A film about people, not a monster

Rating: 8/10 (19 January 2008)

Do not go in to a movie theater thinking that Cloverfield is a film about a monster. It is not. It's a film about a group of friends forced to deal with unspeakable tragedy of an unexplainable level. Keeping this in mind will allow you to better enjoy the movie.
Most of the criticism levied at Cloverfield comes from the somewhat loose way the movie ends and the "facebook/myspace" feel some older elitist Film Critics believe the movie is rooted in. However, if you recognize that this is a movie about people then it ends exactly the way it should. Thinking that the point of Cloverfield is to find out exactly what is terrorizing Manhattan is the wrong way to approach this thrilling movie.
Maybe I'm different but sometimes I like not knowing everything about a movie. I don't need to know what's in the briefcase in Pulp Fiction to enjoy it. I don't want to know what hand the guy in Rounders had at the end of the movie because that wasn't the point and I definitely don't need to know how or why the monster in Cloverfield exists to enjoy it. This movie was shot from the perspective of four people attempting to escape an unprecedented situation riddled with unique dangers for a reason. Because the film's about those four people. Not the monster they're running from.
Some people will simply not like this film. If you're looking for a straight up action film with all the answers and no mystery go wait in line for Rambo. If you want a story that strictly deals with characters developing over unique circumstances watch Juno or There Will Be Blood. But if you're someone who can deal with a little mystery at the expense of full disclosure than you owe it to yourself to see a film that marries action, suspense and character study extraordinarily well.