Visceral, action-packed, and original.

Rating: 7/10 (18 January 2008)

I really enjoyed this film. I thought it was very original in the way that it was filmed from a first person perspective, and the ending was very bold for an expensive American film. Like most people I had high expectations for this movie and it mostly lived up to them. The special effects were very good and it clearly relied on evoking images of 911.
I don't have much to say that hasn't already been said but I'd just like to make some comments about the monster. While I thought the monster was pretty good (and scary), it could have been better. Obviously the makers of this film were aiming for maximum realism and so the monster could have been more "believable" by for example not giving it humanoid features. Since it is supposed to have come from outer space how can it have a humanoid face with recognizable facial expressions. For that to be so it would have to have descended from the evolutionary ancestors of mankind. Also another point of realism, how can the US military fire so much ordinance at the monster (destroying much of the city) and still not kill it? Absurd! The film makers captured a very realistic and immersing feeling and they did the right thing by not showing much of the creature until the end since it is much more effective when only partially and briefly glimpsed in the midst of the action, thus maintaining its mystery.
The characters were hard to sympathize with I think. They were just twenty-something yuppies living in New York and I find it hard to believe that they would go out of their way and risk life and limb to document the events portrayed in Cloverfield. Perhaps they should have been scientists or journalists, that would have been more believable.
If you are thinking of seeing this film you should definitely go see it in the cinema and not wait for it to come out on DVD since it is a visceral experience needing a big screen and powerful surround sound system to be truly appreciated and will not be half as good on a small screen. Also, be warned that because it is filmed in "queasy-cam" style it may make you feel nauseous on the big screen.