I have an irrational appreciation for monster movies. Even bad monster movies. It's what made me watch The Village (which to my chagrin turned out to be a self-righteous exercise in tedium), drew me to the X-Files, and has lead me to rent or purchase many B-movies just to catch a glimpse of a monstrosity. Some films have very good payoffs in terms of carnage, views of the monster, and a somewhat plausible explanation for its existence. Others are bit lacking... to say the least. Luckily, Cloverfield turns out to be pretty good overall, especially when it comes to carnage and the monster itself.

The entire movie is shown as footage recovered from a hand-held camera following an incident in New York city involving a devastating attack. The style of the movie is very similar to Blair Witch Project, in that there is jerky faux-amateur cinematography which is largely effective. However, it takes some getting used to and first 10 or 15 minutes can be relatively uncomfortable as your eyes and brain adjust to the constant jostling. Viewers who are easily disoriented or prone to motion sickness might want to avoid this film.

The plot commences by introducing us to Rob, Beth, and their friends. Rob and Beth were always close friends and shared some unrequited desire to be with each other but Rob is moving to Japan to start a new career. So sad. But the good news is they're all throwing a going away party. The bad news for the viewer is that the first 15 minutes is boring (in addition to being disorienting) and serves little purpose other than to parade some of the obligatory sacrifices in front of us and give them a cursory introduction so we might care when they get shredded later. Beth splits from the party after an argument with Rob and shortly thereafter the city is attacked by something big and loud.

Fearing for their safety, the partygoers flee into the streets and try to escape while Rob is determined to find Beth and ensure her survival. Where ever there's monsters, there's military, so the cavalry shows up to try to fight the monster and control the situation. Carnage ensues. We are given gradually more revealing glimpses of the monster with an ultimately satisfying payoff at the end.

Cloverfield is an effect horror movie, but not without its flaws. There are only three characters we really care about (Rob, Beth, and Rob's friend Hud) and even then our concern for them is tenuous at best. There are certainly some moments of incredulity and "what the Hell are you doing?!" but the horror genre couldn't exist without them, so it's passable. The jerky camera style is also wearing, although I was less offended by it than many other viewers. The monster is very satisfying, although Cloverfield poses far more questions than it actually answers. This is not surprising considering that the film was conceptualized and produced by JJ Abrams, responsible for the Lost series. The movie's not going to tell you what you want to know - it's just going to offer to take you along for the ride.