Great Movie, Great Experience

Rating: 10/10 (21 January 2008)

Few movies today are an experience in themselves. There are loads of movies that we experience, and that we are witness to, however, very few pull us in so deeply that we feel that we are a part of the action as well as Cloverfield does.
Cloverfield is exactly what we've been led to believe it is through months of viral marketing strategies (that have worked), it is a monster movie shot from the first person perspective, a story told entirely from one point of view, from a small group of people. An absolute must for enjoying this film, realize that fact, understand that this is supposed to be a found video tape of one small groups encounters with this disaster. For those who go into Cloverfield expecting to see the scientist who discovers the origins and just so happens to know the weakness of the monster, or the politicians debating full scale assaults and evacuations and ethics of bombing a city block, or the military hero who was about to pop the question to his pregnant girlfriend the evening he gets called in to save the day, or the many other rolls we've come very accustomed to seeing in apocalyptic movies, throw those old cliché characters out the window. You will not be hearing any power love ballads either, I'm sorry, but that's Armageddon, Independence Day, and about a dozen other movies, not Cloverfield. Cloverfield is told from the perspective of the people on the ground, who are hit by the unknown, who don't know what it is, what to do, or anything at all. This story is told from every normal person's perspective and really makes you feel the urgency and panic that we would all be going through. This movie is told by you, and if you can't relate to the plight of the characters, you haven't got an altruistic bone in your body. This is where Cloverfield makes those groundbreaking leaps and strides we've all heard about, it's our story, not our hero's story.
Overall, prepare to enjoy yourself at the movies. This is an experience. It is fun and in the true JJ Abrams fashion, highly mysterious and full of questions. But what do you expect? What questions do you think the people on the ground had during their experience? Those are your questions too. So don't go into this movie expecting the normal fully wrapped up in an easy to digest package with all of your thinking and answering done for you, this is a great ride that will have you and your friends talking about what you just saw. So enjoy, this is a fun one that you have to see.
All in all, you will either love it or hate it. I for one loved it.