Can't see what everyone's complaining about....

Rating: 10/10 (13 August 2011)

I went to see this movie somewhat nervously, as I had been looking forward to it for a while but the recent reviews from this site proclaimed it to be - well - terrible.
I came out of the cinema amazed. The movie was incredible, with well written dialogue between the teenagers, and a marvellous realistic recreation of the 70s. The teenage cast was well chosen as well - they were appealingly not very photogenic (save the lead boy and girl) and their interactions were suitably childish, notably a scene in a diner where there are about two lines that drive the story onward and otherwise just bickering, a refreshingly honest depiction of teenagers.
And while I was worried that the death of the main character's mother was going to be handled cheesily (which was true on occasion) it simply became part of the backdrop, as did the monster, and the army for the most part.
I think the main problem people have when coming to see this is expecting it to be a groundbreaking new sci-fi horror movie with a completely original plot. Given that when you break things down there are only about five different plots in the history of storytelling, this is a little unreasonable, but it's also not what the movie is. The movie is basically a movie about movie-making, and about being a kid in the 70s. The monster is really just window-dressing, as is shown by the fact that we don't get a pointless 'money-shot' reveal of it ever, with us lingering on it more than is really necessary.
So, if you want Cloverfield 2, this ain't your movie. If you want Explorers 2, please watch.