Cloverfield

A nasty beast attacks New York City, and we get to watch the melee through a handheld video camera. The premise is that a tape has been found after some sort of apocalypse, and we are to watch it in the aftermath. The effect puts you into a small group of survivors who are running from the monster and the parasites it gives off. The monster is only seen in short, obscured bursts for the most part, and not knowing exactly what is attacking adds to the creepy effect. It is scary fun, but a bit shaky (physically) at that. If you are prone to motion sickness, the film might give you a hard time. Director Matt Reeves and producer J.J. Abrams (the man responsible for Lost and all of its mystery and self contained mythology) reveal nothing obvious about the monster’s origins. This makes perfect sense because the group the viewer is running with knows nothing other than something big is making mayhem. The movie is fun but it’s definitely not for everybody.