Cool Rewrite of Godzilla

Rating: 6/10 (10 July 2016)

When you see this in 2016, the first thing that jumps at you is the found film footage: this concept has simply aged badly. The camera work is voluntary choppy etc. but we've seen it so many times by now that it's old and stale. By 2008 it wasn't exactly revolutionary either - that's really the main issue with Cloverfield. It's a shame because it is a cool rewrite of the classic Godzilla concept: the monster is cool, the FX are cool, the cast is cool... lots of things to like really. It does follow the tropes: idiot characters going upstream to find a girlfriend, lots of carnage... but it works. To be honest, I think I prefer the sequel: it's cleverer but this is still a cool way to spend a Sunday afternoon.