The Blair Witch had a baby and she called it Cloverfield.
Yes Blog-Kids, I went to an afternoon showing of said flick yesterday. Have to say, (migraine-inducing motion-sickness camera-work notwithstanding), I thought it was great fun.
It takes the Mother of all ridiculous premises - giant anti-American lizard attacks Manhattan - and creates something truly intense and malevolent out of it, or at least in parts. Some Class scary movie-moments in there. I especially liked the scene which involved trying to activate the nightvision capability on the now-famous shakey camera, with less than positive results for all concerned.
There has understandably been a fair bit of commentary in the press concerning the movie's exploitation of post 9/11 paranoia, and sure enough, it looks pretty much like the footage we're now used to seeing of that day. But it's also worth considering that Cloverfield's older Japanese cousin Godzilla (Plot summary: giant anti-Japanese lizard attacks Tokyo) was made less than a decade after the American blanket-bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Tapping into the Zeitgeist is just what film-makers try to do.
Definitely one to catch on the big screen, but take my advice and sit near the back.