User Score
6.1 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 750 Ratings

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  1. Aug 20, 2010
    0
    ive seen some bad films such as godzilla's 1998 remake , Jason x , death Bed the bed that eats people , and death stalker 2. but nothing is more terrable then this film . i had nothing bad to say about JJ abrhams till i seen this filth. god i dont even know where to start but i will try . lets start out with the camera that god awful camera . i know he was not trying to be original with that Blare witch project rip off style but oh my god it seems any time and i MEAN any time some thing some what intresting starts to happen the camera shakes all over the damn place so nothing is viewable . then the plot which is so simplisticaly stupid i mean this whole movie can be described in 1sentence and basically you will have seen the movie . giant monster attacks and guy goes and saves his girlfriend ... thats it. i mean the old Godzilla movies had more plot then this . i had more questions after seeing this crap then i went in with . you never find out what the monster is , where it came from , why its attacking , what thoose things coming off it are . why people are blowing up after getting bitten . i mean really thoose are the things i know the vast majority of people seeing this turd want to know! people who like tnhis movie try to lie to me and give me bull **** answers on thoos questions just because for some unknown reason they like this piss and wana defend it. listen ive seen this crap 2x it DOESNT ANSWER ANY OF THEM . YOU ARE ONLY GUESSING SO SHUT UP!!! god this movie is just pissing me off reviewing it . that should tell you how bad it is . i mean serously id rather wach the crappy 1998 godzilla film any day over this dribble . this film so gets my vote for worst movie of the decade . Expand
  2. Dec 27, 2012
    4
    While there is a good premise, and although I do understand the reason why they shot the film the way they did - all in all, this is at best, a late-night movie and not a grand cinematic experience what could expect. Diagnosis: You're not missing much if you pass it, and you might like it. The effects are terrific!
  3. Apr 29, 2012
    3
    A poor movie. Some interesting ideas mostly in the form of the recording angle as its supposedly recorded on a handheld camera, personally i didn't think this worked at all though as i found it made it more confusing and didn't draw me in. As most people have stated the ending was awful, one of the worst i have ever seen to the extent that i stood up at the end of the and shouted at the screen. I would recommend that nobody see this movie.... ever. Expand
  4. Apr 1, 2013
    0
    Easily one of the worst films I've seen. There really is nothing good about it. It is film that combines inane and pointless dialogue, bad acting, and no real scares or tension. Thankfully it has a running time of just 85 minutes (which still felt like a life time). One that is definitely best avoided.
  5. Sep 9, 2010
    3
    Well executed, entertaining stuff, but did we REALLY need this to be set in New York? The whole film seems designed to cynically exploit the relatively fresh memories of Sept 11th. The film loses several points for feeling like being repeatedly whacked over the head with a copy of the 9/11 Commission Report...
  6. Apr 23, 2011
    0
    I can honestly say this is the worse film I ever saw in my life. The camera was so jerky it made me want to puke. The story was so stupid that the script wouldn't even beat a porno movie script. The characters are all so irritating that I wished the monster ate them all in the 1st 30 minutes that way my agony could have ended sooner. Not even worth $1 on the cheap bin. Staring out your window for 2 hours is a better use of your time than watching this movie. Expand
  7. JoeJ.
    Jan 21, 2008
    0
    The makers of "Cloverfield" seem to have forgotten to add the essential What, Where, and Why elements to the story. WHAT is this thing? WHERE did it come from? WHY is it attacking New York City and killing millions of people? If they could have added just a LITTLE backstory, this could have been a halfway decent movie. There was no ending either. The viewer never knows if the monster is defeated. All you see is an explosion. Ka-boom, roll credits. The theater is much too expensive to be seeing movies like thise. Expand
  8. AngelaH.
    Jan 23, 2008
    2
    Good idea but god that movie made me SO nauseas... it was shaky and it wouldn't stop moving and it was short. if it has stayed in place it would have worked... not a real story tho...just just goes with its... if u don't get movie sick then ya. but don't go for it.
  9. SJN.
    Jan 29, 2008
    1
    Total rubbish ridden with factual, technical, military and continuity errors.
