[Assa2]

Here's a list of questions I have about the world of Cloverfield. This world includes information from the film, the various viral sites and the manga comic(s).

1. What links the fallen piece of Japanese satellite to the monster (if there is a link)?

2. What falls into the ocean off Staton Island in the final scene (is it the above piece of satellite)?

3. How many monsters are/were there?

4. What was the Hammerdown Protocol?

5. Is the monster a Slushi junkie?

6. Did the military know about the monster before hand?

7. What is the monster?

I know some of these questions might seem a bit stupid with obvious answers, but trust me, there is some intelligence behind them.

Please only give answers that can be suppported with 'proof' from the film, viral sites or comic. No general conjecture, please.

Please feel free to add further questions.

[Ulysses31]

Originally Posted by Assa2

Please feel free to add further questions.

1. Do I still need to see the film now that you have posted all the spoilers?

[Assa2]

Originally Posted by Ulysses31

1. Do I still need to see the film now that you have posted all the spoilers?

2 things...

1. Does the thread title not say "contains spoilers"?

2. Are there actually any spoilers among the questions? The only major spoiler I would say the questions contain is that... there is a .... monster in this film!

[ThinBoy]

Originally Posted by Assa2

Here's a list of questions I have about the world of Cloverfield. This world includes information from the film, the various viral sites and the manga comic(s).

1. What links the fallen piece of Japanese satellite to the monster (if there is a link)?

2. What falls into the ocean off Staton Island in the final scene (is it the above piece of satellite)?

3. How many monsters are/were there?

4. What was the Hammerdown Protocol?

5. Is the monster a Slushi junkie?

6. Did the military know about the monster before hand?

7. What is the monster?

I know some of these questions might seem a bit stupid with obvious answers, but trust me, there is some intelligence behind them.

Please only give answers that can be suppported with 'proof' from the film, viral sites or comic. No general conjecture, please.

Please feel free to add further questions.

7. The monster is allegorical. Monsters in films usually represent some kind of national or global fear - e.g. Godzilla & the bomb, Invasion of the Body Snatchers & the McCarthy witch hunts, martians and communism, etc.
The Cloverfield monster could symbolise any number of things, but I reckon most likely its a combination of the fear created by the Bush administration's foreign policy - removal of liberty (beheading of the Statue of Liberty), attack on New York (terrorism), etc., fear of the effects of global environmental policy - connections with Slusho, deep sea drilling, environmental activists, etc., security of energy supply - the overturning of the oil tanker. I reckon there's also some representation of the collective American guilt of the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki - hence the Japanese connection and the similarities to Godzilla, and the fact that it can't be killed. Basically it's the history of USA government policy coming back to bite them in the ass!

Sorry - I know this isn't what you're after.

[Assa2]

Crikey! No, but still an interesting response.

While agree that some of these films have hidden or not so hidden meanings, there is a danger of reading too much significance into the details. However, with Mr Abrams you never know!

The Japanese link is certainly interesting and the parallels with 9/11 are obvious. Whether there is an element of 'you brought this on yourselves' about it, I'm not sure. Would have made more sense if the drilling company had been a US firm. As it's Japanese, NY is rather the victim here.

[Tremse]

I also thought there were elements of the Baghdad 'Shock & Awe' footage when the military and civilians crossed paths. The bombardment, the screaming jets, the wall of noise that they encountered just brought that to mind when I saw it.

Unfortunately I don't have any answers to the 7 questions posed - though I've wondered about many of them myself, particularly whether the military knew anything beforehand as they seemed to get there very quick - their response was a lot faster than on 9/11 anyway.

[georgeshair]

Here's a link about the Hammer Down Protocol. Not sure if it was added after the film was released, though...
http://www.urbandictionary.com/defin...rm=hammer+down

[Assa2]

Originally Posted by georgeshair

Here's a link about the Hammer Down Protocol. Not sure if it was added after the film was released, though...
http://www.urbandictionary.com/defin...rm=hammer+down

Seeing as it directly quotes the film dialogue, I would say after the film.

My question here was really, what is the protocol? What action does the military plan to take? There is some ambiguity in my mind at least as to what the exact nature of the protocol is.

[Vellocet]

Ghostbusters 2

[Assa2]

Originally Posted by Vellocet

Ghostbusters 2

Explain?

