CLOVERFIELD

Director: Matt Reeves
Stars: Michael Stahl-David, Lizzy Caplan, Jessica Lucas, T.J. Miller, Odette Yustman, Mike Vogel
Year: 2008
Rating: PG-13

Producer J.J. Abrams' best-kept secret film (for which various fake titles were released, during filming, just to see how fast they'd get around on the internet) is revealed in all its glory at last - in what first seems to be the makings of a riff on a "Gossip Girl" episode ... though soon everything turns very dark indeed.

Michael Stahl-David stars as Rob Hawkins, a New Yorker who's landed a plum executive position in Japan. It's the night before his departure, and Rob's friends are throwing a surprise party for him in a large midtown loft to say goodbye. His brother Jason (Mike Vogel) decides to break out the video camera, to record goodbye messages from all of Rob's loved ones to be watched on lonely nights in Tokyo, and it hardly seems to matter to Mike - or his and Rob's buddy Hud (T.J. Miller), whom he turns videography over to early on - that the very film being recorded over in the camera is one-of-a-kind footage of Rob with his ex-girlfriend Beth (Odette Yustman).

The various dynamics of the relationships between the characters comes out as Rob shows up and the party moves forward -no more so than when Beth herself shows up with another guy on her arm. A visibly-shaken Rob gets into it with her and Beth and her date leave again - and again, it's all very "Gossip Girl" or grown-up "90210" in style ... until, as the guys are on the fire escape discussing it all, a huge explosion goes off in the city - and the games begin.

From here, Cloverfield turns into a legit monster movie, as it becomes quite apparent - quite quickly - that a Godzilla-like creature is stampeding through Manhattan, destroying everything and everyone in its path. As the partygoers run out into the streets, they are thrown into a world of chaos, left on their own as the military charges forward to fight the creature ... but Rob and a handful of his friends end up heading in the other direction, back into town and all that destruction and the monster causing it, to rescue Beth after Rob learns she's back at her apartment - alone and injured.

The entire film is shot through the eyes (and camera) of Hud, who keeps things going even as they flee the monster, so that some record of what happened may remain in case no humans do. For awhile things are kind of like The Blair Witch Meets Godzilla, between the monster movie plotline and the jarring, jangling bounce of the camera throughout the film - but the action never lets up, and director Matt Reeves only gives you the barest glimpses of the creature throughout the early part of the film, spiking your curiosity BIG-time (and yes, eventually you do get to see it, and it IS worth the wait). The videography does, indeed, give the entire film an immediacy and urgency that makes things very real ... while at the same time, sort of drawing a line that never really makes you connect fully with the characters, or even the film itself.

The actors aboard are all excellent - those mentioned, plus especially Lizzy Caplan as a crush of Hud's sort of dragged along for the ride. Visually, the film is stunning, believable, and very well made; I mean, who wouldn't react to the Statue of Liberty's head rolling down the middle of the street like a bowling ball? The monster is also much more believable and threatening than expected, and both action and suspense will keep you going right up to the film's end. The clips of Beth and Rob's relationship that you also get through the camera, in between the recording stopping, starting or glitching, is also a nice touch - providing at least some backstory for those two characters.

So while not emotionally connecting as it could be, this is still a great monster movie with a lot going for it - including a good cast and one kick-butt monster. For that reason alone, worth seeing ... though, personally, I would buy it instead of just renting. Even the behind-the-scenes extras are way-cool; a real compliment to a damned good monster movie. ***1/2 - Reel Cool-Reel Awesome