Cloverfield (2008)

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HALLOWEEN REVIEWS 2021

Director: Matt Reeves

Writer: Drew Goddard

Stars: Lizzy Caplan, Jessica Lucas, TJ Miller, Michael Stahl-David, Mike Vogel, Odette Annable



A farewell party in New York is interrupted by distant explosions, heralding the arrival of a giant monster of unknown origin that devastates the city while shaking off carnivorous parasites. 



After receiving a terrified cell phone call from an injured friend, four of the partygoers move deeper into the city on a rescue mission.

 


They capture the whole thing on video.

 


I had a great time at this movie.

 


Some detractors have knocked it for having pretensions of artiness, but I had just the opposite impression. 



This is a stripped-down, no-frills monster movie. 



I appreciated the device of seeing the action from the perspective of the man in the street.

 


We don't know where the monster came from, and we don't care. 



I was also undisturbed by the shakiness of the camera; in fact, I hardly even noticed it.

 


Unsteady camerawork makes sense in this "found footage" sub-genre, adding a sheen of realism to a fantastic situation.

 


I agree that there were a number of times when any normal person would have set the camera down or abandoned it entirely, but the rewards of the film made it worthwhile for me to suspend my disbelief in this regard.






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