It’s Alive! It’s Alive! It’s Alive!
“An old-fashioned monster movie dressed up in trendy new threads, ‘Cloverfield‘ plays like ‘The Blair Witch Project’ meets ‘Godzilla,’ as it charts via camcorder the desperate efforts of some twentysomething SoHo scenesters to steer clear of a gigantic beast laying waste to Manhattan. Despite its indie-flavored shooting style, first-rate visual effects, reasonable intensity factor, nihilistic attitude and post-9/11 anxiety overlay, this punchy sci-fier is, in the end, not much different from all the marauding creature features that have come before it. But the Paramount release will be lapped up by thrill-seeking young auds everywhere for monstrous initial biz, spurred by an Internet-driven campaign that’s been stoking fan interest for months.” That’s the first paragraph in Variety’s review of “Cloverfield,” which opens this Friday. Here’s the rest of the assessment.
