"People need to see this, you know..."

Rating: 8/10 (1 May 2008)

When I first saw the teaser trailer for this movie in the summer of 2007, I was psyched. The image of the Statue of Liberty's head being tossed across Manhatten to land in the streets was enough to hook me. I had to know what it was that was tearing New York to shreds. When I finally got to see the film in mid-January 2008, I felt it lived up to the months of hype surrounding it. The movie puts a new spin on an old concept: it's your usual monster movie with a giant creature stomping through New York but it's told from the perspective of a group of people caught in the middle.
Some people are turned off by this film because it's shot entirely from the perspective of a home video camera carried by one of the characters, Hud (probably my favorite character, played by T.J. Miller). As a result of this odd style, the camera is frequently shaky and sometimes disorienting. People with motion sickness should probably just steer clear (or invest in some Dramamine). For those without inner ear issues, it's worth checking out. The home camera POV places you right in the middle of the action, as if you were running right there with them. We see the destruction and, more importantly, the creature from their perspective. At first, we're only treated to short glimpses of the creature...a tail here, a foot there. As the film progresses, we get to see more and more.
I personally thought this movie was awesome (even better once it hit DVD...seems easier to watch on the small screen). The unknown actors that were cast in this movie do a great job, giving you reasons to hope they don't end up creature-fodder. The creature is probably the coolest monster to come out of American cinema in years (and it's tons better than that Godzilla fiasco from the 90's). The somber ending (which I won't go into detail on) leaves you wanting more, though not in a bad way. I just wished the movie was longer; the 85 minute running time flies by. The movie take a little while to get into the meat of the action but it soars by when it finally does.