The video camera is my favorite inanimate object in movie history that could almost be a character.

Rating: 8/10 (22 January 2008)

It all started when I watched Transformers (2007), which I just happened to watch on opening day, July 3. Before the feature started, we were privileged with a unique trailer of a movie that contained a video-taped party that turned into a video-taped monster disaster. This trailer only ended with a caption that said "From producer J.J. Abrams" and a caption that said "1-18-08." The monster wasn't revealed, and the title wasn't revealed. My first reaction was "Okay," like I didn't know what that was all about, or like I didn't know whether or not it was a real movie at all. Later, after watching Transformers, I thought again about the strange trailer, and thought positive thoughts about what the movie could be. I first saw the trailer to Transformers about a full year before seeing it, and a big blockbuster movie like that would basically only be showing trailers to movies that also would be big blockbusters. So this unusual "1-18-08" movie must be pretty big despite the release date in January, which is usually a month for "stupid" movies. Because of a partial premise that we didn't know exactly what the monster was, or whether or not we've seen this monster before, the movie did get a bunch of anticipation from trailer fans, which I think I'll say I belonged to.
The release came, I decided to remain positive about it, and I saw it opening day at midnight. And the cinematic experience I experienced was very unique and original. Like the promotions suggested, it is a documentation of a monster disaster following a going-away party for a friend, all taken from the perspective of a single hand-held video camera. The plot is intense, and I liked the idea quite a bit. And because the entire movie is taken from the camera's view, we get things that we don't get in movies very often. Behind The Ring from LotR (which does have a will of its own), the video camera is my favorite character in movie history that can be argued whether or not it's a character as it is an inanimate object.
The story is: First, the story of friends who decide to videotape a going-away party for a friend Rob Hawkins. The monster attacks, and these friends attempt to survive. Second, the story of the government as they find the camera at the end, mark the beginning of the tape with "Multiple sightings of case designate 'Cloverfield' Camera retrieved at incident site U.S. 447 Area formerly known as Central Park," and the government uses it for government and/or history purposes. Third, and most of all what I want to emphasize, is the story of the camera, from the beginning of the tape to the end. More than the story of the victims, whose characters we come to appreciate and hope for their survival, more even than the story of the monster, whose neither origins nor fate is entirely explained, it's the story of the camera. We only see the middle of the story of the monster, we see the beginning and middle of the story of the victims, and just with that, the movie isn't quite enough to appreciate. But the story of the camera has a beginning, middle, and end. And the story of that is more than enough of what we need to enjoy the movie.
Because this is nothing more or less than the story of the camera, from the camera's documentation, no music is scored. The credits after the camera's story, which document how this became a fictional story with the intent to entertain movie fans in theaters, is the only place in the entire movie that has music attached. And the music there is quite fun. When the credits for the songs came, I was surprised that there were many songs credited, which I guess were entirely used during the beginning party scene. I almost impatiently waited for the end credit music score to be credited. There was a big space in the credits between the other songs and the end credit music. It was called "Roar! (Cloverfield Overture)" by Michael Giacchino, who I have previously appreciated for the music for The Incredibles. When that credit came up, I clapped madly. I loved the music, and I probably loved the credits just as much as I loved the rest of the movie.
This movie is fun, it proves that there is originality left in the world, and we come to love everyone in the movie, the friends, the monster, and the camera.
8/10