The first big monster hit of the New Year fares well

Rating: 8/10 (23 January 2008)

Shrouded in mystery Cloverfield will likely be remembered for a brilliant marketing campaign that left everyone who saw Transformers in the summer wondering what the heck is that monster clobbering New York City. My first instinct was whatever was big and strong enough to decapitate the State of Liberty and make that much disaster was going to get over hyped and be disappointing to finally see on the big screen but I was dead wrong in that aspect. I wasn't even remotely disappointed by the monster. JJ Abrams is a brilliant director, and writer and has created some really terrific things including the mystery shrouded "Lost" TV Series and you can definitely see some of that carry over into Cloverfield. The one thing that everyone should know and will know coming out of this is that all the questions you have going into the film, you'll have the same ones coming out and probably a lot more. But this is the idea because you're not watching this film...you're experiencing it. You're right there with all the other survivors trying to stay alive and there are numerous ways that they went about doing this. The first if the much debated about 'hand cam.' I do agree it was overplayed, a little annoying, but didn't make me motion sick. They left it still enough to really get the feeling of the whole situation but I just really wanted to see everything slower and more stable. I understand perfectly why they did it that way...I just wasn't a huge fan. Second of all I've never sat in a movie where the sound was so carefully plotted. When that beast roars for the first time it literally vibrated my seat and you felt like you were right there.
The literal cast of nobodies are brilliant. Michael Stahl-David is the lead Rob Hawkins who is looking at moving up in the corporate world and is attending a surprise going away party for him when disaster strikes. Stahl-David is a hero because he's just a regular guy caught in disastrous situations. He looks smooth, cool, well liked and yet normal. He goes through the emotions perfectly and draws you in and has great charisma on screen. T.J. Miller is a very important character but probably has less than 5 minutes of screen time and is yet probably 'on screen' more than anyone else. He's the man behind the hand cam and his acting relies on his voice and his emotion and his actions and he does well. He's inappropriately funny at times but I think that IS his character's way. He is basically narrating the situation while experiencing it and it works. Jessica Lucas is Rob's brother's girlfriend and does a good job in her role. She is sort of the scream queen of the situation and in that aspect she does very well. Lizzy Caplan is terrific as the straight faced, goth like girl who is the only one victim to being actually bitten by part of this beast. She has one of the most talked about and mysterious scenes and she is terrific in a very subtle quiet way.
There is obviously a certain suspension of belief required to see Cloverfield and kudos to Abrams for attempting to deal with it. The idea that someone in this situation would continually ensure they were holding on to a video camera no matter what is kind of ludicrous and although he insists in the film that people will want to see this...there is a point when any normal person would have dropped the camera and ran like hell. Still I completely understand why they opted to do the hand camera...it feels real and it works. I also understand why they left the shroud of mystery BUT it doesn't make either one of those things any more tolerable. I enjoyed experiencing this monster attack but I wanted from an entertainment value to KNOW the background, the secrets, the origin....nobody likes leaving with that many questions and maybe they'll serialize Cloverfield but it'll never have the same impact that this original film has. Despite some unfortunate fatal flaws Cloverfield is a monster of a movie and a great time at the movies. The first blockbuster of the year. And it makes people argue, debate, and wonder and that is always healthy for intellect. 8/10
*************** NOTE
Yesterday on Tuesday January 22/2008 star of big screen hits Heath Ledger passed away in his home. I just want to wish his family, his daughter, and Michelle Williams and all his friends my deepest sympathy and I always believed he was destined to be a big star. I will most certainly miss his work.