An actually good "found footage" movie.

Rating: 7/10 (24 June 2016)

The monster movie genre died, and Cloverfield was it's last breath. While it didn't bring the genre back, the "Clover Monster" is know as recognizable as Godzilla or King Kong to most movie fans. And it's easy to see why.
The movie is quite simple, it follows 5 friends - Rob, Lilly, Marlena, Jason, and Hud, as they flee from Rob's going away party to rescue their friend Beth while a 200 ft-tall monster unleashes hell on New York City.
Except for T.J. Miller, I knew most no one in the film and the acting is actually really good. It's writing is good too, everything is scripted to seem like real life, and it does a good job of it. It has a simple subplot and thank gosh the movie doesn't have the Clover Monster as the main character.
This movie is definitely the best modern-day monster movie. We don't see a lot, and most are bad. Pacific Rim (2013) wasn't bad, but Godzilla (2014) wanted to have a subplot like Cloverfield, and failed, and King Kong (2005) tried to make the large ape a character to relate to, yet that obviously is impossible.
My only complaints would be just a tad bit more screen time for the Clover Monster, and also a good backstory for the beast. I had to look it up, but it makes sense and also ties in with the subplot and main character in an ironic and kind of funny way. I won't say it because it may count as a spoiler. But I think I can live wit these problems.
At the sound of it, Cloverfield sounds like an unbearable movie to watch, and it's not The Shawshank Redemption (1994) or The Dark Knight (2008) but it's good. It's a solid action/horror film that deserves another look and a higher rating from critics and moviegoers.
Now excuse me, I have to go watch 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) because I want to know just what the heck happened at the end there. Seriously, what happened right before the movie ended? Does anyone know?