Saw Cloverfield about an hour ago; I went in expecting to get queasy at the camera angle (I did), and that it was going to be an action/disaster/monster film (it is). Except, well, except I left the cinema in a philosophical mood, having flashbacks to the footage of the Twin Towers going down, and having this need to mourn for something I can’t even describe.

However, despite my rather unexpected mood the plot of a gigantic creature attacking a major metropolitan city isn’t anything new. Cloverfield doesn’t do anything new for the genera of attacking monsters; the characters are rather boring, the monster design is very blend, and without the very explicit visual allusions to 9/11 I doubt it would be anything special.

While I’m glad I saw the film on the big screen I don’t think I would ever watch again. The experience was interesting in that I have never seen a whole film done with a hand-held camera (no, I never saw The Blair Witch Project, it seemed boring then it feels boring now). The sense of realism and the sense of now, now, now are very impressive. It captures the moments; the raw emotions, the amazing visceral images of a city being destroyed.

In conclusion; the directing of this film is tight, intense and very smart. It is an amazing display of computer special effects but doesn’t do much to make the viewer feel for its characters.

• I could have done without the saving Beth thing; in fact I could have lived without the whole Beth story tangent.


• Rob and Beth’ fate was rather, um, underwhelming, in that I just really didn’t care that they more than likely died under the bridge.


• I was slightly sad that Jason died, though happy that Lily survived.


• I found the creature to be kind of, um, well, distracting rather than scary. I think I would have been perfectly happy if I never saw it in light of day. Those first images were the best; the more that was revealed the more bored I got.


• Marlena was kind of awesome, though I didn’t really feel anything for her when she died.