ralph.

Ralph Potts

05-30-08, 08:30 PM

Greetings,

Thanks to all for sharing your thoughts...

Cheers,

UCFKevin

05-31-08, 12:14 AM

Wow, that's a hell of a well done review. Thanks! I was gonna get this anyway, but thats just about the best kind of BluRay review I've seen yet. Quite thorough.

robertc88

05-31-08, 08:37 AM

The only time I'll be able to watch this is during the day when adjoining apartment dwellers aren't home. I suppose that is unfortunate cause I much prefer a dark room but I would not be able to get the full thrill and effect for the sound any other time. I knew with my experience in the theater this had all the makings of unfortunately disturbing the peace!

Thanks Ralph. As always, much appreciated!

jlp_2908

06-02-08, 07:07 PM

THX for the review! Gonna get this as soon as I see it

mazer75

06-07-08, 03:06 AM

Picked this up tonight, and it is indeed a very nice BD package.

Rob100

06-07-08, 08:29 PM

Have to agree 101% with the review.

Didn't know what to expect from this, but watched it tonight and thought it was excellent.

The soundtrack is simply, to summarize in one word.... "outstanding".

xshaqattaqx

06-10-08, 02:44 PM

the audio on this disc is simply stunning. great review

laugsbach

06-12-08, 10:49 PM

Hi Ralph,

I just flat out enjoy reading your reviews.:)

Ralph, you wrote, "This in an aggressive and invigorating surround mix that incorporates a plethora of aurally stimulating effects to create a captivating and sometimes frightening listening experience."

Spot on, as always Ralph. This has replaced Master & Commander as my demo BR for new attendees to our home theater.:D

Larry

Ralph Potts

06-13-08, 04:51 AM

General Kenobi

06-19-08, 12:11 PM

I finally got a chance to watch this last night and as many have said your review is spot on. The motion did not make me sick but there were a couple of times in the movie where I felt like it was a bit much. I don't know that this will be a buy for me as it does not have a great deal of re-watch value IMO but the audio could be used for some serious demo material. The movie itself was better than I expected and it certainly felt more real being filmed the way it was. Good stuff!:D

fjcruiser

06-28-08, 10:50 PM

davcole

06-28-08, 11:45 PM

Just finished watching it and I really enjoyed! Not my typical type of movie but I have to give alot of credit to Matt Reeves for filming it from the perspective of the camera person. Very daring filmaking!

Now I actually loved the video, it was perfect for this presentation. I know it looks a bit rough but it's supposed to.

As for the audio, what can I say? If there's ever an argument for Dolby TrueHD to be made, this is it!! I found the dialogue quite intelligible and the surround field VERY active, however with this film it's all about the BASS!!

One word: INCREDIBLE

I don't think i've heard bass this intense before. I was impressed by how cleanly the TrueHD delivered it. Probably the tightest bass i've heard!!

It's funny, just when I crown MASTER AND COMMANDER and then THE ORPHANAGE as the best lossless mixes out there, here comes CLOVERFIELD that just might exceed both of them!

Rob100

06-29-08, 04:33 AM

Strange. I couldn't get the DolbyHD track to work. Had TrueHD checked on the audio options, but when I brought up the info on my PS3 it was at 48 khz, 640bps. It was track 1, 2 was french, and three was Spanish. Audio track 4 was 192khz, 3.2 meg, but had the directors comentary on it and it was only 2 channel.

Not meaning to ask the obvious, but I assume you are using PCM multichannel over HDMI for audio? If you're using optical then you will only get 640kbps.

fjcruiser

06-29-08, 11:49 PM

Not meaning to ask the obvious, but I assume you are using PCM multichannel over HDMI for audio? If you're using optical then you will only get 640kbps.

Aye....LPCM on all stuff. Watched Michael Clyaton just before that and it worked fine, as did every other movie I've watched. Strange....

dkny75

07-01-08, 11:20 AM

120 inch lcd

07-01-08, 11:23 PM

Wow, I hate to be the turd in the punchbowl here but...

I would like to warn some members about this movie, I didn't know anything about it and rented it from blockbuster. I've seen just about every blu-ray in the store and I have movie-pass so I gave it a whirl.

Possibly one of the worst movies I've ever seen, all it lacked was...everything. The first 30 minutes of the pointless ramblings of the young and hip, maybe if you like Dawson's Creek or something this will appeal to you.

