Believe the hype

Rating: 9/10 (1 February 2008)

There was so much hype for this film that a "Snakes on a Plane" style disappointment seemed on the horizon. The unknown actors, the shaky camera, it all seemed too much, too ambitious for a TV producer, director and writer. I'm happy to say, you can believe the hype. Cloverfield is at times shocking, consistently tense and absorbing and occasionally terrifying. The shake of the camera, instead of ruining the film, adds to the atmosphere, as does the lack of music. At a certain point, the air raid sirens seem to have an orchestral majesty to their sound. The acting isn't stellar, but does it need to be? The cast's expressions of shock, fear and anger are believable, the relationships legitimate and a certain empathy and concern for the characters' well-being is generated within minutes. The pace isn't frenetic, but neither is it slow. Instead, there is a perfect meld of slow parts, which (in the case of a certain subway tunnel) are often more intense than the brief, heart- pounding flickers of action. Complaints that you don't see enough of the monster are absolutely unjustified. The ending will leave you pinned to your seat in shock. This is a film, in short, for both the film connoisseur, who will appreciate the allegory for terrorism paranoia, and for fans of action films like "Independence Day." Believe the hype. J.J. has done it again.