great idea, but very disappointing!

Rating: 3/10 (4 February 2008)

I watched this movie without any prior knowledge of what to expect. I wanted to be surprised. (the movie poster appealed to me and I Purposely avoided reading anything about it). I had no idea what was to come.
OK, I understood that they want to set the scene.. some guy is leaving America and there is a surprise leaving party for him. its all filmed through a home movie camera. i found the party scene was getting too long,, the over-jerky camera movements became increasingly annoying,, they were over-exaggerating the fact that it is being filmed on a home camera.
there are points in the movie where (for plot purposes) they try hard to find excuses for the camera to be filming. (many are very unrealistic).
it seemed to drag out for ages until anything really happened.
the film is actually a non-starter. (they could have cut a good 10 minutes out) finally something happens and so begins the action of the movie.
i was pleasantly surprised at the idea. (impossible/silly idea),, but I did enjoy watching this science-fiction plot unravel.
all the way through I was waiting and waiting for the home-movie to end, and then the government agency or whatever could continue from there and fight this monster.
and then the movie ended!!!!!!!!!!! I was shocked!! almost angry! At the start of the movie, we are shown a governmental agency computer playing this movie.
I was expecting it to go back here and continue with the actual movie.
i was very disappointed that this entire movie was pure home video style without a decent ending.
it would have been so much better if the home movie was 30 mins long,, and then it all unfolded into a really cool action film, (or any kind of film).
in summary,, this is a bare-bones movie.
effects are good,, but often ruined by the annoyingly over-jerky camera movements. we all know its supposedly amateur taping,, but there is no need to over-compensate and make it terrible amateur photography.
acting is fine.
also,, it was stupid how the fleeing helicopter would circle and fly so near to the rampaging monster!! surely you would just get out as fast as you can!!! OK,, every movie has holes, but I was expecting the movie of the year here, and it ended up being an 'almost, but not quite' movie.
so much potential,, such a great idea,, but they fell short.