Paramount Home Entertainment promises that the DVD of "Cloverfield" won't make you throw up. "According to medical professionals, it’s unlikely to give you that queasy feeling," the studio's press release says of the J.J. Abrams horror spectacle, which was shot with handheld cameras and did indeed cause more than a few cases of oopsy-tummy when it was released in theaters last January. The release even goes so far as to quote an audiologist from the Oscher Clinic in New Orleans, who promises that it's easier to maintain visual equilibrium while watching a TV versus a movie screen.
Turns out the dude isn't lying. There is no need to take Dramamine before viewing "Cloverfield" ($29.99) in the comfort of your own home. A more relevant question is whether the movie -- which built huge Internet buzz last summer after the trailer debuted prior to screenings of "Transformers" -- is worth watching at all.
If you're up for a meaningless, 84-minute adrenaline rush, the answer to that question is yes. Now that there is some distance from all the hype that surrounded it, "Cloverfield" can be taken for what it is: A clever, postmodern riff on the Godzilla genre, but nothing that will permanently haunt anyone's dreams. ("Cloverfield" could become a recurring fixture in the cinema world, however; a sequel is reportedly in development.)
The DVD extras strip away any shroud of mystery still draped over the movie, revealing exactly how green screens, constructed sets and real footage of places like the Brooklyn Bridge collectively created a convincing portrait of a city under attack. The half-hour making-of documentary and a featurette on the visual effects do the most effective, compelling job of revealing the details, including how the movie's money shot -- the head of the Statue of Liberty careening down a New York City street -- was crafted.
The rest of the features, which include four deleted scenes, outtakes and a commentary track from director Matt Reeves, are decent but not terribly memorable. Not surprisingly, the DVD also promotes a new Web site, cloverfieldfiles.com, which is scheduled to go live today and, presumably, give fans additional extras to savor. Still waiting to hear from the medical community about whether viewing the site will induce nausea and/or vomiting.
"I Think I Smell a Rat" Bonus Point: During his commentary track, Reeves reveals that the rats featured in a subway scene are reportedly the same furry creatures that appeared in "Pirates of the Caribbean." "I was told these were the best rats in the business," Reeves says. That's right: Only the best, most professional rodents for the "Cloverfield" audience.
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PHOTOS: 'Cloverfield' -- Paramount Pictures; 'Starting Out in the Evening' -- Roadside Attractions
