Pretty Darn Decent

Rating: 7/10 (16 January 2008)

One thing I have to commend Abrams on is his marketing. If I had known anything about this movie before I went and saw it today it would've lessened the impact greatly as you literally spend half the movie trying to piece the monster together out of hurried camera shots until finally everything is revealed. Thats not to say EVERYTHING is revealed. In fact, nothing is revealed except what the monster looks like, how bad ass it is and how screwed humans are. So don't expect any investigation into why the monster's in New York, why it got there etc etc...
The presentation is aesthetically pleasing, at times dizzying, but nothing groundbreaking. It manages to carry an otherwise stereotypical storyline all the way to the finish in fantastic flair.
Cloverfield's faithfulness to the handicam style is really what makes and breaks the film as while it provides a more personal and realistic experience, nothing goes beyond the boundaries of the camera so don't expect any answers whatsoever.
The storyline is where Cloverfield falters, as it is essentially 1997's Godzilla shot from a handicam - a pretty sturdy one at that - so nothing revolutionary and it will not be replacing my Evil Dead collection somewhere near the top of my DVD pile.
Cloverfield blatantly lauds style over substance and it is pretty much exactly what would happen if anybody picked up a camera and started recording during a giant monster invasion. It makes for an entertaining cinematic roller coaster but nothing truly great.
Has Abrams and Reeves created America's own Godzilla? No, probably not. Gozilla is timeless and fairly simple in design, the Cloverfield monster is too complex and awkward, original nonetheless but I'd pick Godzilla in a fight.