Clovefield, giant monster, with a civilians POV

Rating: 8/10 (22 January 2008)

I was very skeptical before going to see Cloverifield. I felt that this movie would turn out to be another snakes on a plane. However, I was very surprised.
When the movie starts and goes to the party you begin to learn of the intertwining relationships between the characters. This small introduction leaves a lot of details out of the picture but also allows people in the audience relate to at least one character later on. Although the lack of character development is highly criticized in other reviews, it is forgotten that this lack of character substance allows for an easier way for a viewer to think, "Hey thats what i would do in that situation."
Another highly criticized review talks about the motion-sickness caused by the camera movement. I agree that the movie can be hard for the eyes, but this camera angle not only becomes key to the story (night vision/light for the subway scene), but also creates a unique environment not seen in a monster movie. THe majority of monster movies are seen through multiple point of views such as the scientist, military, housewife, etc. By using multiple POV's many monster films are led to rely on cheesy plots, and special effects. Cloverfield breaks that barrier. It solely captures one groups experience as they try to survive and draws in an audience to relate to their situation.
the last thing I will include would have to be the special effects. As previously stated the movie has a great number of them, but many are subtle and hard to view due to the camera movement. This movement actually creates great suspense about the monster itself, and exactly how several people die in the movie. The final full body shot of the monster as it looms over Hud shows a computer generated monster that looks completely original compared to the giant lizards stomping down other metropolitan areas.
Part horror movie, part disaster movie, with a good deal of action mixed in. Cloverfield actually lives up to its viral reputation. Take it from me as an audience member and not a distanced movie critic.