cloverfield

the guys and i went to go see this on friday, opening night. ive been looking forward to this one since they first had the teaser attached to transformers over the summer. i didnt really get into the online hysteria around it, but i kept it in mind as one to see. ive been seeing reviews of it that say its total crap, and others that say its awesome. the hype has been so deafening, that it was time to make the decision for myself.

turns out, its pretty good. the premise is simple: a giant monster attack from the perspective of those who are in the city it is stomping all over. the style is very much 'blair witch project' with the perception given that we are about to watch a tape that was found. as we watch it it becomes clear that this is going to be a shaky camera ride. in fact, before the movie started, someone from the theater actually came up and warned us that this film could induce nausea. needless to say, that got us even more excited for it. i didnt have any problems with it, but a couple of the guys said they felt a little dizzy at points. the premise of the film is done well, its a bunch of twenty somethings throwing a party for a friend who is leaving town. just as the party gets going, the power goes out. they look outside and see the city being destroyed. they have to get out of there quick. they head to the subway system and other places looking for a friend and a way out. part of what makes the film work is that even the effects shots are done from the handheld camera, so they look real. this is what makes the monster really work- we never really get a clear shot of what the thing looks like. well, actually we do, and thats the one complaint i have with the movie. at the end they show too much of the monster that it takes away some of the mystery that had been such a strong part of the movie up until that point. also, it suffers from too many endings. for a movie that was so chaotic and strange, the ending is a little too neat and tidy.

over all though, this is definitely one to see in the theater, i have a feeling that it will loose a lot when its seen on a regular tv screen.