Entertaining, tense thriller

Rating: 8/10 (20 January 2008)

When I saw the first Cloverfield trailer during Transformers, I was in awe. It was unlike any trailer I had ever seen before, having no title, been shot with a hand-held digital camera, and having zero recognizable stars. I ran home after the movie to find out more about the film. For six months, me and millions of other moviegoers turned the internet upside down looking for answers, getting only random inexplicable photos on 1-18-08.com and fake additional trailers. And on January 18th, our prayers were answered, and we flocked to our nearest movie theater to end our guesses and speculation.
It's difficult to imagine anything being worth the wait. No film could have surpassed the excitement of a clip of a massive explosion in the middle of New York, and the statue of liberty's head being hurled at unsuspecting citizens. But if you can lower your expectations slightly and keep in mind that it will not change cinema, you will find that "Cloverfield" is quite enjoyable.
The first fifteen or so minutes of the film introduce our heroes, who are throwing a good-bye party for their friend Rob Hawkins, who is moving to Japan for a job. The subplot is set up at the party, conveniently all within earshot of the cameraman, who has been told to "document" the night. This opening is just short enough and has just enough humor to keep the viewer from shouting at the screen to demand that the monster appear.
And soon enough, the monster comes with full force. Like you all have seen in the trailer, it begins its tirade by setting off an explosion in downtown Manhattan and tearing off the head of the statue of liberty. To make matters worse, the larger monster is accompanied by smaller monsters, which are also hostile and deadly. For the next hour, our heroes travel through the streets and underground tunnels to find a missing friend and get to safety.
The characters of the film are not particularly deep, and there is hardly any development. But there's just enough to make the viewer care about them, and hope that they can all escape safely. The film is shot entirely by a hand-held camera, much like in "The Blair Witch Project", which at times can make the shots seem quite shaky. Though I did not experience this, a common complaint about "Cloverfield" is that you feel dizzy at times. But the cameraman manages to hold the camera steady for the parts that matter, especially those that are heavy on the special effects.
What is most remarkable about "Cloverfield" is the budget. For just $25 million, we get to see special effects that are comparable to those of "The Day After Tomorrow" and "Godzilla", both of which had budgets of at least 5 times that of "Cloverfield". The setting looks like New York, and the explosions look real. It would not have been surprising to hear the budget costing as much as $150 million. I guess it goes to show you that well-known actors and large production teams really can jack up the price.
The film runs quite short, a crisp 84 minutes. The viewer will most likely be left with a desire for more. But there's an old saying, and that's take what you can get, and what you get is a very entertaining show.