Looks like King Kong's got some competition...

Rating: 9/10 (1 March 2008)

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Morning *** Friday Night ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning
Some up scale Manhattan teenagers are celebrating the leaving do of one of their top mates, only to hear a loud crashing noise outside and for absolute chaos and pandemonium to follow quickly after. Hordes of panicky people start rampaging through the city, running, rioting and looting and the destruction doesn't seem to be stopping. It soon becomes clear that a huge monster is stampeding through the city, with no clear plan of attack and destroying everything in it's path. This is one problem that'll take more than Mayor Giuliani to sort out.
Okay, I'm not watching anymore films set in New York for the rest of the year until I've actually been. I said it in my recent I Am Legend review and I'm saying it now. I want my first ever trip there later this year to be as big a surprise as possible and I don't want to see all the best bits in the films before I go, thank you very much.
There, now I've got that little rant off my chest lets get onto the actual film itself. It's one of those weird, high concept films that's been doing pretty well mainly down to word of mouth and will now probably get a cult status as a result. And I'm happy to say, it does really deserve it.
Spinning off from the style of The Blair Witch Project, with it's use of a hand-held camera recording the words and actions of unknown actors in the face of absolute terror, the film creates an impressive mood of claustrophobia and bewilderment, with some genuinely terrifying jump moments to move it along. A big budget must have been required for the monster effects and special effects through-out but the film is shot all the way through in camcorder footage, which some have struggled to adapt to, but in these post 9/11 (which was first caught on camera) days is actually all the more terrifying, even if at times you want to laugh out loud at how ludicrous and far fetched the story actually is, as well as the absurdity of someone filming it all at a time when they must be quavering for their lives.
Kong was taken to NY against his will. The Cloverfield monster wants to be there. And you want to see him. ****