Cloverfield

We went to the midnight premiere of Cloverfield last night. Luckily the movie is only about 80 minutes long since midnight showings are hard to stay up for after a full week and before you get up a few hours later for work.

The movie itself was amazing. I'm a big J.J. Abrams fan (ie. I'm obsessed with Lost and never ever want it to end) so this review may be a bit biased. I walked in expecting to love the movie and excited to see what the monster really looked like. My number one recommendation if you see it would be to not sit too far in the front. The shaky camera effects make it a bit disorienting at times. The whole movie is supposed to be a recovered video tape found in Central Park after a monster attacks New York City and Manhattan has to be bombed to get rid of it. It begins with a going away party, but when the attack begins the party scatters. Some try to cross the Brooklyn Bridge in the mass mandatory evacuation, but when one of the guys gets a voicemail from the girl he's been in love with for years saying she's in her apartment bleeding badly and doesn't know what to do, he and several others attempt to make it through the most treacherous part of town to get to her.

One thing I loved was the reality of it. Sort of like Blair Witch, without the obnoxiousness and obscurity of it. You actually see the monster, you see people die without it being too bloody (it is PG-13 afterall), but you are always conscious that the story is being captured by an amateur with a handheld camcorder. There is no distinct resolution to the movie and if you're the type of person that hates leaving a film with questions unanswered, this one will probably make you furious. The effects are impeccable as is the acting - by actors no one watching will probably know. I would 100% recommend this movie to anyone even slightly interested, but I can't guarantee they'll like it, as I don't think this style is for everyone.