This is your non-standard film review. Rather than give an intricate account of my experience of the film itself I will run you through four main reasons why Cloverfield does NOT suck.

1) It is largely an unhappy film

This may seem like an unusual reason to enjoy a movie. Where’s the lovey-dovey ending where all the characters’ predicaments are resolved at the last minute and they all skip off into the sunset to get ice cream as a cartoon ferret or something winks at the camera in an “everything’s going to aaallllright” kind of way? Well, fuck that! I’m a bit tired of Hollywood style endings that bring the characters out on top in what is blatantly an impossible situation to get out of. If you want to see a film where the protagonist realises his/her (let’s face it, it’s generally men anyway) heroic potential and saves the day just in time for the inspirational orchestra music to kick in and the credits to roll by, then go see a fucking Disney film.

2) No details given about the monster

On a serious(ish) note now, this is a great aspect to Cloverfield. Think about it: What’s worse than a giant monster destroying your home city indiscriminately? A giant monster destroying your home city indiscriminately that you (that’s “you” the viewer) have no background information on. We know nothing of its name, where it came from, where it’s going, what it wants or even how it came to be. This leaves the mystery of the monster open to interpretation by the audience. Seriously, films don’t have to spoon feed you every sordid detail so you don’t have to think about things in order for it to be good. Use your fucking brains for once.

3) Unconventional filming style

Whenever we watch a film in which something frightening or dangerous is happening to the characters, we can usually sit back in our comfy chairs safe in the knowledge that – although what we are seeing on screen is bad – we are protected by the 4^th wall. Not in this film. With the only point of view being entirely from one mans camcorder the 4^th wall is broken when we are taken on the main character’s journey through danger. This makes the film a lot more personal and intimate as well as making the encounters with the monster a hell of a lot more intense. And say what you will, but this made Cloverfield so much more terrifying than any horror film I have seen in recent years.

4) No logical conclusion. No closure

Again this all ties in with the ambiguity of the film and the monster itself. The ending is abrupt and sudden and leaves the audience guessing as to what happens. This was too much for some moviegoers as they were not smacked in the face with tied up loose ends and an ending and thus left the cinema with the intent of complaining to the staff about the film (something my girlfriend actually overheard someone say). As for the film having no closure, I disagree. Maybe not on a grand scale but in terms of the main character (Rob) and his journey there is an element of completion in his sense. Think about it.