Cloverfield

IT starts out almost like an American teen drama with all the trials and trivialities you might expect.
But this makes it all the more shocking when New York is plunged into darkness and the scarred head of the Statue of Liberty flies through the air and scrapes along the pavement.
Once this potent metaphor for the fall of a nation has made its mark, you hear a bellowing roar. This is perhaps the first half hour of the film and to mention any more specifics would ruin the experience.
Cloverfield is more of a concept than a movie. Like a cross between the Blair Witch Project and Godzilla, it is a monster movie seen through the shaky camera recordings of one of the city’s residents going through the ordeal with a small group of friends.
Because of this, mystery and tension are the main devices of the film. These young people are right there in the thick of it but have no idea what’s going on.
Lost creator and Cloverfield producer JJ Abrams said he wanted to make a monster movie after seeing the popularity of Godzilla in Japan.
But audiences might be split on the execution of the film, shunning the traditional approach for something more realistic and frightening.
Some will love it, some won’t take to it, others will feel a bit queasy and many will be reminded of the atrocities on September 11.
But one thing is for sure — Cloverfield will make an impact on you.