Update (11-19-07): A new, longer trailer just hit the internet. Check it out here.
Update (07-16-07): Since the debate still seems to be going strong, I thought I’d add this poll, just so that I can quantify exactly what you guys think this movie is really going to be about. Please take a second and place your vote.
Loading …Update (07-09-07): It looks like Paramount is taking the “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” approach, because they just officially released the trailer through Apple. I’ve embedded an HD version of it below. On the other hand, if you get nostalgic for the grainy cell-phone camera versions, you can still find them here.
Update (07-08-07): Check out our TrailerSpy exclusive: Comments from a Cloverfield Insider!!
Update (7-24-07): The movie has a title! And it’s lame!
Want to create a viral marketing campaign for your untitled movie? Run a trailer for it before a hot summer blockbuster, and only mention the new movie’s release date. That’s right, before showings of Transformers, a mysterious trailer says little except that it’s a J.J. Abrams film that will open on 1-18-08.
I have my own (very strong) opinions about this trailer, but I’d rather hear your opinions first. Thoughts? Let’s hear ‘em.
Untitled J.J. Abrams movie (with a fake working title of Cloverfield) is not yet rated and opens on 1-18-08. Thanks to Defamer for the tip. Also, check out the movie’s official site and IMDb page.
Loved the trailer…it definately caught my interest…Very clever marketing technique.
Transformers was good too. Check out my review at Cold Leftovers
[…] Sicko Link to Article transformers Transformers Comes With a Mystery Trailer » Posted at Trailer Spy - Who Says You Can’t Judge a Movie By Its Trailer? on Thursday, July 05, 2007 Want to create a viral marketing campaign for your untitled movie? Run a trailer for it before a hot summer blockbuster, and only mention the new movie’s release date. That’s right, before showings of Transformers, a mysterious trailer says little except that it’ View Entire Article » […]
I didn’t think the trailer was that amazing, but it’s definitely a brilliant marketing campaign. And given the amount of buzz there was about it on the internet yesterday, I’d say it worked.
Yeah, I’m with Tal. I didn’t think the trailer was spectacular. What impressed me most is that it was for a movie I’d heard very little about and the fact that the trailer didn’t get leaked before Transformers opened.
The marketing campaign is brilliant, especially that it is now very difficult to find the trailer, which naturally makes people want to see it more.
As far as the trailer itself, I don’t think I’ve ever hated a trailer more. I’m really sick of seeing my fair city get blown up on screen. In a post 9/11 world, it’s not completely unimaginable that a skyscraper would meet a fiery end. I know that I have zero sense of humor about this, but with all that happened in the UK last week, I spent the 4th of July praying even more than usual that there wouldn’t be any sort of attack. No other American city is more recognizable or more iconic, so therefore NYC is the natural choice for this movie, but come on. Enough already.
Part of me feels, “Meh. It’s another apocalyptic movie. Next.” The other part of me feels, “ZOMG asteroids.” In conclusion, I really don’t know how I feel about this one. I’d need to see more. I’m not sold yet.
BTW, I loved Transformers (even though I thought I wouldn’t) and I wrote a review about it on my site: http://deanish.com/posts/transformers-review
saw it tonight and first thought that popped in my head was “godzilla” remake with actual atomic breath not stupid iguana lizard mutant but the real deal that would be on the top of my list to go see if they could pull it off the roar sounds like godzilla and the huge fireball coming from the center of the city could be from his atomic breath looks like we will have to wait on this one a little longer to find out and alos tranformers was amazing it brought me back to my childhood as a boy watching the cartoon on tv
Ethan Haas was Right about Cloverfield (Video)…
So who is Ethan Haas? And what is Cloverfield? It is all related to this mystery movie trailer that is playing before the smash hit Transformers. And it is partly a game that requires you to puzzle through a website to make sense of the matter.
…
So it’s War of the Worlds meets Blair Witch with a trailer that shamelessly preys upon latent 9/11 fears and then steals from Planet of the Apes for its climactic moment. The only suspense this film will generate is the identify of the monster(s). Once that bit of excitement passes we’ll be left with a movie that will probably end up being named Massive CGI Explosions.
