review: CLOVERFIELD

Paramount  //  Buy from Amazon.com Five young New Yorkers throw their friend a going-away party the night that a monster the size of a skyscraper descends upon the city. Told from the point of view of their video camera, the film is a document of their attempt to survive the most surreal, horrifying event of their lives. I remember the first time I saw the trailer for "Cloverfield" and how intrigued I was... and how I tried so desperately to stay away from any online gossip or inside scoops on the film (aside from one unfortunate glimpse of someone's sketch of the monster after seeing a sneak preview, I succeeded.) I didn't go see it in the theater, despite having bought tickets off of Fandango (long, boring story there), so I was mighty pleased to receive a copy on DVD for review... finally, me & the monster could cuddle up together! Admittedly, it's a very slow-starter... you know what's coming (or at least know all hell is going to break loose), so the first 20-25 minutes are torturous, waiting, watching, waiting. Then, fire comes raining down from the sky and the Statue of Liberty's head goes rolling... and the action doesn't stop until the very last frame of the movie. Intense, intense, intense. While you do see the monster revealed, in all honesty it's somewhat anticlimactic when you do gaze upon it, as really the film isn't so much about what the monster is as it us the carnage and human suffering it unleashes... all shot to look like someone documented it all on their camcorder... making it that much more intense. Good times, well worth checking out. Video Presented in a 16x9 anamorphic widescreen transfer, the picture quality of this film is perfect. Intended to look like it was shot on a consumer video camera (although obviously the filmmakers used something with a bit more quality), the sense of realism is evident and profound, which means the look of the film succeeds perfectly. Audio An intense, immersive Dolby 5.1 surround mix does a fine job of bringing the sonic goodness to your tingling ears. Extras audio commentary w/ director making-of featurette visual effects featurette "I Saw It!" It's Alive! It's Huge!" featurette bloopers deleted scenes alternate endings trailers Closing Thoughts Very well-crafted and hugely entertaining monster flick + loads of extras = innovative, fun, recommended!