The Quad

Issue date: 1/21/08 Section: Entertainment

The year 2007 was a rollercoaster ride of sorts for Hollywood cinema. It started off dull, with mediocre films hitting the local theater, and ended with a bang as a wave of high-level, well made films entered theaters. In a sense, 2008 looks to be headed in that direction.

Hollywood's first big offering in a year that looks to be filled with big budget films is the highly anticipated "Cloverfield." With the first trailers screened before this past summer's "Transformers," the film's producers provided a marketing campaign that consisted simply of the release date of "1-18-08," leaving many audience members on the edge of their seats attempting to decipher just what this film was. Some speculated that it was a new Godzilla movie, which would have brought a new angle to the classic monster film, as well as attempted to make up for the 1998 debacle starring Matthew Broderick.

However, audiences will be excited to discover that "Cloverfield" is an original story. The word "original" is something that must be used loosely, for this film uses many monster movie clichés. In the end though, "Cloverfield" is a surprisingly fun film that, while not necessarily great, is not nearly as bad as it could have been.

The plot of "Cloverfield" is simple. Cut at 84 minutes, the film is not, nor is it even necessary to be, filled with a long, drawn out story. Rob (Michael Stahl-David) has just been promoted to vice president at his job and is being relocated from New York City to Japan. His friends decide to throw him a going-away party. Everyone at the party tapes their testimonials and goodbyes to Rob, which become poignant as these are the last words that they will say to their friend.

During the course of the party, something attacks the city. Nobody is quite sure what it is; they just know that it is leaving a path of destruction in its wake. Five friends try to escape, but in their haste, Rob receives a phone call from Beth (Odette Yustman), who is trapped in her apartment. Rob and his friends begin a journey through the city to rescue Beth and escape the city.

Not to sound cliché, but this film is a hybrid of "Godzilla" and "The Blair Witch Project." Director Matt Reeves utilizes an innovative, but not necessarily new, technique to tell the film's story. The film relies on the use of handheld video cameras and a first person perspective. This will almost immediately bring to mind the shooting style of "The Blair Witch Project." If you could not handle that, then stay clear of this movie.

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