OMFG!!!! this movie trailer all ready has me watching it more times then the dramatic chipmunk on youtube.com
but this video was realy good how u werent realy expecting it then out of no were u see this little home made video.
Ok, if it does turn out to be a monster movie, than I don’t have as much of a problem with that. It’s really hard to tell with both of these videos what is making the Empire State Building blow up; all I can tell is that it’s blowing up.
Julie, are you kidding me? Seriously, that had to have been a joke. Did you have complaints when Die Hard 3 came out? I mean, did you honestly give a crap when the Spiderman trilogy heralded destruction for many a building in your “fair city?”
Listen, I’m from New York, and it doesn’t bother me. Godzilla romping around and using his magical breath of destruction is completely different than 9-11. Realize that it’s a *movie*. If you don’t want to see the city destroyed in a FICTIONAL DEPICTION, then don’t go watch it. It’s just about that simple.
Anywho- Dude, this movie looks epic, I can’t wait.
Gerald, of course I realize that movies are fictional. I may be blonde, but I’m not stupid.
The thing is, with these videos, it’s really hard to see what exactly is going on. I’ve watched the trailers numerous times and I haven’t seen any monsters. Maybe I just need to see the trailer on a big cinema screen, but I don’t have any interest in seeing Transformers.
I have no problem with monster movies. And Spiderman is obviously a comic book character facing comic book villians. As far as Die Hard 3, it came out in 1995 when the world was a very different place. I haven’t seen it, and at this point I probably won’t see it unless I stumble upon it while flipping channels.
You’re from New York, but do you live here now? When did you leave? I moved here in 2003 just in time for the blackout, and for the first 30 minutes, everyone thought we were under attack. To live in New York now is to always wonder every time the sirens are a little more loud than usual.
I realize that I have no sense of humor about this, and I’ve said that already. That’s why I didn’t put my sentiments in the main post. And I have no plans to see this movie, ever.
But I’m more than happy to host the trailer for as long as we can. Look, Paramount! We still have the trailer! You take down one and we put up another one! Take that!
ok people lets just stfu for once and not talk about “new york” and “9-11″ and “sirens being louder than ever” and just face the fact tht this movie looks kool. also they dont show the monster so then people will wonder what the monster is or if their is even a monster all though their was a very big roar. but realy guys, this site is for commenting on videos and not talking about 9-11. so how about Julie,Gerald, and my self shut up about it. GO SEE THIS MOVIE!!!! lol
Well said, Steven. I will stfu now.
HEY!!! THE TRAILER IS FOR A NEW GODZILLA!!! my reason behind this conclusion is because, in the trailer, there is a wide shot of the city’s downtown area and you can hear a high frequency scream or a cry of some sort. this call sounded idential to the cry in the 90’s Godzilla movie, or for that matter, any Godzilla movie ever made. once again (haha) ITS GODZILLA!!!!!
The godzilla hypothesis is interesting, but I’m not buying it. I think that JJ Abrams is way to clever to just do a remake of Godzilla. After this super-secretive marketing campaign, if this film isn’t something completely original, I’m gonna be pissed.
[…] UPDATE: The YouTube trailer has disappeared but Julie over at Trailer Spy has let us know that they’re trailer is still up…for the time being! […]
i wouLd sAy thAt thiS mOviE muSt bE trAnsfOrmERs 2.. :]
Ok…I have seen transformers twice along with the secret trailer, and my initial reactions was those of some of you…Godzilla. But I got to thinking. What if it is a trailor for a continuation of transformers. If you notice the fire balls moving through the sky they look similar to when the autobots landed on earth. Also at the end Starscreen did jet out of the earths atmosphere. I think that this is more possible than Godzilla.
Anyone remember a classic video game where a bunch of monsters (giant lizards and wolfs) destroy a city?
