Disappointed...I think - *******Spoilers*******

Rating: 7/10 (17 February 2008)

I was so excited about seeing this movie from the minute I heard about it months ago. And from the moment I saw the trailer with the statue of liberty's head! Sadly, after seeing the movie yesterday, I think I feel disappointed. Problem is, I am not sure. In fact, Cloverfield wasn't rubbish, nor was it good. You will have probably read about 20 comments by now so I will just list what I think is good, and what is bad.
Good: It is tense (especially the scene in the subway) It is quite scary (girl who get's bitten) Special effects are awesome (Brooklyn Bridge getting smashed up) Acting is pretty good
Bad: The characters are lifeless and boring. The lead guy was a poorman's Matthew Fox (and he wasn't even as good looking). He was literally trying to be Matthew Fox. When they died, I really didn't care. Nor did I care that Rob was going to Japan and I didn't care about Beth either. Jason was also boring and when he dies, probably one of the best scenes. Huds (the guy behind camera), had about funny line. Funny works in LOST, but it didn't work in this movie.
You have NO idea what the monster is, where it comes from, it doesn't even roar or anything if I remember correctly. I wanted to see the military say, "we believe it to be this" or at least offer something more than, "We need to nuke the city".
The hand-held camera is pretty cool but you do feel as though you are missing part of the action. Maybe this is deliberate and you will see more in the sequel but, I kept thinking, "Lift the camera up" I didn;t get motion sickness but just annoyed by the fact that I couldn't see stuff getting blown up and the monster on the rampage!
The little creepy crawlie things that attack that mean girl in the subway look stupid. They could've at least been slimy or something but they looked daft! And, what are they!? What was their purpose? To lay their eggs apparently but what else?
The fact that they walk up the stairs to fetch Beth, find her with something sticking out of her shoulder, grab her, and walk back out on to the street. Not only is she miraculously pain-free but she manages to climb into a helicopter! And, as someone else on here pointed out, why do we have to see them going up the stairs, and then coming down. It's just pointless
There is no beginning, middle and end. I like movies that follow this format, you know the way it goes. Hero is introduced, monster arrives, monster destroyed and hero saves the day. This does not happen! And I wish it had!
You do not see enough destruction, I wanted to see explosions like in the Day after Tomorrow and even Transformers but everything you see is too far away! It's not that I don't like New York but if you are going to destroy a city, at least do it well.
And finally, I just expected a LOT more. JJ Abrams is no doubt a talented guy and I love LOST. A total fanatic actually but honestly, the director is at fault here because from the marketing campaign I was lead to believe I was getting a monster version of Transformers/Godzilla and Blair Witch all at once. Instead, I just felt disappointed. Let's hope the sequel gives us more!