"Godzilla" for the YouTube Generation

Rating: 7/10 (13 May 2008)

This monster movie tries hard to be "Godzilla" for Generation Y, but it doesn't quite make it.
It's a terrific looking film and it's capably acted -- when you watch the special features on the DVD and realize that most of the time actors were interacting with nothing but green screens, it makes both the acting and the effects that much more impressive. But it's one of those gimmick movies that's pinned down by the very element that makes it unique (I use the word "unique" loosely, since "The Blair Witch Project" has already covered this ground, to an extent). The hook in this film is that the destruction of New York and the attempts of a small band of twenty-somethings to stay alive is captured on a camcorder by one of the kids. But the technical necessities required to pull off this stunt result in too many logical flaws, not the least of which is how long would it take someone running for his life from a giant monster ravaging downtown Manhattan to ditch the camera?
But of all the holes the screenplay creates, the one most perplexing was this: how the hell do all of these young kids afford spacious apartments in Manhattan?
Grade: B