My Take:
So I just saw Transformers today (good movie by the way, Michael Bay has fully redeemed himself in my mind) and of course, saw this trailer before the movie started. First of all, and I know the site is not always right, but I would advise people to go onto imdb.com, click on “untitled J.J. Abrams Project (2008)” under his credits, and read the FAQ link. It provides four very interesting theories about what the movie could possibly be, along with one very good reason, if it is true, why this is NOT a Godzilla remake. For those of you that are too lazy to go to imdb to check it out, basically, a studio (not Paramount) owened the studio rights to the huge lizard until 2003 (when they expired) and these rights have not been resold to anyone since then.
Now, out of the four theories on that site, and I admit that none of them may be true, I do find theory number 4 most intriguing… and that is that this “trailer” is actually just a huge viral marketing campaign for season 4 of Lost (which, incedently, I am told Paramount produces). Why would they go through all of this trouble? Who knows? J.J. Abrams is a crazy guy.
But think about it for a second… never mind the fact that the “monster” sounds a heck of a lot like the smoke monster on Lost (when I was watching the trailer in the theater, I thought to myself, oh, that’s cool, they just reused that sound from Lost). And put aside the rumor for a second that principal filming on the project has just started, thus making it extremely hard to wrap filming, edit, and cut a movie of this caliber within a six month time period (thus pointing to the idea that maybe this is not actually a movie, but rather just a campaign). What really makes me wonder though is the release date… 1.18.08. What’s so special about this date? Well, for starters, it’s TWO WEEKS AFTER the holidays. Now, I’m no studio exec, but it seems to me that if you’re going to release a major blockbuster film, you don’t do it AFTER Christmas!!! Think about all the holiday movies in recent memory. When have they all been released? Between Thanksgiving and Christmas… or maybe a couple of days after… not a full two weeks after Christmas and New Year’s, when all the relatives have gone home and everyone’s tightening their belts because of all of the holiday bills that they have to pay. It doesn’t make economic sense. (Certainly there have been a few movies that were January releases that did well at the box office, but those movies were never meant to be blockbusters in the first place… they were just good movies that people liked… this movie, if it is a movie, seems to have the appearance of a blockbuster).
Now, 1.18.08 DOES make perfect sense however, from a Lost standpoint. When you figure that there will be 16 consecutive episodes in season 4, and when you assume that ABC wants the Lost season finale to be in May sweeps, the week of Jan. 18 is a very good target for the Lost season primere. Granted the 18th is a Friday, and the show is on Wednesdays. But I’m not saying that this is the trailer for the season primere… I’m only suggesting it’s a campaign for the show. If it is, it may be disappointing to some, (I’d be a bit disappointed too as I really want to see what Abrams can come up with next), but it would be one of the most brilliant marketing campaigns EVER.
try this in google: cthulhu
chtulu, voltron, lost, or just a joke, ethanhaaswasright.com is still a pretty sweet and intriguing site. my guess? look into the writings of HP Lovecraft.
also, anybody see the genius is leaking the title. CLOVERFIELD, as in good luck trying to figure this thing out? just a thought that could include some delcious irony?
While I readily admit in the past I’ve misplaced random Rambaldi artifacts which may or may not cause stars to fall and heads to roll, this time is different. I see the light, and Ethan Haas was right. It’s not their alphabet. It’s ours. But in which direction and order? Such cyphers have not been seen since the 15th century. There is only a small amount of time to open the case, but the exit strategy is still sound.
[…] WordPress Prev/Next Posts « Transformers Comes With Mystery “Cloverfield” 1-18-08 Trailer | Home Sunday, July 8th, 2007 at 11:13 am […]
I thought the trailer was awesome even thou i didn’t know what about… Check out my blog spot and maybe we can get down to the bottom of this uknown name for this trailer.
http://1-18-08unknown.blogspot.com/
Anyone considered maybe a halo movie? or maybe some sorta of chronicles of riddick type sci fi thing?