[Psycho Jack]

I’m sure I read this somewhere and it would appear to make sense. However, it was quite late…

Eitherway, my understanding is as follows:

1. I believe the satellite falls (or at least a part of it) and the Japanese - hiding in the oil tanker (the capsized one at the start) - attempt to find it. In doing so, they disturb the monster(s).

2. This - in keeping with the above theory - would in fact be the satellite (or parts of it) in question.

3. Now, I could’ve sworn there was two "big" ones and lots of little ones. The reason I say this is that the one on the end of the film (of which we get a full view before it kills the cameraman) seemed to be smaller that the one which got carpet bombed.

4. My understanding of Hammer Down is that an area is destroyed (using conventional or nuclear methods) to isolate an incident or event. This should ring a bell with anyone who has recently watched I Am Legend.

5. Pass!

6 Nope. I say this primilary because they were getting their asses kicked.

7. Ermm…

[Scooterwolf]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfKqIMX8nMM

Wish i'd of seen this before the movie as it ties in.

[Assa2]

Originally Posted by Psycho Jack

4. My understanding of Hammer Down is that an area is destroyed (using conventional or nuclear methods) to isolate an incident or event. This should ring a bell with anyone who has recently watched I Am Legend.

I know what the concept is, but I didn't feel it was clear in the film what it meant in this case. I'm pretty sure one of the Military guys talked about '250 kilotonnes' in respect to the protocol. This is the yeild of a large atmic weapon (the Hiroshima device was around 20 kilotonnes) and would easily wipe out most of Manhattan by it's blast alone. However, at the end of the film there appears to be two seperate large explosions, but neither seem to be atomic detonations. Hence my confusion. Did the Military change their mind and go for large conventional attacks?

[Assa2]

Originally Posted by Psycho Jack

1. I believe the satellite falls (or at least a part of it) and the Japanese - hiding in the oil tanker (the capsized one at the start) - attempt to find it. In doing so, they disturb the monster(s).

2. This - in keeping with the above theory - would in fact be the satellite (or parts of it) in question.

My understanding was that the Japanese drilling company lost it's mid-Atlantic platform well before this, the implication being that the drilling 'awoke' the beast and it destoyed the platform. The same company used it's own satellite which it used for deep sea surveying to track the fallen satellite (owned by the Japanese government). The only connection I can surmise would be that in tracking the satellite they found the monster, now heading for the US coast. If that were true, did they warn the US?

[Supachipz]

I have a question. In the viral marketing there was a website 'Jamie loves teddy'. How does this link into the film as I cant remember hearing either of these names or references to them in the film. Where they there? If not, how does that website link in?

[Tremse]

Originally Posted by Psycho Jack

4. My understanding of Hammer Down is that an area is destroyed (using conventional or nuclear methods) to isolate an incident or event. This should ring a bell with anyone who has recently watched I Am Legend.

...and AVP-r...

[Assa2]

Originally Posted by Supachipz

I have a question. In the viral marketing there was a website 'Jamie loves teddy'. How does this link into the film as I cant remember hearing either of these names or references to them in the film. Where they there? If not, how does that website link in?

Jamie was the girl who Hud filmed asleep on the sofa at the party. Teddy was her boyfriend. He was a member of the eco-terrorist group who were targeting the Japanese drilling company who produced the Slushi drink as a by-product of their drilling operations. Teddy discovered the secret ingredient to Slushi and found out it was dangerous. He sent it to Jamie for safe keeping telling her not to consume any. He then dissappeared several weeks before the party. Jamie assumed he had dumped her, and started posting obsessive blogs on the internet in whoch she appears 'high' after taking some of the mysterious ingredient. Teddy's where-abouts are unknown although there is a possibility that he was involved in an attack on the drilling platform around the same time the monster attacked it. There appears to be some link between the secret Slushi ingredient and the side effects of being bitten by the monster's parasites.

[ThinBoy]

Originally Posted by Assa2

Jamie was the girl who Hud filmed asleep on the sofa at the party. Teddy was her boyfriend. He was a member of the eco-terrorist group who were targeting the Japanese drilling company who produced the Slushi drink as a by-product of their drilling operations. Teddy discovered the secret ingredient to Slushi and found out it was dangerous. He sent it to Jamie for safe keeping telling her not to consume any. He then dissappeared several weeks before the party. Jamie assumed he had dumped her, and started posting obsessive blogs on the internet in whoch she appears 'high' after taking some of the mysterious ingredient. Teddy's where-abouts are unknown although there is a possibility that he was involved in an attack on the drilling platform around the same time the monster attacked it. There appears to be some link between the secret Slushi ingredient and the side effects of being bitten by the monster's parasites.

