Not as good or bad as they would have you believe...

Rating: 4/10 (25 February 2008)

Well, after the all the hype and hysteria I finally got to see it. Is it as good or as bad as they say? The answer of course is 'no'. It's okay. As I am sure you know its a Godzilla meets Blair Witch mash-up with lots of beautiful people in peril. Youtube cinema with models. Does it work? Again, kind of. The irony is that it's meant to look 'real' i.e. filmed on a hand-held camera (a la Blair Witch) but it never does. The acting and the effects stand out like sore thumbs. The real killer is the monster: it just does not work. Unlike Alien where the glimpses of the creature built to a stunning finale, when you get to see it then, oh dear, a bit of a let down. I think it could have been so much better. There is a lot of life for this type of film format (especially in the horror genre) but Cloverfield just does not come up to scratch. Go and see it, just don't expect to be amazed.