cloverfieldWhen last summer’s blockbuster action-movie Transformers had finally hit theaters, I was overjoyed. Despite it’s flaws, it was an absolute blast to watch, and I now consider it a guilty pleasure to watch giant robots fighting each other on the freeway and plowing through large buildings.

However, in the standard batch of previews served up before the actual movie, an interesting trailer had been revealed - a trailer that featured shakycam style filming as well as a decapitated Statue of Liberty.

With these two things alone, I thought “Oh yeah. That movie will be hella-tight.”

Well, not exactly, but Cloverfield was a fairly overhyped movie upon release, and I believe there are a couple of reasons that explain this phenomenon:

  • No title. The initial trailer for this film did not give you any hint as to a name. Ooh, whatever could it be?
  • It looks like the whole thing was totally filmed on some average Joe’s digital camcorder (which isn’t exactly true). However, director Matt Reeves had a lot of balls to create a movie that was filmed with absolutely no apparent stabilization… or at least he simply thought he had a lot of balls. Either way, when people saw footage from the movie and noticed the style, I think they were excited just because of how different it was. It’s like almost no other film.

Hundreds upon hundreds of people have complained about getting motion sickness from this movie. It seems a bit odd - especially because the shakycam didn’t even phase me - and yet, others viewers have claimed to nearly puke. Really. I don’t get it. Does it bother you that much?

The whole experience of Cloverfield is genuinely intense. I would even go so far as to say that it’s actually pretty scary in multiple parts. To be straightforward, I’m happy to report that the overall storyline is not as generic as I initially thought it would be. Filmed from a first-person view, it gives you an idea of what it’s like to be slipped into the shoes of one of the victims experiencing the disaster. It’s (usually) believable, and the character-development makes you truly relate to many of the on-screen personages.

Have you ever seen The Blair Witch Project? No? Neither have I.

I’d strongly suggest this movie to just about anyone. Don’t wait until it comes out on DVD so you can watch it on your grandma’s wimpy 20″ television screen. See the great action films first in theaters, save chick flicks ’till later. You’ll be happy you did.