Cloverfield

CLOVERFIELD (2008) - Jan. 23, 2008
Maybe it's because my expectations were lowered considerably after hearing about how shaky the camerawork is in this film, but I actually really enjoyed this. Perhaps it's the lack of quick cuts, but I found that the action -- even at its very shakiest -- was never as disorienting or hard to follow as something like 28 Weeks Later or the Paul Greengrass Bourne movies. In fact, the faux home-video style was actually really effective in drawing the viewer in, and some of the action sequences were amazingly visceral. The characters could have been better, but they were probably good enough considering how short the film is and how much stuff happens (I think they managed to strike a fairly good balance between developing the characters just enough so that you care about them, and maintaining a fast/exciting pace throughout). ***1/2