Movie Review: "Cloverfield"

Director Matt Reeves and producer J.J. Abrams truly deserve an "A" for effort for "Cloverfield," a new thriller shot from the point-of-view of one of the characters. Working from a script by Drew Goddard, Reeves attempted to make a film with a high degree of difficulty, but, thanks to the shakiness and bad camera angles, he only succeeds in making most viewers sick to their stomachs.

"Cloverfield": It Starts at a Party

"Cloverfield" is filmed in such a way that it looks like amateur footage recovered from a hand-held video camera found at a disaster site in Manhattan. The stars of this home movie are Jason Hawkins (Mike Vogel) and his girlfriend Lily (Jessica Ford), who are rushing to a going-away party for Jason's brother, Rob (Michael Stahl-David).

"Cloverfield": The Rob and Beth Relationship

Rob, as it turns out, is heading to Japan to take a new job, which causes some friction with Beth McIntyre (Odette Yustman). Rob and Beth have had a rocky relationship, mainly because Rob hasn't been able to commit to her. Once the action starts, the whole Rob/Beth relationship affects the decisions made by the featured characters.

"Cloverfield": Can We See the Monster, Please?

Though the audience desperately wants to see what kind of monster is going to rip New York City to pieces, director Matt Reeves keeps viewers in suspense for way too long and, when the monster finally appears, it's almost anticlimactic. When selecting his creature, Reeves also seems to have watched the "Alien" movies one too many times.

"Cloverfield": The Vomit Cam

While the city is falling apart around him, Hud (T.J. Miller) constantly follows behind his friends with a video camera. One has to wonder why Hud doesn't just put the camera down, especially in life-threatening situations.

Because the film jumps around quite a bit, "Cloverfield" also should come with a warning for people who have weak stomachs. Concession stands could easily make a fortune selling motion sickness patches to people going to see "Cloverfield."

"Cloverfield": Ways to Make it Better