Cloverfield meets Blair Witch

Rating: 1/10 (16 August 2009)

I was excited to see this flick, but 10 minutes into it the disappointment overwhelmed me. Everyone should be warned that while this movie has some interesting plot points and good FX, it is told lazily in that Blair Witch / Cloverfield mockumentary style complete with shaky camera and actors "pretending" to be in a real situation (which is rarely believable). I understand that the lead actor improvised most of his lines. It shows. Furthermore, he was an extremely distracting, unlikable Steve Carrell type. This style of storytelling may appeal to our pre-teens and our reality show buffs, but it does not make for a good film experience for the rest of us who love SciFi. So just be warned. If this is your cup of tea, you'll love it. Otherwise put this one low on your Netflix queue. I believe now that the quality of this movie mirrors a majority of the kind of folks who are defending it in this pre-pubescent manner with their flaming insults and dismissals. I've never seen a whinier bunch of defenders -- as if the movie will be "unmade" as a result of folks who criticize it (although that's not a bad idea). Waaa! Waaa! I ask: Aliens wearing bras delivering a touching social message of apartheid shot with a shaky cam complete with bad improvised dialogue and acting? This is what they defend so vehemently? Laughable. This wasn't as much a movie as it was poorly executed attempt to just feign smart and deliver special effects to our lonely gamers.