DARK SIDE announces the BEST MOVIE VILLAIN of 2008… Who will claim 2009? **UPDATED**

Click PLAY on the YouTube player below to listen to “Roar! (The Cloverfield Overture by Michael Giacchino)” while you read…

2008 – THE MONSTER from “Cloverfield”

“Clovey” as some like to call him (not me though), inspired a internet frenzy of fan art and speculation over what he (or she) might look like before the movie premiered. Scores of hoaxers posted pictures of monsters claiming to be the “real” Cloverfield Monster, while others poured over every trailer frame and official promotional pictures to discover clues about the monster. Speculation got out of hand with fans who were convinced the monster: A. was a cover for a live-action “Voltron” movie (something spawned from a misinterpreted comment in the trailer about someone seeing a “huge lion”). B. was an adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s most infamous monster creation, known as “Cthulhu.” C. Another “Godzilla” movie (which it actually kinda was). Turns out, the monster was simply a stand-alone creation (of “extraterrestrial” origins, so say the filmmakers), not adapted from any other property. And dang was he/she scary.

METHODS OF TERROR: Decapitating national monuments, rampaging through urban centers, eating onlookers, shedding rottweiler-sized parasites that deliver a highly infectious bite, resistant to heavy modern weapons.

BEST EXAMPLE OF TALENTS: The monster is so destructive, he frightens you before you even see him/her by clawing off the Statue of Liberty’s head and tossing it like a baseball into the streets of New York. I imagine that was a pretty clear indicator to the characters that something very big and very mean was coming for them.

FUTURE THREATS: Geeks who analyzed the film frame by frame discovered a hidden audio message during the end credits. A frightened voice whispers, “It’s still alive,” leaving the door open for potential sequels. Producer J.J. Abrams initially jumped at the opportunity for a sequel given “Cloverfield’s” box office success, but he and the studios seemed to have cooled to the idea. Let’s hope they haven’t written off the monster for good.

Any predictions for the “Best Movie Villain of 2009?” Miley Cyrus in “Hannah Montana the Movie,” maybe?

**UPDATE** Yeah, I know some people are gonna say, “Hey Dark Side… Why not The Joker? What about the Joker? Ledger’s gonna win the Oscar!!!” I agree, it was a tough choice for me, but I’m stickin’ by it. The deciding factor was as simple as this: I spent more time obsessing over the Cloverfield Monster than I did over Ledger’s posthumous performance. That’s right, you heard me. I fell for the viral marketing, poured over every inch of it and no… I was not disappointed at the final reveal. That thing freakin’ scares me more than a guy with a switchblade (because I have a gun… and as Sean Connery says, “Never bring a knife to a gun fight!”). All kidding aside, I loved Ledger’s Joker but the buzz surrounding the Cloverfield Monster was equally unprecedented. Besides, I like throwing curveballs. That’s how I roll, dig it? Feel free to comment on it

Here’s a video about the creation of the Cloverfield Monster…


RAAAARRRRRRR!!!

-The Dark Side Critic

More great articles…