Godzilla Witch Project

    If you get motion sickness at the movies, don't go see Cloverfield. You will be barfing faster than you can say "Blaaaaaarrrrrghhhhh!". I got to see it this afternoon, and I think I might end up in the minority of geeky fanboys on this because I really did not like it at all. To be sure it has some cool bits, even a couple that made me jump. The problem is scary bits do not a movie make. From a certain perspective I can see how this was made into a movie because verbally the idea sounds cool and I am sure on paper it was pure genious, but ultimately there just isn't enough meat on dem bones for it to carry on for 90 minutes. The idea, such as it is, is "what if we make a monster movie where this gigantic creature attacks the city but instead of going the standard route we shift the camera to your average Joe Blow who is running from the mayhem. It's like Godzilla meets the Blair Witch Project." I generally loathe those types of labels where a movie is tagged as "this genre" meets "that genre" but seriously I cannot think of a more apt description.

What's Cool

The acting is awesome, I never once felt as though they were really acting which in this movie is quite a feat, everyone portrays that candidness you would expect from a film featuring "found" footage. I actually found it mildly bothersome that I recognized one of the actors from last year's sitcom The Class, because other than that everyone was totally anonymous to me, making me feel like this was more real.

The effects are sweeeeet. A terrific mix of practical and CGI work really make for some very cool moments. I think there is a bit of a paradox in this movie in that the motion is pretty tough to take because of the shaking, and yet there were times when I couldn't look away. I was drawn in, and I thought that was impressive.

The sound design was incredible. The bass shook the theater and reminded me of the constant danger lurking. I guess I could be a jerk and say it detracted from the authenticity but it was cool.

What's not so Cool

The story is weak. If you are going to focus on the human element you have to take it past the standard love story. I didn't feel any real attachment to that characters, I didn't think the story was necessary for the movie to be cool. I just didn't get attached the way I hoped to.

The format. Ultimately, this grand idea is ultimately what sinks it for me. Like Blair Witch, I know this movie will play waaay better on TV because it feels better suited for that format. The whole "found" footage thing works better in a format we are used to, watching it on a TV screen and not in a huge theater. Additionally, the audience gets no further exposition than the found footage. You never know more than the characters, never understand the monster's origins or the hows and whys of it. I get that that is not the point but I found it left a huge hole in the movie. All this work to make a cool monster movie and I never find anything out about them. Typically, JJ Abrams again sucks me in with questions, never to give me any freakin answers. What seemed like a cool idea on paper ultimately comes across as an experiment in film (something I can appreciate) but like any experiment it wildly succeeds in certain areas and fails outright in others.

    So there are my thoughts on Cloverfield. I would wait for video if I were you, I suspect it will be waaaay more entertaining on that level and the big idea may be a more manageable size on your home screen.