Cloverfield (DVD)

When the film opens you learn that the footage you are about to see is the property of the United States Department of Defense and the name assigned to the event is "Cloverfield". The first eighteen minutes of the film is set at a going-away party for one of the characters who's about to leave for Japan to start a new job. Things progress in typical party fashion, with the typical party drama, when suddenly their building shakes and the power flickers off and on for a few seconds. From that point on the film becomes something else entirely! From news footage and then through their own eyes, they learn that New York City is being attacked by a colossal (over 30 stories tall) creature of unknown origins. Then you follow a small group of characters as they try to escape the city alive. The entire film is shot from the vantage point of a hand-held camcorder. I know most people don't like that style of film making, but I personally think it's a great way to tell this story. You see exactly what the characters see and have to deal with, like the parasitic creatures that fall of the main creature. The extras on the DVD are definitely worth the time. In fact, you learn that the creature is actually a frightened newborn! That adds a whole new twist to the story if you ask me. I think the movie is smart and definitely worth a viewing or two. I would caution people that easily get motion sickness to be prepared because the footage is quick and jerky through most of the film. I highly recommend this film!