This movie looks like a freshman film student was given a CGI budget and this is the result, please rent first as this movie will NOT appeal to all tastes. This movie was almost as annoying as Dr. T and the Women.

Archbushman

07-01-08, 11:42 PM

I sort of agree that this wasn't the greatest movie, but the True HD sound on the blu-ray is amazing...esp the bass!

Chad T

07-02-08, 07:10 PM

gbaby

07-02-08, 07:39 PM

Watched this last night for the first time. I thought it was a thoroughly enjoyable movie that put a completely different spin on the typical monster movie. I was surprised at good the video was and was completely blown away by the audio. Great review Ralph, keep up the good work.

My sentiments exactly. This was a great movie with a creative spin on monster movies. The sound was reference quality in all frequencies. My sub goes down to 15hz so the bass had my whole foundation shaking with a convincing and immersive sound creating the illusion a monster was, in fact, attacking.

gbaby

07-02-08, 07:51 PM

bori

07-09-08, 02:37 AM

This review describes this Bu-ray perfectly. For me, it was one of the FEW, any format disc, that allowed me to hear my system sound at new heights by tapping those frequencies at the extreme of the frequency range, and allow you to hear a (bass) frequency with authority, distortion fee.

I agree with you 100%. I watched this movie on SD and thought the bass was good but was to boomy and distorted. When I watched the Blu ray version it was a totally different experience. Bass was there but, it was tighter and with no distortion unlike the SD version..

thebland

07-12-08, 10:31 PM

JBLsound4645

07-12-08, 11:03 PM

I just watched this and, too, found the bass fantastic...but the the front sound stage was as ginormous as the big monster and rear effects were not as ambient as I had hoped for. The surrounds were somewhat low but did split side to side and front to rear.. Compared to the Orphanage, this one wins on bass but Orphanage on all else. I think, I would have rated the sound around a 92.

That said, nice review.:)

I’ve been telling everyone place multiples of surrounds in the room as if it was cinema. I, didn’t have one single issue with the DVD not one! Except the naff photography and I’m rather glad that Hud got eaten buy the Cloverfield monster yummy because he was so annoying.

The artistic approach to the sound design would have been a +10 if they had used more of the surrounds to place (Hud on centre back) rather than keeping him centre front or should I say with foggy LCR because the dialogue was splashed over LCR to create a disorienting LCR front, a few pans where heard off to left and right, thou I never watched the whole film all, the way though it was boring I didn’t care not one single bit for the characters expect the monster eating Hud alive!

So it doesn’t win my appeal too much as its just another DVD that gathers dust, still Skywalker Sound does deserve a clap. The director was pants he didn’t make one unless I missed it on the audio commentary, not one single comment about the soundtrack or Skywalker Sound so the director is pantshttp://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/images/icons/icon13.gif.

I’d sooner listen to the audio commentary by Ridley Scott on the first Alien DVD edition where he mentioned “six-track Dolby stereo”:http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/images/icons/icon14.gif:cool: now that is hardcore and turns me one, Cloverfield was nothing ut hot-air.

Do you know I’ve watched the end credits more than the films running time, Cloverfield overture “Roar!” I must have played it on A&B loop some 80 times now, now that is sad.:D

thebland

07-13-08, 10:22 AM

The artistic approach to the sound design would have been a +10 if they had used more of the surrounds to place (Hud on centre back) rather than keeping him centre front or should I say with foggy LCR because the dialogue was splashed over LCR to create a disorienting LCR front, a few pans where heard off to left and right, thou I never watched the whole film all, the way though it was boring I didn’t care not one single bit for the characters expect the monster eating Hud alive!
:D

RE:Soundtrack..
I agree.. I have a 7.1 set up and the soundtrack overall was very good. But I did have an issue with the front soundstage being a bit anemic in size. I think you are on to something with the dialog splashed over the front LCRs. That may've been my issue. In bombastic scenes, the surrounds were certainly involved but not as aggressive as I have heard in other blockbusters. That said, the surrounds supported the soundtrack at any given moment but did not draw attention to themselves. Also, in scenes with big sound (and no dialog) the front soundstage was smaller than I would've hoped. Overall excellent.. but I am nitpicking as the film was given an almost 100 (perfect) audio rating (98)..

