For you guys with a free evening: this movie is a 'go'

Rating: 8/10 (28 October 2008)

I watched Cloverfield with a big, big delay with respect to its premiere. I was sort of turned off by all the very geeky hype surrounding this movie: nerds commenting on the trailer frame by frame, wasting their time on the Internet browsing through "secret" websites with mysterious numbers and code-names... moreover, "Lost" getting boring as hell shed a dim light on the whole J.J.Abrams world: did he lose his magic touch?, what if this is another invisible nonsense monster terrifying people on an island (in this case: Manhattan)? All these doubts prevented me from going to a theater, and so I only rented "Cloverfield" on a particularly dull evening. The movie? Not dull at all! The steady-cam technique gives a sense of reality and not, like in previous attempts, nausea. Never over the top, very effective special effects ensure more than a chill. Finally the nice unexpected gem: the acting. The young and not very famous cast delivered a very solid performance: we never had the hysterically screaming crowd on screen (and with a monster movie this is a strong temptation), but instead constantly tense and utterly believable drama. Bravo! The ultimate test for an excellent monster movie? When your friends who hate sci-fi tell you that the movie wasn't bad at all. Definitely a go on your home theater.