Normally when I hear rumors of a sequel to a somewhat-good movie I automatically cringe, but I’m not doing that today. According to Bloody Disgusting, Cloverfield director Matt Reeves knows about the rumors of a sequel for the monster movie, and won’t say flat out that it isn’t an option.
“Only time will tell. While we were on set making the film we talked about the possibilities and directions of how a sequel can go,” he told the reporter. Now, before you get all up in arms about a sequel to a movie in which, presumably, most of the characters die (this is not a spoiler since I haven’t seen the movie, and it’s just conjecture), keep in mind the concept. Cloverfield is ostensibly told from one point of view, a group of friends on a very specific mission while New York City is under attack. As Reeves points out, who knows how many other people had their cameras out that night and recorded the thing? Or, for that matter, what’s stopping Reeves and Abrams from making a more traditional movie about that night, showing the President making decisions and the National Guard mobilizing to stop the attack.
Maybe this is just my Lost addiction talking, but I see promise in retelling the Cloverfield story over and over from different angles, the way Abrams’ TV show often does. The movie reportedly leaves many questions unanswered, from the origin of the monster to what happens to the rest of the country after New York is decimated. And that’s not even counting all the information that was part of the marketing, like the Japanese TV report that showed the monster destroying an oil rig out in the middle of the ocean. Someone has clearly thought out a whole history behind Cloverfield, and the actual movie only scratches the surface.
Cloverfield has torn up the box office this weekend, with an estimated $41 million so far. We all know that big box office often means sequels, so executives at Paramount would probably be crying sequel even if Reeves and Abrams never considered the idea. I’m hopeful, though, that a Cloverfield sequel could mean something new and different, hearkening back to the old serials of the early days of movies, when sequels all fit together as part of a bigger whole rather than being a retread of the same old ideas. The guys behind this movie came up with one good idea, and now it’s time to see if they can keep that idea running.
