Godzilla meets the Blair Witch in a surreal experience

Rating: 8/10 (21 January 2008)

Note: To anybody complaining about motion sickness, you all knew months in advance from the trailers what kind of movie this was going to be, so I don't get the complaints. Now on with the review.
Cloverfield was a surreal experience told from the point of view of a movie camera. It is a cross between The Blair Witch Project and Godzilla. I found the movie very effective and did not once feel sick because I knew what to expect.
A group of friends are throwing a going away party for their friend Rob who is going to Japan for a job. WHile enjoying the party a creature the size of Godzilla attacks New York City. During all this time and beyond one of the characters, his name is Hud Platt (TJ Miller) films everything from the beginning of the attack and on into the next day. During this time him and four friends go on a trek through a demolished New York to save a girl who is wounded. ALong the way they come up against several obstacles which include the giant creature, mini-monsters which are falling off of it, and all kinds of destruction which include the Brooklyn Bridge, two skyscrapers which have collapsed on each other, and of course the head of the Statue of Liberty which is the first scene of destruction in the movie.
Some will wonder why these five people risk their lives to save one girl who will most likely be dead by the time they get there? I'm not going to say if she's dead or not, that will be up to you to see the movie. WHat I will say is that Rob (Michael Stahl David), who had an affair with the wounded girl, is in love with her and let her leave his party on a bad note and feels guilty. The others follow him because he is their friend and they don't want him to go off by himself on such a dangerous mission.
From the point of view of the movie camera, the movie has a nice frantic pace that fits in perfectly with reality TV. The character filming everything also makes it more interesting because he has a sense of humor which helps us to get involved with their plight through the devastation. There are quite a few surprises along the way, and some that you won't be expecting when they happen.
Cloverfield, like Blair Witch, is a memorable movie. Like Blair Witch, it makes you feel like you are a part of the action and right there with them as they struggle onward. There are questions that I have about the movie though? One in particular would have to do with injured characters who are able to continue moving forward after sustaining some devastating injuries that would make it impossible for them to even move a little without passing out. Also, there is no way the battery in that movie camera would've lasted seven hours. It is these moments that take away from the reality that the writer and director were going for, but I can forgive it somewhat.
And for those of you wondering if you see the creature or not. Yes you do. There aren't a lot of scenes though, and even the scenes you do get are somewhat blurred. The director's approach of less being better holds true. This movie is also rated PG-13, proving once again that you don't need a whole lot of gore to make an effective horror film.