A great piece of film....

Rating: 8/10 (12 February 2008)

Some people seem to be upset that it's so short. Some people seem to be upset that nothing is explained. Some felt sick from the crazy camera movement! I think all of these add to an incredibly entertaining 84 minutes! Here's why:
Running time - it has been said by many a critic that most films could do with losing a third of their running time. It seems like that is the ethos this film has been made by. It gives you just what you need to stay interested in each scene....no more, no less. If a film leaves you frustrated and wanting more at the end, it's done it's job and has created the foundation for a very lucrative franchise, no matter how much the theme is milked in the sequels (Saw - anyone?)
Crazy camera - this is a minor, yet effective point. Let's take Blair Witch as the comparison people tend to use for the direction of Cloverfield. The only similarity here is the type of camera. The camera in Blair Witch has the home movie 'feel', but it is very obvious that each scene is staged and has been directed very precisely (even the bob of the camera while the teens are running about). The completely hectic nature of the camera in Cloverfield is a triumph in realism. You really feel that the cameraman forgets it's in his hand at points!
Lack of explanations - this is the best of the points! No explanation is given at all for what is going on. The lack of a conclusion is quite brilliant. How could it end? Either the monster dies or it doesn't...we've seen all the possible end scenarios play out before. No explanation of where the beast came from...is there any explanation that could be at all unique and plausible? Conventional 'story telling' elements are thrown aside and we are left with a pure experience for the senses that could only be delivered through the medium of film.
My one indifference may be controversial...the special effects. Although they are perfectly adequate they only really work in conjunction with the camera movement and benefit from the out of focus shots. Fast and bright images do their job well, but in terms of detail I was unimpressed..but in a way detailed and cutting edge effects weren't really needed as they would have distracted the viewer from the human element for too much of the film.
Ultimately you should go and enjoy this movie for what it is....a pure piece of interesting, thrilling and generally entertaining film-making. Although I would probably never call this one of the all time greats, it's definitely one of the great commercial blockbusters!