Cast: Michael Stahl-David, Mike Vogel, Odette Yustman, Lizzy Caplan, Jessica Lucas
Dir: Matt Reeves
Rating: 3/5
On the eve of his departure for Japan, Rob (newcomer Michael Stahl-David) sees his going-away party as an opportunity to confess unresolved feelings and tie up loose ends.
However, his agenda takes an unexpected turn when a jolt shakes the revellers. The crowd quiets down to watch news reports of an earthquake, then rushes to the roof to assess the damage. A fireball explodes on the distant horizon.
A power failure follows. Confusion gives way to panic as the partygoers stumble through the blackout and into the streets.
Shot entirely through the group’s camcorder, the shaky camera action further heightens the sense of terror as the six young friends attempt to stay one step ahead of an unknown and seemingly unstoppable force that is rampaging its way through New York City.
While filming everything on a camcorder worked for small British movie Blair Witch Project the idea that this could be replicated on a much bigger, CGI fuelled movie seemed ridiculous and could have gone so horribly wrong.
Yet JJ Abrams' mysterious project has pulled it off and has become and experimental movie that may just kick of a trend of mixing documentary style filming with the high octane pace of a blockbuster movie.
It's a claustrophobic and nauseating ride as the audience is trapped within that small camera lense and can only see whatever the person holding the camera allows up to see, which racks up the tension because of the unknown element.
The beginning of the movie is definitely the most powerful as New York, one of the world's most powerful cities is ripped to shreds with such ease and those that are supposed to project us are left totally helpless.
In the early moments of the 'invasion' we catch only glimpses of what is in the centre of the city which allows our imagination to take over as we try to guess what it could be.
The unknown cast do a fine job as their farewell party and plans for the future all disappear in a matter of hours.
But the cast really does play second fiddle to the camera work and the CGI, the head of the Statue of Liberty rolling down the street is cinema gold.
Where is loses this tension in when the creature is given a little longer on camera, showing the audience the enemy despite never telling us what it is maybe isn't always the answer.
Cloverfield is out on DVD now
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw