Cloverfield 9-11

J.J. Abrams' monster movie, Cloverfield has been called a 9-11 allegory by many critics and viewers, as the film evokes images reminiscent of New York City in a state of terror and destruction. Shots of terrified New Yorkers fleeing through downtown Manhattan, flanked by smoke and debris, are starkly similar to those captured on 9-11. A set of "twin" towers—Manhattan's Time Warner Center—is also featured, one of them collapsed against the other; and though the image was not a literal replica of the World Trade Center collapse, it was close enough to warrant comment in a number of publications and blogs. The aspect of the film that's most uncanny, however, is the shaky digicam footage in which the entire film is shot, recalling the amateur footage that has become iconic of the events of 9-11.

• Google News: Cloverfield 911
• FOXNews.com: 'Cloverfield': Horror Film Not Sensitive About 9/11 (January 16, 2008)
• RogerEbert.com: Cloverfield Review (January 17, 2008)
  • "Several shots of billowing smoke clouds are unmistakable evocations of 9/11, and indeed one of the movie's working titles was "1/18/08".... So explicit are the 9/11 references in "Cloverfield" that the monster is seen knocking over skyscrapers, and one high-rise is seen leaning against another."
• TIME: Apocalypse New (January 18, 2008)
• LA Weekly: Cloverfield Is a Horror (January 16, 2008)
• Groucho Reviews: Cloverfield
• BostonHerald.com: 'Godzilla' Helps Us Conquer Our Anxieties (January 18, 2008)
• CNN: Review: 'Cloverfield' Something to See (January 18, 2008)

• YouTube Video: Cloverfield New Theatrical Trailer (Time 2:06)