1brokebrother

07-13-08, 01:25 PM

Possibly one of the worst movies I've ever seen, all it lacked was...everything. The first 30 minutes of the pointless ramblings of the young and hip, maybe if you like Dawson's Creek or something this will appeal to you.
man...am I with you on this one. I've seen far better movies on the Sci-Fi channel at 2AM..
a 23 min party scene in a monster movie??:eek:

HoustonPerson

07-19-08, 10:10 PM

I liked this film a lot better than I thought I would. At first I was a little disappointed on the PQ, because the opening scene in the bedroom had a lot of film grain to me, as well as the first roof top scene (after the first explosion). But for a HandiCam, it was for the most part grain free.

Sound was great, real close to excellent. Since this is my first Home Theater system, when the Jets flew overhead, I turned around and looked!

Much better movie than King Kong or Godzella - Oh wait I'm old!

Hud (the camera nerd)..............just felt bad when the monster picked him up, chewed him up and then spit him out, real bummer!

rover2002

07-20-08, 09:26 PM

Picked this up from Tower (at a great price) after reading your review.
Me & the wife loved it, Hud was indeed funny as the cam man & the cam movement was not an issue, i'm not sure why people are having motion sickness issues with this, some of my home movies shot by my wife have the same style !!:D

Ralph Potts

07-21-08, 04:44 AM

JBLsound4645

07-26-08, 06:34 AM

RE:Soundtrack..
I agree.. I have a 7.1 set up and the soundtrack overall was very good. But I did have an issue with the front soundstage being a bit anemic in size. I think you are on to something with the dialog splashed over the front LCRs. That may've been my issue. In bombastic scenes, the surrounds were certainly involved but not as aggressive as I have heard in other blockbusters. That said, the surrounds supported the soundtrack at any given moment but did not draw attention to themselves. Also, in scenes with big sound (and no dialog) the front soundstage was smaller than I would've hoped. Overall excellent.. but I am nitpicking as the film was given an almost 100 (perfect) audio rating (98)..

I’d tell you what the sound on the fronts reminded me off! “The King and I” now then! It as foggy splashy and sloppy and damn right annoying made worse only by Hud! I’m rather glad the cloverfield monster ate him.

I’d sooner watch The King and I because at least I can accept the soundtrack being what it is and at least it’s got more dialogue panning than cloverfied. No not enough effort was put into this soundtrack and the only reason people like us well, not me, people like you and others are raving about cloverfield is the (sub bass).

The sound is also very active on the surrounds around my home, without the use of bluray ether, its how you design your sound system and I’m not talking about a few surround speakers, its lot more than that!

jlpio

12-24-08, 09:40 AM

I was one of those who was physically affected by this movie in the theater. My friends and I sat way too close to the screen and all but 2 of us had to get up and leave less than 2/3 into the movie with headaches and nausia. I was furious that I'd wasted my money and hated the movie for it. I later rented the DVD and was able to watch it without any problems on my 42" TV. I actually enjoyed it enough to buy the Blu-ray while it was on sale.

JamE55

12-24-08, 10:53 AM

Still on the fence on this one. Saw the movie but not sure if it belongs in my collection.

dudley07726

12-24-08, 11:40 AM

I purchased this bluray disc on Black Friday because it was on sale. I think I might have seen a review but wasn't sure (I know I didn't read it). I never even heard of the movie. Boy, was I in for a surprise. This was a great film.
Audio was phenomenal. How great is it when you can watch a film and have had no expectations and come away really enjoying it. That's what this film did for me. My room was shaking!

Franin

01-01-09, 12:07 AM

HTPC101

01-04-09, 02:33 PM

Seen the movie very nice review..

Franin

01-07-09, 11:44 PM

i purchased this bluray disc on black friday because it was on sale. I think i might have seen a review but wasn't sure (i know i didn't read it). I never even heard of the movie. Boy, was i in for a surprise. This was a great film.
Audio was phenomenal. How great is it when you can watch a film and have had no expectations and come away really enjoying it. That's what this film did for me. My room was shaking!

+1

Gov

02-25-09, 11:02 AM

Yes great bass, but the movie could have been so much more :rolleyes:

Lordoftherings

03-13-09, 06:37 AM

Very good workout for your subwoofer.
And the way it was filmed, is very different, but keep you on your toes (tension).
Better than other similarly filmed movies.
Picture is a little distracting with that camera always shaking.
That's the only downside, I found, gives me a little headache.
And it's normal that the quality of the video does suffer. But for audio, what a ride!