SUPER MEGA SPOILER
The Whole Story from the movie
The film consists of segments of video, presented as events recorded on a handheld video camera by characters in the story. Scenes taken prior to the main sequence appear as if they were segments left from a previous use of the tape. Text displayed at the beginning of the film identifies it as classified material recovered from a site which was once Central Park (now referred to as "Incident Site U.S. 447"), designated "Cloverfield". Additionally, a DHARMA Initiative logo appears in the corner of the screen for a moment.
In the opening sequence, Rob (Michael Stahl-David) playfully records Beth (Odette Yustman), apparently after a happy night spent together. The video then cuts to a month later; Rob's younger brother Jason (Mike Vogel) and his girlfriend Lily (Jessica Lucas), are planning a surprise going-away party for Rob, who has accepted a business position in Japan. Jason gives the camera to Rob's best friend Hudson "Hud" (T. J. Miller), to document Rob's last night in America. Beth comes to the party as well, but she brings a date with her, much to the surprise of Rob. At the party, Hud spends most of the time recording messages from party guests to Rob wishing him luck in Japan, while spending the rest of the time trying to grab the attention of a new acquaintance Marlena (Lizzy Caplan). It's revealed that Rob recently slept with Beth, despite being only friends, which complicates their relationship just before he leaves the country. After a confrontation between the two, she leaves the party with her date.
Rob is talking with Jason and Hud out on the balcony about how much he loves Beth when suddenly, the building shakes, a loud noise is heard, and the power temporarily fails. From the roof, the party-goers see a huge explosion in the distance, with debris striking the building. The main characters flee to the street, where the head of the Statue of Liberty lands, as further explosions and a gigantic creature are glimpsed in the distance. Rob, Jason, Lily, Hud, and Marlena try to leave Manhattan via the Brooklyn Bridge, but suddenly stop when Rob gets a call from Beth, injured and trapped in her Midtown apartment. Jason is killed when the creature destroys the bridge.
US Military ground forces arrive on the scene, battling the huge menace and the dog-sized spider-like creatures it is dropping. Rob resolves to rescue Beth, and the three others reluctantly join him as the situation becomes chaotic. They are attacked by the smaller creatures in a subway tunnel and Marlena is badly bitten. They stumble upon a military field hospital, where Marlena's body rapidly bleeds and causes her to explode. With information about how they can evacuate by helicopter in advance of the planned bombing of Manhattan, the surviving friends continue their effort to reach Beth.
They climb to Beth's apartment in her nearly-toppled high-rise, where they find her badly injured but still alive. Together they make their way to the evacuation site, where Lily is placed in the last seat of a departing helicopter. Rob, Beth, and Hud board another helicopter, where they witness an air-to-ground assault on the monster, which lashes out and strikes their craft, causing it to crash in Central Park. The three survive the crash, but Hud is soon chewed up and killed by the monster. Rob and Beth quickly grab the camera and take shelter under a bridge, where they each briefly address anyone who might find the camera. Civil defense sirens begin to sound and an explosion collapses the bridge, partially covering the camera in rubble. Rob and Beth can be heard expressing their feelings for each other before a second explosion occurs that covers the camera completely in rubble. It is left unclear whether either the monster or the two remaining protagonists survive the final attack depicted.
The final scene returns to footage from the month before, in which Rob and Beth enjoy a date at Coney Island, happy and carefree, while in the distance something falls out of the sky and splashes into the water, unnoticed. The film ends with Beth stating with a smile, "I had a great day."
At the end of the movie's credits, a short audio clip is played. The exact words spoken are a topic of debate.
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