New York is destroyed, but where is the dirt????

Rating: 7/10 (10 May 2008)

Let me put this as simple as I can:
I just saw the movie, spent enjoyable 1 1/2 hours (or so), it was good. The special effects are really AWESOME, I have no idea how they did it, but they look better here (with difficult lightning situations and LoFi-material!!) than, say, Iron Man!
In fact the first half hour is extremely well done and balanced, it's a pity the whole film isn't like this
BECAUSE: Why these actors! Sure, they look good, are young and "unknown faces" but they have absolutely no sense of drama. A giant monster is attacking New York, and they not once scream or curse or freak out or do something REAL! Also, the public sequences with dozens of people "jogging" away from the monster, partly with laughs on their faces, feel strange.
Then, where is the blood? Okay, this doesn't have to be Hostel, and I understand the producers desire to make it PG, but then JJ Abrahms said he wanted to make a thrilling, exciting monster-movie. I'm not talking torn-apart limbs here, but a little more blood would have served the purpose.
Also, if you are making a disaster movie in NY, its logical people see parallels to 9/11. And IMHO the filmmakers should have addressed that (see how brilliant Spielberg did it in War of the Worlds), one or two sentences about "Terrorists?" would have been enough.
The camera operator aka "nerdy guy" was nerve-wracking (in a bad way). Without this unnecessary, nerdy humor the whole movie have worked better (see 28 Days Later). Have the guts to make it bleak, goddammmit!
And please, if you're making a film in a Documentary-style, stay away from product placement.
ALL IN ALL: A great film that could have been a MASTERPIECE if not for the above mentioned things. But still, watch it if you can!