While audiences have had theories for years, it’s been so long since the original Cloverfield that the sudden reveal of the Cloverfield monster’s true origin is almost as shocking as the movies. Matt Reeves has been in the news plenty since he directed The Batman and brought Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne to the big screen. With renewed interest in his work, now might make sense as time for Reeves to delve into the lore behind his 2008 movie and the franchises’ sequels.
Speaking to SyFy for Cloverfield‘s 15th anniversary, Matt Reeves revealed that the monster is not just an alien but, more astoundingly, it’s a baby:
“It’s alien. In fact, at the end of the movie, you can see the moment when it comes to [Earth]. It’s another one of those little Easter egg moments, but when we revisit that footage where they’re on the Ferris wheel at the end, you can see the meteor flying down and hitting the ocean. That’s actually the beginning of the baby being on Earth.”
With the reveal that Cloverfield‘s monster is an infant alien, the film takes on a slightly different tone as the creature causes mass chaos and destruction throughout the cinematic New York City.
Credit: Cloverfield
How Cloverfield’s Monster Being A Baby Changes The Movie
With the revelation that the creature in Cloverfield is a baby, it becomes clear that the monster didn’t necessarily have the malicious intent that audiences have assumed for years. Instead, it becomes likely that the baby alien in Cloverfield isn’t lashing out in anger, but rather is acting out of fear. The fact that it’s an infant means that it doesn’t realize what’s going on, or what’s happening to it. Unfortunately, its size and its appearance instill fear in a lot of people since, well, it’s scary looking.
That fear becomes dangerous very quickly since dangerous creatures that are afraid can cause a lot of damage. A wild animal that’s frightened can harm others and itself. This creature is so massive that a single wrong move can nearly destroy a building. The fact that it went rampaging through the city doing nothing more than reacting is terrifying.
Credit: Cloverfield
The Cloverfield Monster Origin Changes The Next Sequel
Cloverfield 4 is coming down the pipeline, and given that the monster is so tough it’s fair to say that it was bound to last a few movies. With two sequels already under the Cloverfield franchise’s belt it’s not surprising that the franchise is still expanding—franchises are the name of the game now. However, to return to the same monster for Cloverfield 4 suddenly has very different implications.
If Cloverfield‘s monster was always an alien monster then it has become a product of its circumstances on Earth, and humanity’s fearful reaction has to be seen as at least partly to blame for its future actions. Depending on the life cycle of the Cloverfield monster, the fourth film in the franchise could find itself pitting humanity against a large child of a monster. Alternatively, if fifteen years is enough for the alien to reach full maturity, it could mean that Cloverfield 4 will see the biggest threat to Earth from the creature yet. And all of that assumes that the alien’s family doesn’t turn up looking for it.
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