Cloverfield

How does one write a review of this film, while providing as few spoilers as possible?

With difficulty. So with that in mind, I warn you that there may well be spoilers contain within, though I do not set out to include them. If you haven't seen it, and you'd rather know as little as possible about what's contained within, then you should stop reading. But then why are you even looking at a review of it? Maybe you should go watch it first, and then comae back to see what I think of it?

Cloverfield is the monster movie for the modern generation. One way to describe the film would be Godzilla meets The Blair Witch Project. However, to write off the film's single, handheld camera approach as pure gimmick would be a grave injustice. Having the camera tied to our hero and the other characters means that the film is ultimately about them and their stories, rather than the enormous rampaging monster.

Also, handheld camera or no, Cloverfield manages more than it's fair share of incredible shots and sequences - the aerial shots of the monster, the sequences in the subway tunnels and the scene in which Hud, our cameraman, is cut off from the rest of the group by the advancing military, throwing everything at their disposal - machine guns, RPGs, tanks - at the monster and still losing. These scenes work and are as powerful as they are not in spite of the camera, but because of the camera.

Cloverfield also reveals its monster perfectly. Firstly we see the destruction the monster creates, with the Statue of Liberty's head hurled down the street. Then we catch glimpses - a tail here, a leg there, along with the frenzied glance out of the subway stairwell of the monster - until finally, the monster is revealed in all its glory in a breathtaking aerial shot.

J.J. Abrams and director Matt Reeves have created a true gem here. The film is truly engaging, as are the characters. It also manages what so few films manage these days - to be truly scary. (Don't mistake gory or toe-curling for scary.) While there might not be much by the way or cleverly crafted dialogue or incredible chemistry, Cloverfield is an incredible visual and aural feast, and truly cinematic.

A+. Cloverfield is one of those rare films that makes you walk out of the cinema feeling that it's the best film you've ever watched. It may not be that, but it's a damn good attempt. Top notch cinema.