We just went and saw the new JJ Abrams movie Cloverfield, and all I have to say about is it was the best, most suspenseful, “real” feeling movie I’ve seen in a long time.  It’s a modern day monster movie, only it’s got the realistic touch of a home video look to it, much like the Blair Witch Project, only there’s a much bigger payoff in terms of gratification in seeing the monster as well as seeing the character’s viewpoint.

This movie already had made about $44 million on it’s opening day, and by my projection, with word of mouth being good, I think it may even overtake I Am Legend, the newest Will Smith vehicle, which is kind of a similar topic, but is based on a video game.  Cloverfield was made on a pretty conservative budget, and most of it was probably CG’d to save money, but you don’t get any worse effects than you’d get in a top notch, high budget film, because of the realistic look of the camera quality.

Cloverfield is the first movie I’ve been to where the whole theater was dead quiet during certain scenes, which is a giveaway that everyone in the movie theater is totally fixed on what’s about to happen next.  During one scene where one of the main characters is on the phone with a family member, I think you could have heard a pin drop in the theater, and that tells you that everyone was actually emotionally vested in these characters too.

There was a little comedy thrown in too at appropriate times, which helped lighten the seat-gripper mood of the film, but you were still totally enthralled at what was about to happen to the heros and heroines next.  All in all, this movie is excellent.  The only complaint is that there wasn’t as much realistic swearing that would have gone on in any other place in America if the city was suddenly under attack. 

It’s quite courageous that Abrams had the audacity to make it about New York, since many of the scenes are reminiscent of 9/11, however, this of course is already being criticized by the media, which I highly doubt will have any impact on who goes to see it.  To me, the fact that it echos 9/11 a bit made it all that much more tense and emotionally involving, and only added to the intensity of the experience. 

My advice is to go see Cloverfield, while it’s still in the theater, and early on, so you don’t get too much spoiled for you.  It’s truly an amazing experience.  We went with another person and couldn’t stop talking about it afterwards, so you know that if it generates that much conversation and mulling over, it’s worth it.