It left me needing closure and wanting my time back.

Rating: 5/10 (19 January 2008)

Tonight I took the time to watch the movie Cloverfield with two friends. We had been fairly excited about seeing it because all of the previews had made it look great and, most importantly, I love giant monster movies. There has never been a giant monster movie I haven't loved and wanted to own on video, and when I heard that this was coming out, I was chomping at the bit to see it; when I heard it was a remake of the Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, I was very excited as I love that movie quite a lot. It didn't look like the original, but from the rumors I had heard there were quite a few similarities.
As I stated earlier, I had never found a giant monster movie I didn't like...
Until now.
Typically these types of movies follow the monster and the military around and are pretty homogenized in their plot movement; Cloverfield made a brilliant departure from that and allowed you to experience the attack from the perspective of a small group of individuals. The adventure they had was quite thrilling and, even though the movie did not follow the monster, very well written and directed. There were very few cues from the original monster film, and those that made it in were very subtle and seemingly unnecessary unless you had seen the original.
All in all it was a fantastic movie, even though it was made with a very shaky handycam, and JJ Abrams should be commended on his direction; however...
When it was over and the credits began to roll, I was left with this tremendous feeling of unhappiness with the movie as a whole, a feeling shared vocally by everyone who passed by my seat on the way out.
The problem was the ending. The problem with the ending, the problem which made me unhappy with the movie as a whole, was that there was no ending. It was like the tape suddenly breaking in your VCR as you are watching an exciting movie ten minutes from the end. It was unfulfilling and left me craving a closure that just wouldn't come. So desperate was I for this closure, that I waited until after the credits were done, only to hear a walkie talkie crackle to life and play some gibberish over the sound system of the theater; and then nothing, that was it. I felt upset with Abrams and the writer, whoever that was, for robbing me of an ending I felt I so dearly deserved. I had not only spent $8.50 and sat through commercials that should be making the tickets cheaper instead of more expensive, I had spent an hour and a half watching Cloverfield instead of doing something else that would have left me feeling much more happy.
In closing, I do heartily recommend against seeing this movie, not even if someone else springs for the ticket or video rental. Only watch this movie if you have absolutely nothing better to do for that hour and a half. If there is someplace you could go, a TV show you would like to watch, or a dog you would like to take for a walk, don't let this movie keep you from it.
-edit-
The gibberish that is heard after the credits is supposed to be translated into a statement that the director feels is quite clever, but after reading the translations people have made of it (basically a backwards recording according to internet boffins), it is actually redundant and stupid because you already know what this secret message is telling you.