I have mixed emotions about Cloverfield. It is so close to science fiction immortality, but falls just a tad short. Like many of the things J.J. Abrams touches, it is long on suspense, and short on explanation. Basically, the movie involves an attack by a giant monster on Manhattan. Unfortunately we never learn where this monster came from, or how (or if) it (and its minions) are wiped out. The framing device, is a home video taken of the events as they unfolded to a group of party goers. As I was watching it, the camera was a little too shakey for me, and I was often at a loss to understand why the person shooting the video was shooting certain subjects. For example, when a giant monster is attacking, he lingers on his friends across the street rather than on the monster itself–that doesn’t make much sense. The camera also was too well focused, and the lens (save one brief deliberate occasion) never got dirty. We don’t get much time to learn about the characters, so we don’t feel that much of a connection to them. They are acting like normal people in an abnormal situation, so they don’t spell out everything they’re thinking and feeling. I found it hard to believe that they would take such pains to document their plight while attempting to save one of their friends, but I suspended belief on that point.

All that being said, Cloverfield is a brilliant concept. I just wish they would have offered some explanation. That could have been accomplished through the characters watching Fox News or CNN–there were a couple occasions where they were doing that–or have a soldier give them a thumbnail explanation. I’m really curious about what the attack was all about and its aftermath, but was left with nothing to satisfy that curiosity.

So, I definitely recommend the movie, but you should be aware that you will be walking away with a lot of unanswered questions.