It is an exciting evening in New York City; Rob Hawkins (Michael Stahl-David) is enjoying his last night in town before he leaves to Japan. Music is faintly heard over the cluttered voices. It appears to be a normal evening.

All of a sudden there is a thundering crash. Buildings are collapsing. People are running and screaming.

Something has attacked the city, but what?

“Cloverfield” is unlike any other movie that has come out in the last couple of years. There are a few reasons why this movie is so strong.

The suspense draws in an enormous amount of people.

The first trailer appeared in the “Transformers” previews. It showed some people screaming “Oh my God” and others taking pictures as the Statue of Liberty’s head gently rotated after being torn off by some violent exertion of force. That was it. They didn’t even release the title.

I remember seeing that trailer and being so hyped to see the movie, but I wasn’t the only one captivated. There were murmurs of excitement throughout the theater.

Seeing the Statue of Liberty, a symbol of the freedom, jerked the audience in even more.

I had no idea what it was going to be about but the suspense drew me in like a fly to a light bulb.

Even throughout the movie there was the question of “what is it?” or “where did it come from?” The small glimpses of the monster just made the desire for monster-camera interaction stronger.

Don’t be disappointed if you wanted more than a brief encounter with the monster because you see more and more of the creature as the movie goes on.

Another pretty cool effect was the camera angling.

The director used something called Cinéma-vérité, a style of filmmaking that combines naturalistic techniques, used in documentaries, with specific editing and camerawork to make objects seem more realistic.



Seeing the movie as if you actually had the camera in your hands personalized the audience with the characters.



Yes, many complained about headaches and motion sickness from the sudden blurs when the camera was moved quickly but it was worth it.



There are not many movies using this kind of angle. Not only did it accent the action it was also an efficient move on the director’s part. The movie only cost $25 million and after one weekend has grossed $41 million.

Apart from the cool style of filming and suspense there was something else that made the movie that much better.

Hud’s, (T.J. Miller), light attitude derives a hopeful atmosphere, even as he videotapes the chaos of the gargantuan monster attack. Also, Michael Stahl-David’s exhibition of fear, worry, and frustration induces sympathy, as the audience is engulfed in the character’s frenzy for survival.

By the end you cant help but have a sympathetic connection with the characters.



Overall, “Cloverfield” is a five star movie for the awesome camera angling, character-audience connection, and suspense.