Monster Movie

Let's go back to mid 2007. You're at the cinema, the trailers have finished and your film is about to start as you're stuffing your face with over-priced popcorn when you see what seems like another trailer. It only lasts a few seconds and it has no name. 'What was that?' you ask your popcorn-stealing buddy. They shrug and you think nothing more of it. Then come the rumours about a monster movie and then the people, all with their own myspace pages. By the time it has a name everyone is talking about Cloverfield. What does it all mean? What is the monster? Stealth marketing at its best.

So if you've been swept up with the hype wave, does Cloverfield live up to expectations? Yes and No. In terms of excitement and action, this film gets a big thumbs up. The monster is suitably monstrous. What has been saved by hiring unknown actors has been put into special effects. JJ Abrams, the phenomenal man behind Lost knows how to get people talking so it's a little disappointing that there isn't more controversy in the film (although keep a look out for random unexplainable things in the background of some of the shots.) The shaking camera is great for atmosphere but terrible on the stomach. Trust me, take anti nausea pills before going into the film especially if you suffer from travel sickness.

If you haven't managed to be caught up in the hype, and therefore have no idea what it's about – it's Godzilla meets Blair Witch - a monster movie filmed on a hand held camera. It follows a group of young people whose going away party is interrupted by explosions and the giant head of the Statue of Liberty landing on their door step. They assume it's terrorists obviously but quickly figure out it's a big ugly blob. So they run and climb and run some more etc. That's it. There's a monster chasing New Yorkers around while they film it and the destruction on their camera. We don't know where it came from. There is no explanation and that's the point. This isn't an Independence Day style win or lose story.