Cloverfield

Director: Matt Reeves

Starring: Michael Stahl-David, T. J. Miller, Jessica Lucas, Odette Yustman

Cloverfield is like no other film you've seen. The basis of the story, like King Kong and Godzilla before it, is a giant monster attacking the city. However, the groundbreaking way it is told breathes new life into the genre. What we see is a handheld camcorder recording made by a group of friends trapped in the city. This gives the story a sense of realism and focuses it entirely upon these people; making it a truly compelling film to watch.

The film starts with the events just before the attack. A leaving party is being held for Robert Hawkins (Michael Stahl-David) who is starting a new job in Japan. It is discovered that he had slept with his friend, Beth (Odette Yustman), who then leaves after a blazing argument. Minutes later, explosions tear across the horizon and the decapitated head of the Statue of Liberty crashes into the street outside. While fleeing the city, Robert gets a phone call from Beth begging for help so heads back to rescue her with some of his friends from the party.

The heavy focus of the film on Robert and his friends helps to give depth and realism to their characters. We really care whether Robert manages to find Beth or not and are horrified when anything happens to any of them. Credit for this also has to rest with the actors who all do great jobs in their respective roles.

The film is produced by J.J. Abrams (executive producer of Lost) so inevitably had a lot of hype before release. The film not only lives up to this but establishes Abrams as a great film producer.

It is rare for Hollywood to produce a truly original film but Cloverfield is the exception. While telling the story in a unique way, it still manages to give the characters depth and engage the audience. Cloverfield is easily one of the best films of the year and a definite must-see.

George Marshall