Throw away everything you've ever thought about monster movies. Throw away all preconceived notions about what suspense is. In fact, throw away everything and go see Cloverfield.
It's hard to speak this was about a flick who's plot is a regurgitated carbon copy of any old monster movie you've ever seen before: Huge creature emerges from nowhere, creature attacks NYC, everybody dies. Thanks, but no thanks, we've been there, done that.
But have we?
The simple answer to this is NO. J J Abrams (Producer) and Matt Reeves (Director) have taken the generic, cookie cutter monster flick and humanized it in a way that no sympathetic giant ape could. Implementing a shooting technique most comparable to the Blair Witch Project (simply put, the whole film is shot on a hand-held Handy Cam), Cloverfield offers a first person point of view that transports the viewer from a plush theater seat with their shoes stuck to the floor to the roof of a skyscraper overlooking a war-torn Manhattan with a colossal monster staring you in the face.
The movie isn't a film, it's an experience. The viewer gets to assimilate into this group of friends on the eve of a going away party as they experience possibly the most traumatic event that could possible strike a city. We are automatically a part of this group seeing all the events unfold through the lens of the camera (which is being held by HUD most of the movie) which effectively makes each audience member a full fledged part of the cast of the film.
Simply Spectacular
We are then taken on a cross-city adventure to save our friends lives as well as our own while dodging collapsing infrastructure, military assaults, fire balls, and last but not least, A HUGE FREAKING MONSTER.
This is a must see in the theaters!
Cloverfield receives a Full Fledged RIOT
