Cloverfield (2008)

continued...

... be like to become caught up in such an event if it was real. So, in the end it's about feeling truly helpless.

There's been a lot of talk about the home movie style of the film. I can't say that it bothered me, but several people leaving the theatre complained of motion sickness. Still, the raw look of the movie does add to the realism of the situation. Like the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, you feel slightly ill at ease watching this. The easiest way I could describe the movie is "kaiju snuff." Frankly, due to the level of intensity I'm surprised the movie received its PG-13 rating. It's scary, simple as that.

The cast are very game, and for the most part are playing it straight-faced. Humor is there, but it never feels forced. If I had one complaint about the actors it's that they're far too "model-y" for their everyman roles, but that's a minor distraction at best, and one which is off-set by the "shaky-cam" gimmick of the movie.

I'll be curious to see how well Cloverfield does once all the hype dies down. I think it'll probably become one of the hottest debates on the internet. It's not for everyone, but I do think it's a must see for every true horror fan.

...back to beginning