A classic of the 'found footage' genre

Rating: 9/10 (26 February 2016)

CLOVERFIELD is a simple film that deserves a simple review. The brainchild of producer J. J. Abrams, the man who gave us the tricksy TV series LOST, this is a monster flick with a difference: it's shown entirely from the ground, from the point of view of the humans caught up in the carnage. As such, when the first twenty-minute set up is over and the film begins for real, you're in for a real, original treat with this movie. I've long been a fan of monster flicks and this is no doubt the scariest "giant creature rampage" you'll see.
The hand-held camera vantage point manages to combine gritty on-the-street realism with glossy mega-bucks effects work, and the result is often phenomenal on a visual level. Buildings crumble like on 9/11; people are infected by hideous spider-like parasites and everything is burning, blowing up or getting crushed. The monster itself is a rarely-seen beastie that came from the sea and should have stayed there; it's origins are never fully described and that works in the film's favour.
The acting's great from the cast, and I could fault no performances; I especially liked cameraman Hud, whose simple-minded footage works in the movie's favour. Some have compared this to THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, and indeed it IS like that film, except down with a multi-million dollar budget. It's not quite as frightening but there are plenty of pants-wetting moments, like the bit in the tunnel and the (literally) overwhelming climax. Forget about that awful US remake of GODZILLA: CLOVERFIELD is what that film SHOULD have been. It's taut, short, straightforward and simple: people running around a city while a monster and its minions wreak havoc. Gruesome, dark fun throughout.