Welp, I just got back from seeing Cloverfield. Honestly, half the reason why I went was to see the small teaser for Star Trek XI but I’m glad I did. From beginning to end Cloverfield entertains.
The movie starts off with somebody accessing US Dept of Defense footage of the “incident”. This footage is video obtained from a handheld videocamera that was used by some of the people running around the streets of New York the night that all hell broke loose. It starts with the footage that was on the camera and was unrelated to the attack on the city. It’s a nice way to introduce the audience to the people they’ll be dragged along with for the next hour or so. We attend a party, get the backstory on an angsty romance, etc. etc. The romance plays a part in why it is that the characters do what they do.
At the party things start to happen. Power goes on and off and the ground rumbles. People decide to go to the roof to see what’s going on. This is when we find out that the city is under attack from something. Panic ensues as people scramble down the stairs and out into the street, of course the filming continues.
We follow a group of five people as they try to make their way out of Manhattan. The camera shakes, bobbles and moves all over the place. I had to look away at certain points because I was literally getting ill from it. Still, it’s great fun following these people around on their harrowing journey.
I could get into details, but I won’t. Suffice it to say, this is a monster movie. When the wife and I left the theater, she remarked that she felt as if she had just been on a theme park ride. In a nutshell that sums it all up. If you like short, fast rides with little or no explanation… this is the flick for you. You don’t get a how, a why, or even a what happened… it’s just full throttle voyeurism.
Natty Bumpo
You may have a future as a reviewer. Still waiting to get on the beta list
