Rating of
3/4
Doesn't outstay its welcome
goodfellamike - wrote on 10/26/08
It's not Godzilla, because there's little humor to be found (unintentional or not) and Puff Daddy isn't on the soundtrack; it's also not The Blair Witch Project, because we actually get to see the monster. However, similarities to both movies are entirely evident throughout the film, and inevitable in just about any review discussing the content of Cloverfield.
The story couldn't be simpler: It's about a monster attack on New York City from a hand-held camera's point of view by a small group of young adults who find themselves fleeing a going-away party to fend for their lives. About thirty minutes into the film, we realize just how uncertain the fates of any of the characters are. Luckily, when someone holding the camera gets taken out, another is willing to resume filming for the sake of the preservation of this monumental disaster.
There are endless scenes of destruction, people running around, unsuccessful attacks by the military to bring the mammoth creature down, and plenty of shuffling feet. If there's one thing the movie does very well, it's making you feel like a participant in the actual attack. We don't know the characters very well, but they're likable enough and don't stay around too long anyway. It's just too bad that we never get anything resembling an explanation about the monster: did it come from space? did it come from the depths of the ocean? One of my friends pointed out that possibly the creature came over inside the Statue of Liberty, and it climbed out after a long hibernation to wreak havoc (hence the missing head of Lady Liberty). You can pretty much make up your own assessment of the origins, the intentions and the unseen fate of the monster. There's no closure whatsoever about any of those things.
If you don't require much depth from a movie, and can handle having none of your questions answered and the motion-sickness of a constantly moving hand-held camera point of view, then Cloverfield delivers some delicious moments of urgency. It's nothing more than an 80 minute rollercoaster, and once you get off the ride, you may feel a little dizzy, a little sick, but it was fun while it lasted. FInal Grade: B
