Cloverfield!

Well, after much hype being given leading to the screening of this movie especially by a good friend Hadi, I decided to go give it a try on its first day of screening which was last Thursday to be exact. I must admit though that my knowledge on the movie before stepping into the screening theatre did not go beyond the fact that it is another flick on a monster attacking New York.

So I sank myself into the seat, not knowing exactly what to expect. The first couple of minutes were a little confusing, as I kept asking myself if this movie was going to use the first person video camera point of view for the whole run. I never watched any movie of this kind before, so I found the concept as a little weird but anyway, creative. One thing, because it is a monster movie, with loud banging and yelling and all, this technique of filming in my opinion allows the audience to experience the impact and scary moments at their maximum. Also, by having it this way, I believe it somehow gives permission to the director not to hire top actors or actresses to act in his movie, which in turn allows for a smaller budget. Alright, enough of my two cent on this matter, now let’s move on.

The story started when a group of friends were having a surprise farewell party for one of them who was leaving for Japan to work. Now, this part was broadly elaborated, and although it kept me guessing when on earth the monster was going to surface, much later I learnt that the initial scene was highly fundamental in the build-up to the following dramas for that was when the director took the full opportunity to tell the inside story of each of his main characters. Anyway while this group of friends was having fun, the earth suddenly quaked; a sign that the monster was on his way. Now the scene is my favourite part, you guys better watch it closely; not long after those guys came out of the building, the gigantic head of the Statue of Liberty flew past them, slamming into the street of New York with incredible force followed by the screaming of New Yorkers who could still not believe what was just happening. Now I tell you, the monster was real mad. Later in the movie the audience was brought along on a journey by a smaller group of the previous friends- this time four of them- in search of another friend whom the guy going to Japan was in love with. Imagine while the rest of New Yorkers rushed to flee the city, these four were running in the opposite direction into the heart of the city, where the monster was roaring. I shall leave the rest of the way for you to find out on your own.

Another point worth noting is the ending, which while not a top-class, is still good in my opinion for a movie of this kind. I was hoping mid-way through the show for the movie not to end in another War of the Worlds’ style. You just cannot make a monster that powerful that has so easily tore down the skyscrapers of New York and caused havoc to the whole country to be easily demolished in a one-and-a-half hour movie, and under that line of thinking I guess everyone can live with Cloverfield’s ending.

Overall I must say that this is one of the best monster/horror movies I have ever seen, certainly worth my RM10. You were kept trembling throughout the entire show, but at the end of it, you just want to ask for more. At least I did.