Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

Note: This review will not reveal any major plot deals, concentrating instead on the overall movie going experience.

Blair Witch Project
This movie is filmed using the same first-person camcorder effect as The Blair Witch Project. Some viewers or critics may see this as innovative. First of all, it's been done. Secondly, the constant motion made my stomach turn. This movie was very difficult to watch on the big screen. It may play much better on the small screen. I felt like I was in a motion simulator game for an hour and a half. My stomach physically hurt for about an hour after I left the theater. The first person perspective is very limiting, which means the writers had to work harder to conform to the limited perspective. Which brings me to my next point...

Writing
The dialogue in this movie was adequate. I wouldn't say that the writing was exceptional, other than to give kudos to the writer's for being able to create a story line, provide background and identify all of the characters, all from the first person perspective of a camcorder. At times, it felt as though that is exactly what they were doing. You could actually see into the writer's mind... "Hmmmm, how can we introduce the viewer to the guy holding the camera? How can we give the background between the main character and the ex-girlfriend? How can we show things outside of the direct perspective of the camera? (Hint: Show what they are watching on television). The writers handled this pretty good, but you could tell that they were trying to fill in blanks in the story from time to time with contrived writing.

Acting
As I was being introduced to the characters in this movie, I noted that I didn't recognize any of them straight out. However, some of them looked vaguely familiar. Without giving away their individual roles, they included: The main character Rob is played by Michael Stahl-David (The Black Donnelly's), the female lead Lily played by Jessica Lucas (The Covenant and She's the Man), Marlena played by Lizzy Caplan (Mean Girls and Orange County), Hud played by T.J. Miller (who has been in a few episodes of Carpoolers). These were the main characters in this movie. Mike Vogel also plays Jason Hawkins, Rob's brother. The acting was decent considering the limited framework of this film. However, I wasn't convinced in many of the scenes where total chaos ruled. There was sort of a surreal indifference to the things going on around them. Part of that can also be attributed to the writing.

Soundtrack
The IMDB website indicates that there is no soundtrack to this movie. However, there was definitely music. The music came in the form of background music in the scenes near the beginning of the film. One song that stands out in my mind was a re-make of the old Sublime hit Santeria. There were a couple of other contemporary songs that I remember hearing, but I do not recall what they were. I think my head was spinning too much from all the motion. After the "Action" begins, the movie is pretty much devoid of any soundtrack, relying instead on sounds. In other words, there was not a soundtrack "added" to the movie. The sound as it would have been picked up by the camcorder is all you get. Nothing added to build suspense, which is another challenge faced by the writers and the Director.

Action and Special Effects
I would suggest that this was the best aspect of this film. The action was sometimes intensified by the first person aspect of the film. Using quick motion on the camera, they were able to shortcut on other special effects. However, there were a couple of decent action scenes where the special effects were spot on. The intermittent use of light, darkness, motion and chaos created the suspense (more than a soundtrack could create). The action scenes were difficult to gauge sometimes, because of the use of these device, but overall, I felt that this was the strongest point in the movie.

Costumes and Background
The only costuming, per se, were military uniforms. The characters were mostly wearing average clothing. I did notice that one of the characters was wearing high heels through two-thirds of the movie, before she decided to take them off. I thought that was kind of odd. The military uniforms were not shown with enough detail to determine if they were even close, but they did not look very close even with the constant motion of the camera. There was a scene where you are taken into a makeshift triage area that was done well. Overall, this movie takes place in Manhattan, and they seemed to keep that believable as a backdrop, without incorporating many landmarks. The actual New York landmarks that I actually recall from the movie were the Brooklyn Bridge and a Subway Station. Other than that, this film could have been filmed anywhere.

Suspense and Plot
The plot was pretty weak. Would a guy risk everything, to include his friends, to help a girl he loves (who is probably already dead)? In a perfect world, it is a romantic notion. In a world with monsters that eat you...not a chance. At some point the survival instinct kicks in. Some might argue that people show bravery in times of crisis, like the firefighters and police during the World Trade Center attack. True. However, this is much different. The fact that complete fear and panic didn't set in on even one person in this film is rather hard for me to swallow. Overall, I would say the plot was unrealistic and not well developed. The suspense was built through the use of great camera work (in spite of the fact that it made me sick). The suspense in this movie is actually decent. This is attributed more to the Directing and use of lighting and motion, than through great writing.

My Overall Impression
The bottom line on this movie is that it made me want to puke. Not in a literal sense. Physically I became nauseous because of the constant camera motion. Between the nausea and the lack of a decent plot, I can not justify giving this movie more than two stars. I would not recommend this movie, even if the constant camera movement was removed. The plot just wasn't good. The writer's for Cloverfield may have benefited by watching Stephen King's The Mist, where the writing was exceptional, dealing with a similar set of circumstances. Again, I would give this movie two stars out of a possible five.

This review is part of Dianapinions Best Little Write Off.

Recommended: No

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: None of the Above
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older