The film that had everyone buzzing with curiosity and irritation has final arrived after being kept under the radar by producer J.J. Abrams, the creator of Alias and LOST. Kudos has to be given to the studio and J.J. Abrams for taking a chance on a film that, for example, sent out a casting call to actors and actresses who had to sign on without even reading the script prior to filming. Cloverfield is the first great film of 2008 giving its audience everything it wanted from a roller-coaster film and much, much more.

Warning to the audience: if you are one of those moviegoers that gets motion sickness when watching extremely shaking films with a lot of quick movements, then this film is not for you. Being presented to the audience as found footage from Central Park, Cloverfield focuses on the idea that you’re not just watching a movie but rather, something that was personal and real to people within the footage and is filmed in the form of an unprofessional documentary. With really no established plot or story, the audience is thrown right into the middle of Manhattan where a group of people are throwing a party for a friend who is leaving the country on business. The names and background of the characters is of no importance to the story, which really begins when some enormous creature attacks the city, destroying everything in its path even decapitating the head of the Statue of Liberty. Many people have wondered what the creature is. “What is that thing?” was the question that was on everyone’s mind. The suspense and hype grew to outstanding levels. Well, I will not spoil what the creature is for you here, you will just have to see the film to find out. I will reveal this: the creature is something that will knock you back into your chair and have you leaning forward in anticipation for more.

Cloverfield is The Blair Witch Project meets War of the Worlds. The choice of War of the Worlds fits the “story” of Cloverfield much better than the obvious choice of Godzilla due to the fact that both Cloverfield and War of the Worlds deal with a small group of people unlike Godzilla, which deals with the entire city of New York plus government personal. Some moviegoers may find this film eerie and unbearable to watch with its comparisons to 9/11. The film in a way could have been a documentary about 9/11 with instead of planes hitting buildings in was a giant creature.

The praise has to go to J.J. Abrams for providing his audience with such a unique film that has never been experienced before to this magnitude. Abrams delivers the monster within a few minutes after the initial attack although he does so in stages; a glimpse here and there, a little bit more, and several full image views throughout the last half of the film. The film in a nutshell is a thunderous thrill ride that will toss you upside down and spin you round and round before setting you down in an explosion of havoc and leaving you pleading for more.

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