One hell of a ride...

Rating: 9/10 (18 January 2008)

Caught the film today...and after all the months of waiting, yes, it was worth it. CLOVERFIELD stands as one of the best, most visceral, suspense-filled films I have seen. It is a solid giant monster film, clearly in the league of GODZILLA (the original), THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS and most recently, THE HOST.
To be more honest, it is actually a character-driven giant monster film. *Spoiler* Yes, there is a giant monster--where it came from, why it's tearing through NYC and how the hell it can be stopped is never made clear (but there is a lot of speculation made during the film). And yes, pretty much almost everyone does not survive by the end of the film. But--you do care about these characters. You do care what happens to Rob and his friends as they try to survive what is truly a terrifying experience. The monster itself is a scary beast, because you never truly get to see all of it. Also, the POV provided by the video camera adds to the suspense. This film is experienced from the characters' point of view.
And while the film was funny in some spots (thanks to the character of Hud), it is a white-knuckle thrill ride. It also has some of the most realistic CG I've ever seen--I mean, the film supposedly cost only $30 million to make, but it looks like a lot more.
True, it has the "found footage" angle of THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, but CLOVERFIELD is much, much better. Some may see it as a reinvention of the giant monster movie, others may see it as a shameless exploitation of 9-11 (which it is NOT). Some may just call it a piece of crap...but they're wrong.
CLOVERFIELD is a taught, thrill-ride of movie, and it deserves to be the first true blockbuster of 2008. You've got to see this one.