Rating of
2/4
"Cloverfield" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 04/05/12
Cinema is an artform. One based on commercial success, yes, but an artform nonetheless. Therefore good films tell a story; they have structure, plot, character development and dialogue. It is not enough to just point a camera at something and wait for it to unfold, which is exactly what Cloverfield is like. Basically it's The Blair Witch Project meets Godzilla as we follow a group of friends as they try to escape Manhattan during a monster attack. I have to say some of the action sequences are brilliantly done, seamlessly combining impressive CGI with the first person camera work. But I didn't care what happened. I wasn't bored exactly, but it was just a series of images of disaster-stricken cityscapes with people running around in the foreground. And that's it. No plot, no interesting characters, no clever dialogue. I couldn't help feeling that some of the scenes would've been excellent in the context of a "proper" film, but on their own it's just not enough.