[…] A TrailerSpy Exclusive: Comments from a Cloverfield (1-18-08) Insider!! By Tal Man, this Cloverfield thing has been a wild ride these past few days. Ever since the mysterious trailer premiered before the Transformers opening (see the trailer here, by the way), the internet has been hysterical trying to figure out what this movie is really all about. […]
Some said they heard the song “Joker and the Thief” in the background (reference “All along the Watctower”). Maybe the Cylons have found Earth…Also supposed to start in January. Just a wild, unsupported theory…
ok well I think its either one of these 3 things it could be voltron which is really likely halo movie but that wouldn’t make sense because it didn’t look like it was very “futuristic” and if you would have seen the halo3 trailer of master chief as a child you would see his clothes is “futuristic” and they were normal and lastly transformers 2 that would make sense because of the fireballs that looked like when the autobots landed
I heard of scripting and planning for a Gears of War movie that could come out in 2008. Just a thought, but could be E-Day.
In my opinion, and I saw the movie tonight (transformers) there are really only two logical explanations to the trailer’s mystery. 1) It’s a Godzilla movie, which, being a G-man fan myself, seems very exciting considering the look of the graphics at what was dramatically shown as merely a home movie. And 2) a transformers sequel. As several others already stated, Starscream was never shown to have been killed in the movie. Also, Barricade was never seen after the mobilization on the Hoover Dam. Decimater, Starscream, and Megatron, along with the helicopter (can’t remember his name) were the only four Decep’s present.
I agree with Julie, I didn’t care for that massive fireball in the middle of Manhattan for said reasons, but as a trailer it was still intriguing/exciting. I can separate fact/fiction, but that horrible day definitely ruined my enjoyment for seeing familiar buildings being destroyed in movies.
Also, my first thought was that it may be a Godzilla movie, it should be interesting to see what it really is (Definitely not a transformers sequal).
If it was transformers 2 were is shia and why whould it be in ny ? Gears of War movie they said was bought by a cheap company and i dont think Lost is a cheap anything. and halo movie its not futuristic enough is right. It might be rocky 7.
You heard it first: http://www.1-18-08.com/
I thought about Godzilla but there was a Godzilla like 7 or some odd years back…so Idk if they would be into a new one already.
The idea of a Transformers 2 would be cool because the astroids did look like those that the autobots came down in and the roar could be, a dinobot like as Grimlock or Swoop, but that might be going out on a lim. Especially since the astroids did seem to originate from the explosion on the ground. Not to mention, who is Will and when has there ever been a Will in a transformers movie?
Just for the record, the thought of Rocky 7 Mike, is just too hilarious….lol.
I’ve figured it out! It’s “Rocky 7: Stallone versus Godzilla!” Sly may have to double up his Human Growth Hormone doses, but I say he can take him.
If you haven’t seen it, the official, high-definition 1-18-08 trailer is online at http://haasunderground.blogspot.com
http://rapidshare.com/files/42022820/1-18-08TrailerHD480p.rar
This is the HD version. This is not a camera-recorded version.
It was released a few hours ago. Its 22mb if anyone wants to download it.
Ok, so here is my humble oppinion
Although I know for a fact that there will be 2 more Transformer movies (And this one was totally BADASS!!!) I do not think that this is T2, simply because I know that J.J. Abrams is not Directing the next 2. I do have the same somewhat humble oppinion that it might be a Godzilla Remake, but after watching the Movie twice and seeing this trailor I begin to wonder…if you listen carefully to the dialauge someone yells somehting about a “Giant Lions Head”…hmmmm. Who knows but it was a Brilliant Marketting move and it has me wondering WTF is that?!
Lol Rocky 7 im so funny. idk what it is but it caught everyones attention
LOL, guys. Come on.
This ISN’T Godzilla. I’m sick of hearing that it is.
It appears to be Lovecraft’s Chtulu.
well. theories that i put in the trash.
1) godzilla 2) transformers 2 3)halo…pretty much all the theories above mine. i have the most logical theory for the trailer. my conclution comes from the credits. the music played at the end. and the way the credits role. I believe the trailer is for the talked about movie about the year 0
[…] Linkki: kännykällä kuvattu teaseri […]
It’s going to be a movie based on the old Rampage video game… It’s huge, it’s alive, destroying the city, it looks like a lion… that’s what I think it’s gonna be. And if I’m right I’m gonna be pissed. WHY would anyone ever make a movie based on that crappy game.