It's Slusho, not Slushi.
http://cloverfield.despoiler.org/index.php?title=Slusho

There's also a Wikipedia-type webpage for Tagruato
http://cloverfield.despoiler.org/ind...title=Tagruato

If you call the Tagruato telephone number you get this message
plus
Update 1
Update 2
Update 3

Also a Wiki page for Les Guerriers de Mère-Terre
http://cloverfield.despoiler.org/ind...%C3%A8re-Terre

and some stuff on the Tagruato whistle blower
http://cloverfield.despoiler.org/ind...Whistle_Blower

This viral marketing stuff is all a bit spooky!

American,
The Chuai Station holds a dark secret.
Good people are going missing.
Expect further communication
in the near future
- the Whistle Blower

[ThinBoy]

To answer question 3.
I reckon there is one main monster and many of the smaller ones. It's been confirmed that these are parasites living on the big monster:

(from the Paramount production notes, released 09Jan08)

As part of a “post-birth ritual,” as Abrams describes it, the monster is seen early on scratching his back on a building (destroying it in the process), to remove a layer of parasites that are set loose to wreak their own havoc on the city.

“Drew (Drew Goddard, co-writer) and I were struggling with, ‘When you have a monster that size how do you keep the characters from seeming totally irrelevant?’” says Abrams. “How do you have any one-on-one struggle?” Explains Goddard, “Because he’s so big, we knew it was going to be difficult to have intimate sequences. It’s not like any of the characters could fight him or that anyone could even figure out a way to hurt him.”

And because of that, the idea of the parasites was born. “They’re these horrifying, dog-sized creatures that just scatter around the city and add to the nightmare of the evening,” Abrams says.

Question 5
There is some suggestion that Kaitei no mitsu is addictive:

accelerated cell growth, increased strength, increased soft muscle tissue growth, sharper eyesight better digestion, smoother skin, and a full-body, pleasant sensation that one of our researchers actually described as "a wave of pure happiness".

(To flip the pictures over on http://www.1-18-08.com./ make quick circle motion with your cursor. You have to move the picture to the top of the pile first. Only 2 or 3 of them have messages on).

[Assa2]

Originally Posted by ThinBoy

To answer question 3.
I reckon there is one main monster and many of the smaller ones. It's been confirmed that these are parasites living on the big monster:

I was refering to how many big monsters there are?

There is some evidence that 2 different monsters attack New York as the close ups seen at various points in the film show markedly different facial characteristics and body pigment. However, many sea creatures are amorphous and can change body pigmentation, so it could be one moster changing shape / colour.

However, there is also the suggestion, made by Abrams himself, that the monster is a baby, leading to the question, where is the mother?

[ThinBoy]

Originally Posted by Assa2

I was refering to how many big monsters there are?

There is some evidence that 2 different monsters attack New York as the close ups seen at various points in the film show markedly different facial characteristics and body pigment. However, many sea creatures are amorphous and can change body pigmentation, so it could be one moster changing shape / colour.

However, there is also the suggestion, made by Abrams himself, that the monster is a baby, leading to the question, where is the mother?

Is this the suggestion?

“He’s a baby. He’s brand-new. He’s confused, disoriented and irritable. And he’s been down there in the water for thousands and thousands of years.”

If so, I don't think it means he's literally a baby - if he's been around for thousands of years.
In the production notes they consistently talk about "the monster".

[Assa2]

Something of a contradiction there - he's brand new but thousands of years old? In any case, he has to have come from somewhere... unless he's changed...!

[ThinBoy]

Originally Posted by Assa2

Something of a contradiction there - he's brand new but thousands of years old? In any case, he has to have come from somewhere... unless he's changed...!

Yes, it's a bit of a puzzling remark. I took it to mean that he was new to the city.

[Assa2]

In the final pages of the Manga comic, a Tagruato ship is seen towing a large object, which has eyes!!! Is this the same monster as in the film or another that Tagruato are planning to keep?

[truestepper]

Originally Posted by Assa2

Explain?

Iain Lee (Radio DJ) started phoning Quizcall as 'Tony' and giving 'Ghostbusters 2' as the answer to every question. I think it was as a pisstake to all the stupid questions they ask and impossible answers that go with them.