The finest picture monster movie of all time!

Rating: 9/10 (1 February 2008)

In my time of watching films nearly all my life, I have never witnessed a film like this. Before the film was released, there was this big hype of potential, and a massive marketing scheme for the release date of this film, know-one never seen a big budget monster film, or about the monster itself because the film was kept secret. People either saying it is going to be another War Of The Worlds or Godzilla or just another promising movie becoming a disappointment.
And after watching this film, I have never witnessed something so striking and ground-breaking. This is a film that you will never forget because it is different, very different.
There has been many similar monster movies in the past, but this film flips all of them easily. The story is basically simple and something very clever thanks to the brilliance of J.J. Abrams and an unknown Matt Reeves. The film opens up with the main characters party before he leaves for Japan, and we then watch and try and solve who are the main characters with ease. Then the monster arrives with one of the most memorable action sequences to date with an explosion and the Statue of Liberty's head on a main street in New York, and yet we still haven't seen the monster yet which makes it even more terrifying.
Then the Carnage begins with a group of people and one person holding the camera throughout the rest of the movie, whilst all of them are picked off one by one randomly and quite horrifically.
The camera work is disorientating but at the same time very realistic and this what makes the film very clever, because it feels like you are there with the survivors and also watching the camera flick to the side and catching glimpses of the enormous and quite breathtaking, most terrifying monster you will see. When watching this film, bizarrely you start to think that this could actually happen with the way that the civilians react to the arrival and the military throwing everything they have at the beast but to no use. There is also other great spectacular sequences in the film, either the Brooklyn bridge sequence, military fighting and stopping the monster whilst it creates massive and amazing destruction on the city on several accounts, and in one sequence which is so scary (reminiscent of Blair Witch Project) in the tunnel sequence where you will move not one part of your body until it's over.
On a budget of only thirty million dollars, this is a triumph in Sound design, camera work, and obviously the C.G.I. on the monster. The film is ground-breaking, moving, funny, shocking, spectacular action sequences that will live long in the memory. This is what Abrams and Reeves set out to do and did it in some style. This film was made for the silver screen and it's cinematic genius at it's best.
One of the greatest films ever created and one that is a classic within it's genre.