‘Cloverfield’

Rating: 8 / 10

Starring: Lizzy Caplan, Jessica Lucas, T.J. Miller, Michael Stahl-David, Odette Yustman

Plot: A home video provides the first-hand experience of a destructive monster destroying New York City.

The Good: “Cloverfield” possesses two qualities that are appealing to moviegoers: This movie is the best modern adaptation of the ‘50s genre monster flick, and it stands as a great romance.

Trailers for “Cloverfield” confirm that New York City will lay in ruins at the end of this 84-minute epic, but they do not reveal its high-quality storytelling and gritty realism.

The meat of this movie is in its ability to take a fantastical idea, such as a monster from the deep ripping the Statue of Liberty apart, and put that story into a believable and captivating film.

Long gone are the days when mankind can simply nuke the monster (we all know they just come back more vicious anyway). “Cloverfield” ignores the futile attempts of mankind to conquer nature’s newest horror. Instead, it focuses on what would matter when a person’s entire world is violently ripped away from them.

In the case of Rob Hawkins (Stahl-David), the choice is simple. He must find his true love, who is trapped in Manhattan. Flashback scenes placed strategically between scenes of monster action provide the audience with strong reason to believe Rob has made the right decision.

It may be far-fetched, but lessons of regret and fighting for love really hit hard. Director Matt Reeves should be praised for not ruining the human element that drives even the most hardened of sci-fi stories.

The Bad: The choice to use the “Blair Witch” style of filming, the first-person shaky camera, does add realism to “Cloverfield” but is very disorienting at points.

Also, if realism is what the production company was going for, it seems odd that this movie included a soundtrack, as ominous music normally does not follow people around in their daily lives.

The Lowdown: “Cloverfield” should be seen as a great example of moving the predictable Japanese monster movie into the modern world.

This film hooks its audience, never plays down to them and pushes the envelope to edge of the theater seat.