Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
Five young New Yorkers throw their friend a going-away party the night that a monster the size of a skyscraper descends upon the city. Told from the point of view of their video camera, the film is a document of their attempt to survive the most surreal, horrifying event of their lives.
Cloverfield is a genuinely distinctive entry in the kaiju and found-footage genres, combining both with striking effectiveness. The handheld, ground-level perspective of a monster attack is executed with remarkable craft and immersion — the cinematography earns a high mark for its visceral, chaotic realism that feels genuinely singular. Its novelty is real: few monster films had ever placed the audience so squarely in the terrified civilian experience. The plot and acting are serviceable — the characters are thinly sketched and the rescue mission premise strains credibility, but the emotional stakes are maintained well enough. The ending, however, is divisive and somewhat unsatisfying, cutting off abruptly without resolution and leaving many viewers cold rather than haunted.