We weren’t afraid of much in 1998, when Jan DeBont released his “Godzilla” remake. If I recall, we as a society were mostly preoccupied with whether orally pleasuring the Commander in Chief constituted treason. In those days, Godzilla was just a big lizard, and nobody cared. Also, the movie sucked. That’s not central to my thesis, but it’s worth noting.
Now, in 2008, we’re scared again. The footage in “Cloverfield” of a devastated New York brings certain images to mind. As the Empire State Building collapses in the background, traumatized citizens wander the streets covered head to toe in dust and ash. It’s as literal an evocation of September 11 as anybody has attempted in fiction. I’m not sure that it’s exploitation, either. Certainly it’s less tasteless than Michael Bay crashing a jet into a skyscraper in “Transformers”.
