What monument better represents the US of A better than Lady Liberty herself? Her green opulence watches over New York like a giant guardian, defeating evil in the form of communism, injustice and mistreatment. Too bad she can’t stand up to a giant monster straight out Godzilla’s wettest of dreams.
Despite being filmed by an epileptic during a game of laser tag, Cloverfield was an impressive creature feature, mostly due to Clover’s reign of terror as it stalks through the streets of New York. Although it’s hardly seen throughout the film, the monster makes its entrance by ripping the head off of the most symbolic image of American patriotism and chucking it at some douchebags having the lamest of parties. It causes at least twice the carnage King Kong could, and it doesn’t even fling its poo once.
What’s most impressive about this destruction is the fact that it comes from raw strength. No bombs or controlled explosions, just a pissed off Clover who felt that Lady Liberty could use a little off the top. The actual reveal may have been disappointing, but the killer suspense leading to that moment all starts with this disembodied head, expertly aimed by the next Yankees pitcher.
