Cloverfield

The varying reviews on Cloverfield have me stumped. Some people seem to want the action from the first second, some think its slow, some think its badly acted and unoriginal. If this review is supposed to sell the film, well let me just say: Cloverfield, despite the Blair-Witch style camera work is light years ahead of that film in terms of originality. The makers have tried to make a decent movie with a decent set of characters who's motivation's are very simple; survive, help your loved ones, try not get squished.
With that in mind, the opening scenes set the pace, quick edits, jokes, a good subplot, and when the action hots up I found it perfectly paced, scary and even disturbingly real. The scenes showing the military attacked the "creature" are so realistic, and the hand held camera only adds to this (I like most of the reviewers did not feel sick once).
The acting for me is top notch. Perhaps some peoples complaint may be biased by the fact that the characters are generally well-to-do New Yorkers living in cool high rise apartments and obviously not short of a bob or two! Personally, this only added to the realism, because really I've had enough of the "trying to show the gritty side of life" style characterisation. These are young professionals in a tough situation, and there story is genuinely compelling and ultimately moving.
The creature and its er..."Sheddings" are also genuinely scary. THe subway tunnel scene is spine tingling, and it is this sporadic view we get that make sit so.
Thankfully, the filmmakers have also put reflection time in there too, giving the characters a little more depth than than usual.

All in all, I can't recommend this film more highly. No, its not the Citizen Kane of Monster movies, but it comes darn well close. Its original and technically brilliant, well acted, surprisingly moving, and once it gets going, its a tension filled edge of the seat ride.

It's evident from the reviews that Cloverfield is very much an acquired taste. I thought it was a waste of time and money, whereas my best friend thought it was one of the best films he'd ever seen.

I didn't like it because I came out of the cinema feeling like I'd just seen an 84-minute trailer; because of the nature of the film, there's no REAL backstory and no conclusive ending. At no point during the movie do you actually really know what's going on - putting you in the same boat as the characters. However, this is the reason my mate absolutely loved it - it was wild, unpredictable and you literally didn't know what to expect next. I like films with a bit more structure.

Overall though, the lesson learned is to ignore all these reviews and watch it for yourself. You'll either love it or you'll hate it.

Best film i seen in a long time, great storyline and very gipping, and for £3 everyone should buy one just to fill up there dvd collection lol

This film isn't for everyone.
The main group of people that will find this film appealing are people who enjoy old fashioned monster movies and people who are familiar with J.J. Abrahams work (aka Lost)
My best friend went to see this film and told me how disappointed she was, yet i went to see it the following day & i couldn't stop singing it praise.
For £2 you're not going to lose much sleep if you dont enjoy it.
Slow start but great middle and end. Worth a watch.

This film does not live up to its potential. It's essentially the Blair Witch all over again. The camera work has been done using a wobbly handheld camera technique to emphasise the feeling of fear from the characters but rather than add realism to the storyline it simply made me feel nauseous. Truely a waste of money.