Not even 90 minutes - That is my ONLY complaint!

Rating: 9/10 (18 January 2008)

When you consider that my single complaint was that the film was not even an hour and a half long, and yet I still have so much to say...That should tell you something. From the opening sequence - a near-black background with pitch-black lettering spelling out "Property of the U.S. Government Do Not Duplicate", then in white lettering little official statements about "designate Cloverfield" and where the camera was found...It was already exciting. The editing in this film was stupendous!! The action was incredibly realistic, so much so that a suspension of disbelief was entirely unnecessary. I was immediately drawn in, completely immersed in the events, horrified and excited by each new happening and all that threatened to happen next. There was action, horror, comedy, drama, and intense realism all rolled up into basically eighty minutes of film! At the end of the film, many people sat through the credits expecting there to be more, seemingly unsatisfied, as if there had been no resolution...but I disagree. The events in the film did resolve themselves. But from beginning to end, this film was like nothing I had ever experienced in a theater. Blending the first-person-camera concept of the "Blair Witch Project" with the Monster in Manhattan ideas from "King Kong" and "Godzilla" with the harsh-realities-of-love-in-a-war-zone story from...well, pick any war flick from the bunch; this film stands on its own as the first extraordinary action flick of the new year! It was truly amazing! A definite nine star film!