Go Monsters!

Rating: 6/10 (6 July 2008)

Really, I'm going to write about the ending so don't read if you want to see it for yourself first.
Recap: There is a party. Rob is leaving, and this is his going-away party. Not everything is happy though. He and Beth, who seemed to have a relationship going, have a fight and Beth leaves (with another guy). Shortly thereafter the entire building shakes and the lights go out. People go out on the streets fearing an earthquake. But soon buildings seem to collapse randomly and people realize that this is not the forces of nature at play. They are under attack.
Comments: Filmed entirely in the way of a home recording so the first word that comes to mind is: Different. It's shaky and of poor quality. Some odd cuts and also some material of a previous recordings acting as flashbacks. I can see how this can be annoying but it didn't disturb me. I think it worked fine.
What did disturb me was Hud. Hud is the guy holding the camera most of the time and has one heck of a problem keeping his mouth shut. He also is something quite stupid. Yes, I know, Hud is experiencing some extreme events and some people react that way. But hey, I'm watching a movie about alien monsters attacking New York, so can we keep the annoying but realistic people out of the movie? It's not like it is really an documentary, even if that is some of the point with the camera. I found myself rooting for the monsters trying to kill Hud...
The there is the ending. I like open endings most of the times. Leaves something for the viewers to think for themselves. Something different than most movies. And I respect the writers/directors choice to do it this way. But I myself would have gone with a traditional Hollywood-ending were the good guys clearly win. Not as realistic maybe, but leaves you with a lot more feel-good, and you leave the movie a lot more content. Now I got the feeling that it was cut short and I was missing a lot, especially since the movie is just 80 minutes.
Otherwise, I did like it. Good effects and I liked the way the monsters were slowly introduced, and never really explained. It got me curious. I really wanted to see the next scene, see what more was revealed, what happened. So I quickly got engaged in the movie, and whenever that happens a lot is won. Therefore it is unfortunate about the abrupt ending. I felt left out. But well, it worked really well for an evening, and I got rid of Hud. Kudos to the monsters! 6/10