Unconventional.

Rating: 9/10 (19 January 2008)

Having seen the preview of this movie last year, I thought it was going to be "cookie-cutter material". But when I actually seen it, it was clear to me that this film is not like any sci-fi film I've seen in recent years.
It gets slow at first but once things kick into high gear the whole shebang sets in and to be frank, its an exhilarating and frantic experience as the players in this piece become entangled into a nightmarish scenario with scenes that hearkens back to 911. It's almost and allegory, in its depiction. Almost. Fear sets in. What is out there? What's going on? What is happening? Is it a terrorist attack, natural disaster? Or is it something else? Something ominous, deadly, mysterious, and ultimately terrifying?
Visually the film is top-notch with its hand-held filming technique and wicked special effects coupled with tension and despair amongst a metropolitan landscape. What makes this film so effective in its storytelling is that its verisimilitude mirrors ours in such spectacular ways. Sure films like Children of Men used some aspects of the techniques described earlier, but to film it entirely in this format is something unheard of before. You actually feel like you're a part of the show. The monsters are hideous and innovative in design and concept. In my opinion, kudos should be given for such impressive displays.
The only nitpick I have with this film is vague info about the creature itself. It would have been great if its origin was coherently more fleshed out. But in a way, it works. Keeping the monsters obscure is more effective. Still, the ending left me with a bunch of questions and that's a good thing. A really good thing. The film is unconventional and that's what sets it apart from the cookie-cutter norm that Hollywood is so known for.