“I’ve figured it out! It’s “Rocky 7: Stallone versus Godzilla!” Sly may have to double up his Human Growth Hormone doses, but I say he can take him.”
AHAHAHAAHHAAHHA
Good one Tal!
Someone speculated it to be a new season of LOST but no, The director himself said “It has to be a bad ass “MOVIE” for the hype. something along those lines.
its the warning!
Well one thing I can say having poked around the Lost message boards around season 2 is that you can research, speculate, theorize, or postulate all you want but when Abrams and Burk get together don’t be surprised when it turns out to be something you didn’t see coming at all.
Personally I’m just going to fiddle around with the plant sites, read the gossip, and wait for 1-18-08.
listen to the roar while they are in the buliding and when they are on the roof the roar in the buliding is muffled while the roar on the roof is clear
things that this movie will not be
1 godzilla
2 star trek- opens on 12/25/08
3 star wars
4 transformers 2
it might be a new godzilla film but i highly doubt it because a new godzilla film is being made but has not been granted funding from toho yet
it does include the statue of liberty being blown up and the woolworth tower being blown up and debris crashing down the placew there the party is
it is the pressence!
This trailer for “Cloverfield” is a brilliant marketing campaign. Just by watching it, not knowing the title, or any other usually pertinent details, makes it that much better. I have a feeling that this movie is going to be pretty big.
its just part two of the year zero campaign
hey how about voltron. you hear someone say “its a lion”. and we all know voltron is made up of five lions.
hey…since they never retrieved the rights for Godzilla yet…maybe that’s the reason for the “non-title”….but there still working on the movie as we speak right?
this movie is about godzilla because that guy’s leaving to japan and guess from where godzilla came?
hey .. everyone .. the first time they show the fireball look to the left right away .. it looks as if something is quickly moving away from the fireball .. it looks to big to be flying debris or something
Its voltron guys. First off, the sound they hear is described by all the people in the trailer as a roar (Voltron is made up of lions). Secondly, when they move down to the street and someone asks “what is it?!” someone responds with ” I saw it its a lion, its huge!”
Tell me I’m wrong.
i say its voltron…
arright everyone, just too cool off the insanity… this movie is in fact Voltron, I have a cousin who works a movie distributor and heard that the movie version of Voltron would be released come January 2008… and considering that 81 seconds into the trailer you hear someone say, its a lion and its coming this way…. listen a few times and draw your own conclusions… however, i trully believe that it is and is definitely gonna be the movie version of Voltron… so chew on that for a little bit and see what you think…
kk, as far as my last post was concerned, i need to make a correction.. after 80 seconds into the trailer someone in fact screams its a lion, its huge…. once again listen to it at the 80 second mark and once you hear the guy say it… its enough to believe my theory…
I haven’t seen Transformers yet, got the word on this through Monster Zero. teh trailer is awsome. It would be so cool to see a Voltron Movie, which I had not heard anything about until reading this post. However, I have listened to the trailer several times, it sounds to me like he is saying “It’s Alive, it’s huge” still indicating a giant monster of some sort but I can’t hear anyone saying anything about a lion. As for Godzilla, as much as I would absolutely love to see it done right by an American company, I don’t believe that will ever be done. If Paramount had picked up the rights to G after Sony gave up on it, there is no way you wouldn’t know about it.
They DO NOT say “It’s a lion!”, they DO say “It’s Alive!”
Not Voltron.
@Billy P: The person in the teaser says “It’s alive, and it’s huge”, not it’s a lion.
Voltron this is not.
@Richard: I too would’ve liked to see a US production company make a great Godzilla movie, but this won’t be the case since they resurrected Godzilla in Japan.
It’s something completely new most likely.
I saw the preview. I know is not a “Godzilla” or “Voltron” I feel is “Dinosaur” movie or the video game “Rampage”..We shall wait and see.
Anyway, we need a new monster movie that could kick-butt and destroy the city.
Run it through some audio software. I did. After cleaning it up a little, he does, in fact, say “Lion.”
