One of the most engaging movies I've ever seen once I got past the shaky camera work

Rating: 10/10 (27 January 2008)

Yes, the shaky camera stuff can make you uncomfortable. I almost left the movie myself and other theatre patrons did leave. If I was going to watch this again I'd have a few stiff drinks first. But the plot and characters here work to create a story line that will awe you if you stay with the action until the end.
At the start the filmmakers use the best of cinéma-vérité, very similar to what was good about 'David Holzman's Diary' to create a very voyeuristic view of a party in New York and establish the characters.
Why they chose to make the camera work as shaky as it is, I don't know. I do think that they'd have many more fans for this movie if they just had whoever was holding the camera hold it a bit steadier. In fact, the camera changes hands not long after the beginning and improves, but still there's more bouncing and head-ache inducing shots then needed.
Oddly enough, having seen the movie and loved it, I have to share the point at which I almost left. Near the beginning of the movie, when the action gets started, the monster is batting stuff around, and this is a spoiler of sorts, our characters are in the street and when the head of the statute of liberty lands near them. Now I have been inside the head of the statue of liberty, and this head which fills part of the street is just to small to be the head of the statue of liberty. And this disappointed me so I almost left the theatre as the shaky camera work started up again.
Still, I stayed and got into the story again and the story did not disappoint, in fact it intrigued and if you can get past the over shakiness, past the too little Statue of Liberty head, and into the movie, you'll not be disappointed.