Cinema review
Directed by Matt Reeves
Starring Michael Stahl-David, T.J. Miller, Jessica Lucas, Lizzy Caplan
Release date 1 February 2008 (UK)

Rob Hawkins (Stahl-David) is leaving New York and his friends Lilly (Lucas), Hud (Miller) and brother Jason (Vogel) are throwing him a goodbye party. Suddenly, something attacks the city and the four, along with Marlena (Caplan), find themselves thrown into a nightmarish fight for survival…

Told from the point of view of Hud's video camera, Cloverfield refuses to play by the rules of the genre. There are no square-jawed heroes here and no easy fixes; just six normal people caught up in a situation far larger than they are. None of them are safe, none of them have the answers and the end result is a lot like watching what's happening just off-camera in a normal monster movie.

With that in mind, the cast all bring a welcome naturalistic edge to their characters, with Stahl-David's dedicated Rob and Miller's Hud the real standouts. Hud in particular is the voice of the audience, offering much needed comic relief in places and genuine emotional weight in others, while Rob is a man clearly convinced that what he's doing will get him killed, but equally convinced he's doing the right thing.

The film's biggest star doesn't disappoint either, a massive and constant physical threat that makes for the most genuinely original movie monster in years.

Cloverfield isn’t a traditional monster movie and its unconventional approach is likely to alienate as many people as it attracts, especially given the complete lack of back-story. However if you're in the mood for something a little different, then Cloverfield is a rampage that's well worth living through. Alasdair Stuart

VERDICT: 8/10
A thrilling and highly original monster movie.

Click here to read an interview with Matt Reeves.