Refreshing perspective

Rating: 8/10 (10 May 2008)

I didn't have any desire to see the movie initially, thinking it to be over-hyped.
However, I borrowed the film from a very insistent friend and watched it. I found it to be very entertaining, for both dramatic effect as well as action. While there was a part of me that expected more action, I think in retrospect that the personal story aspect of the movie is the most important. Rather than telling a tale of pure destruction in an omniscient point of view, the viewer is taken right down there among the characters of the film. What results is not us watching a movie, but *experiencing* the movie.
I liked the visual and audio effects very much, and the jarring of the camera (and resulting visual errors) was a nice touch. The chaos of the film contrasts very distinctly from most Hollywood monster movies, giving it a rather refreshing feel. I felt as though the characters were normal people, and not heroes; that helps the film, I think, to refrain from being predictable. I was pleasantly surprised pretty much the whole time and now regret not having seen it in theaters!