A dark, depressing movie; some will enjoy, others will be disturbed.

Rating: 9/10 (19 January 2008)

The monster movie genre is as old as cinema yet in almost every film from Godzilla to King Kong the star of the movies are the monsters themselves with the humans often viewed as the antagonists or cause of the monster's rampage.
Cloverfield is a whole different ball game. The movie is filmed entirely through a hand camera; if The Blair Witch project made you nauseas, this movie will do the same. The beginning starts off slowly as we get to know some characters, all of which happen to be generic rich teenagers who have their own little back stories filled with love interests and sexual encounters. Eventually, they hear a roar, witness an explosion, and the movie kicks off in full force.
Before seeing the movie, get this out of your head right now: this is not a traditional destroy-the-city-flick. This movie is about survival. Very little is explained, the monster's origins are kept in the dark, you hardly see the creature for more than a couple of seconds, and the film doesn't hold your hand in any way. Cloverfield is a roller coaster ride of suspense and thrills. While some may draw comparisons between the destruction of Manhattan to that of 9/11, the fact remains that the film's focus is on the plight and survival of the humans involved.
If you're looking for a tale about how a group of plucky youths overcome their fears and defeat an ancient god-like creature, then you'll be sorely disappointed. Cloverfield is dark and tragic while bordering on depressing. There is no hope. There is no bright light at the end of the tunnel. There is only death, destruction, and carnage. There are no morals or lessons-to-be-learned about preserving the environment or the fallacy of mankind. Cloverfield is more akin to a film about natural selection where the strong live and the weak die.
If you don't like tragedies, stay far away. If you're in the mood for a wild action flick with an engrossing atmosphere and dark images then you'll leave the theater very satisfied.