Unless I am mistaken and “alive” has an “n” sound in it. I mean, I’m just a goddamned audio tech. What the hell would I know about sounds?
@Keller: I work in the AV industry around a few people with degrees in audio engineering and they concur that he does NOT say lion at all.
O.K….We’ve seen and heard all the views expressed here and we will agree with quite a few of you. We think the movie in question is in fact Voltron! The reasoning behind our maddness is based off of the internet site www.voltron.com. Justin Marks writes about collaborating with a big time producer for the Voltron live action movie for the last year. He also states at the end of one his blogs, and We quote “As for what to expect from the movie…all I can say is…think BIG.” What more can we say except that Good ol’ Mr. Marks also writes that Reebok will launch thier new kids shoe line featuring that’s right Voltron! And we all know that right before a big movie all the merchendise starts coming out like clothes, video games, toys and yes even shoes! Finally, on one episode of Lost J.J. features Voltron. On that particular episode Charlie’s brother Liam recieves a Voltron action figure. Coencidence….We think not! Oh by the way….we are pretty sure a man in the back ground noise says: “I saw it..it’s a lion..it’s huge!!” That’s all we have to say about that, and we now leave you with your own Hypothesis.
If it is a Voltron movie, why is the Lion attacking? Anyone ever heard of the Nemean Lion? Just throwing that out there for augument.
Now i want all to listen very closly JUST before the 1st roar u hear a breif phrase…which sounds like “The Myth”
But if i had to guess movies…the movie i would want it to be is either RAMPAGE or Primal Rage they were awesome games
its not godzila cuz paramount dosnt have the rights, its not Transformers 2 cuz JJ Abrams wouldnt make a sequal to Speilburg movie, i dont thinks its a lost, alias or lovecraft movies but who knows, JJ Abrams is making a Star Trek movie but its not 1 18 08, i dont think its voltron or beast wars becouse he says “its alive” not it “a lion” its not halo or gears of war look it up on IMDB there seprate projects. its probly not revolations but who realy cares lol
People keep saying that the guy is not saying “It’s a lion,” I totaly DO NOT agree. Throughout the teaser you hear comments “it sounded like an animal,” the news reporter says in only a fraction of a sentence “thunderous ROARING sound” then on the roof you hear “what kind of animal sounds like that” then the final comment. “I just heard it, It’s a lion, It’s Huge” I’ve listened to it over and over before reading any of these comments and that is what I hear.
correction “I just SAW it, it’s a lion, it’s Huge”
[…] The Cloverfield 1-18-08 Movie Gets a Lame Title By Julie Remember all the hubbub about the new J.J. Abrams production, where Manhattan is mysteriously attacked by some ominous roar? Supposedly it had a fake working title of Cloverfield, but Vulture is now reporting that camera-phone pictures of the poster reveal that the movie is named Monstrous. […]
Just so you all know, they are making a voltron movie… but Cloverfield is a different movie… :-)… and I believe Voltron does come out in 08 but doesn’t come out on 1-18-08.. ya’ll dont have to believe me but its fun reading all the comments.
oh and I was listening to the trailer and it really does say it’s alive… so what ever you guys believe is fine by me lol..
ya that guy does say i saw it its alive its huge…i found on this website the 3 MAIN clues in the trailer is the statement that i just said which means it is a organic living thing…the roar and or sound of the “beast” and it is not a remake, sequal, lost related, or voltron related…its entirly different…no one have ever seen it before
I think everyone has to get a life leave this cool trailer alone. Seriously this is CHUCKY 5.
Go to the website.
Turn over the photo of the 3 people smiling. I think that’s a hint…
Hold a mirror to the photo of the 2 women staring. keep looking… Getting warmer?
Now in the photo where you see what appears to be a soldier is there not something odd about the woman’s hand?
Its not godzilla or transformers or anything like that. And it’s NOT exactly a lion….
ethan haas was right…
The mystery to 1-18-08 is INDEPENDENCE DAY 2!!!
I don’t know about any of the ideas on this site if you go on youtube and type in clover field the 16th video down makes a good point about it maybe being a mighty morphin power rangers remake.