CLOVERFIELD

A surprise going-away party is interrupted by a monster mash in downtown New York city in the creature feature, CLOVERFIELD. Rob, a successful twenty something, is headed to Japan, so his friends throw him a farewell bash the night before his departure. Rob is not only fretting about his career decision, but also the fractured relationship with his friend turned girlfriend, Beth. Even greater worries lie ahead for Rob, Beth and their friends, as an unexplained monster has begun to terrorize Manhattan.

The storytelling technique and experimental filmmaking employed by director Matthew Reeves and executive producer JJ Abrams in CLOVERFIELD is an ambitious one, but one which would have been more successful as a short film. The point of view is told directly through the eyes of six young New York adults, and the uneasy camerawork of the goofy Hud. Initially this technique gives CLOVERFIELD a fresh appeal, but even at a short 84-minute run time, the nauseating hand-held camerawork leaves little to be desired. The hand-held approach was quite a risk, especially for a mainstream picture, and when it comes to application, this technique’s blemishes are easily identified. The camerawork is either too rambunctious, leaving the viewer disoriented, or too steady, leaving one to wonder how Hud can be so calm under such dire circumstances. Occasionally the technique works perfectly, giving CLOVERFIELD an authentic and realistic feel. Watching the monster swoop through Manhattan, and an effectively eerie subway scene mark the film’s best moments. CLOVERFIELD is a missed opportunity, and a disappointment from the normally clever Abrams.

Grade: C