Movie News

Audiences find Cloverfield a moving experience

Fri 25 Jan 12:11 PM

Filming Cloverfield with hand-held cameras for a realistic effect probably sounded like a great idea, and it hasn't hampered the movie's success at the box office.

However, there have been numerous reports about audiences suffering from motion sickness, according to a report.

The film, about a giant monster on the rampage in New York, topped the US box office last weekend but the shaky camera work left many feeling ill.

"I'm really nauseous right now -- just hold on for a second," the LA Times quoted audience member Erika Hasegawa as saying, as she bolted out of a screening to vomit. "I wish I could get my money back," she added.

One 18-year-old male viewer told the paper he was still feeling the effects 24 hours after watching the movie.

"They're trying to go for the home video feel, so it's constantly shaking around," he said. "My brain tried to make it work, but it couldn't. I got a pretty heinous headache afterwards."

Some will recall how The Blair Witch Project, which was also shot on hand-held camera, caused similar feelings among audiences, some of whom ran out of cinemas. Many ascribed it to the movie's scary content but motion sickness was largely the cause.

One major US cinema chain showing Cloverfield even has signs warning audiences about possible motion sickness, while the chief exec at Mann Theatres, Peter Dobson, said most people who saw the film were fine, although four viewers had suffered.

"I must confess I was a little surprised, but sometimes from time to time this happens," Dobson said. "It's not normal to get four in a weekend."

"We've shown it to thousands of people this weekend, so the actual percentage of people (who felt ill) is really low," Dobson said. "We're delighted with the business Cloverfield is doing."

Wonder if British audiences will prove to be made of sterner stuff when the film opens in the UK on February 1.