Cloverfield

I don't know how this film will play on repeat viewings but the initial one was one hell of a ride. The gimmick of this being shot in POV from a handicam wears off after the first 20 minutes or so and it actually works to bring you into the movie. You start to wonder how you would act in these situations, where you would go and how would you save yourself. It becomes an intimate story of a group of survivors surrounded by a much larger story of a monster eating New York.

The actual use of the video camera is actually really well done. The only time you are given any information to the overall situation is when the characters are able to view a television or come across some military personnel. You learn what they learn and see what they see. Of course there are a few conceits you must make. Try not to think about battery life or the length of tapes while watching, details like that might drive you a bit crazy.

The best way to see this is with as little knowledge of the film as possible.
There are surprises and things happen so randomly that you are really thrown off guard. This is a realistic film, or at least as realistic as any monster movie could be. Scenes are not set up in any traditional sense and there is no pay off, you experience one situation and move onto the next, trying to stay alive.

The film is not perfect though. There really isn't one character you root for, these are upper class New York Hipsters who probably have it a little too well off financially. You never fully connect with any of them in any way you would hope to. I was also initially upset that they tried to cram a story into what should have been a simple survival tale. One character makes a decision that effects the others in his group and they seem to follow along a little too easily. When the film concluded though, it seemed like this was the only possible outcome. It wraps up so nicely that I didn't even think about it anymore. Could it have been different? Yes. Would it have been better? Who knows? It's actually sort of ingenious the way they tell two stories at once, it doesn't cheat in the overall design of the movie and fills in nice character details as the film moves forward. Then again, is anybody really seeing this for the story? It's just fun to watch things blow up and people running from a monster in a completely new and unique way.

NOTE:

1. I have now spoken to two people who have told me they felt sick when watching this and that the people they were with actually threw up. Theaters across America are actually now posting warning signs that this film may cause side effects. If you get sick during movies that contain a lot of shakicam (The Bourne Ultimatum) you might want to be forewarned.

2. This might be considered a spoiler so if you want to know nothing about the film going in read no further, this has to do with the ending. The spoiler starts here, highlight the text to read: Notice during the last shot of the film, the panoramic view of the beach at Coney Island, in the top right of the frame something falls from the sky and into the ocean. Is this a possible origin of the monster? I am certain I saw something in this shot, the person I watched this with didn't and I can't seem to find anything on the internet. I like that there are no answers really given, just questions.