Roller-coaster

Rating: 9/10 (10 February 2008)

See it. If you can stomach the hand held motion sickness that may afflict some people, this is well worth the admission fee. Some people have compared it to Blair Witch, which is somewhat puzzling as they aren't even in the same league. A bit like comparing a ferrari to a skoda. Just because they are both cars, or in this case movies, it does not make them in anyway alike. The plot and characters are shallow, but the choice of hand-held camera immerses us right into the action and it feels more like a roller-coaster ride than a movie. This is where the films premise works so very well. Could Abrams have pulled this off with a complex plot, deep characters, elaborate camera angles and huge set designs? Its doubtful. We only have to compare this movie to others of its kind such as Godzilla to discover that bigger is not always best. By taking it down to street level where we are given as much knowledge, vision and sound as the characters in the movie, we have a more intimate perspective on how this scenario would happen for real.
The sound plays a large part and the noise during the action scenes make them all the more intense. The effects are realistic and the monster designs creative. The action scenes will have your heart thumping and you will you cling to your seat. The story is simple and provides us with a good setting for the ride/movie.
We are left with many questions, and very few answers. All we end up being are passengers along for the ride in Abrams imagination. This film is not to everyones liking. The shaky cam, lack of deep characters and plot may deter some people, but its all good fun. One intense scene summed it all up for me. I won't post a spoiler, but it involves a helicopter rescue. That scene had me holding my breath for the whole sequence.
Some people will complain, as the cynical public always do. They will say that they were unimpressed and behave with underwhelmed emotion when describing this movie. But much like children being asked is they found the roller-coaster scary, they will try to hide their feelings as though it is some how cooler to say they weren't, in an attempt to impress their friends. Watch it on the big screen, because it is not meant for the small screen. I for one would pay to see it again.