  10. TonyB
    Jan 30, 2008
    0
    I agree with all the zeros. I would have preferred being in NYC with the monster than watching the movie, LOL. Or anywhere else than watching the movie. If you cut out most of the party, and the most of the scenes aimed at feet and mid-sections, it might have rated a lot higher. But then it would have been around, maybe about 30 minutes in length - that would have been an improvement. It seems they were trying to make a non-movie, and they succeeded in that. Expand
  11. MarcoH.
    Feb 21, 2008
    0
    The worst film of all time - pointless, amateurish, pretentious. Everyone involved should feel embarrassed.
  12. BB
    Feb 3, 2008
    3
    Awful movie! Luckily it is very short.
  13. KateP.
    Feb 5, 2008
    0
    Can someone wake me when the movie begins... Such poor acting... A cure for people with insomnia
  14. BongoMcFluff
    Feb 7, 2008
    3
    When the screen went black and the credits started rolling, the people in the cinema were silent for about 3 seconds and then all started laughing which for me says it all. It was the most ridiculously pointless, awful film I have ever seen with an even worse ending than I Am Legend. I only sat through the pointless and confusing introduction without walking out because I wanted to see the monster. The rest of the story is absolutely ridiculous. There are so many unbelievable ridiculous things like a person surviving being impaled through the chest on a piece of rebar and then a helicopter crash without even a broken bone or life threatening bleeding. The main attraction to seeing the film was at least for me curiosity as to what the monster looks like so take my advice and just find a picture on the internet and save your money for something worth watching. Also if you see it at the cinema, the shaky camera will make you feel sick but the film will bore you to death before that ever happens. Expand
  15. AdamS.
    Mar 25, 2008
    0
    I would just like to ask those who liked this piece of disrespectful and intellectually shallow movie that's milking the events of 9/11 for what they're worth. What's in your heads, people? Get a grip of yourselves already and realise what you've just done by paying to see this insult to decency! Man! You Americans have already fantasized about every catastrophic or cataclysmic scenario thinkable, yet you want more and you even like it. Maybe that is why you go out and kill people around the world. You just have to live your sick fantasies through your military and then watch it like some sick reality show, which at least to you, seems to be just a show with realistic special effects, don't you! Expand
  16. Matts
    Apr 8, 2008
    0
    sucked. jittery camera gave many people motion sickness. real life isn't that jittery even when you are running. lame!
  17. CrisL.
    May 25, 2008
    4
    Visual affects brilliant although the story was very ordinary ,Left in suspense through the film and it just cut off with no ending. The first person's view I did not like.I walked away feeling "what a wast of my time".
  18. zachr
    Jun 1, 2008
    0
    Terrible, predictable no suspense at all.
  19. ChrisL
    Jul 11, 2008
    2
    Abysmal garbage. Let's see lame Cliffhanger, terrible acting, piss poor plot= FAIL. I must give credit for the cgi effects however. Nevertheless don't throw garbage like this towards us Paramount. You should have learned your lessons from War of the Worlds or any of your other disastrous Sci-fiction/monster releases.
  20. JasonT.
    Jul 9, 2008
    1
    Special Effects were as good as the story was bad! I'm still mad that I wasted an hour and a half of my life watching this rubbish!
  21. DaveG.
    Aug 3, 2008
    0
    Anyone that gave this piece of crap higher than a 0 should stick to watching sesame street. If I want to want home movies I visit the jackass down the street. I was disappointed when I missed this on the big screen. Now I'm glad I missed it. It would have been a bigger piece of crap at a higher cost of seeing it. I would classify this as docu-crap.
  22. Ambrose
    Jan 17, 2008
    2
    I just saw this on opening night, this film is so bad that I am only giving it 2 points, 1 point for actually been made into a film, 1 point for the special effects. During its short 82 minutes, there is probably only 40 minutes of footage that is viewable, the rest of the time is shaking, running, shaking, footage out of focus, shaking, screaming, footage too focused and more shaking, I know its the style, but I personally hate films like that, god forbid blair witch, it makes the movie experience feel cheap and unworthy. I wont recommend this movie, I wont recommend this DVD when it comes out or using this DVD as cup coaster, well maybe as a coaster. Expand
  23. MikeM.
    Jan 18, 2008
    0
    the worst movie i've ever seen. the handheld camera movements literally mad me sick. i had to leave the theatre. besides that, the movie was weak on all levels. garbage.
  24. DavibP.
    Jan 18, 2008
    1
    the camera made me feel sick and there was no real story.
  25. jacobm
    Jan 19, 2008
    0
    I have one comment about this movie. It's a waste of time.
  26. MaryM.
    Jan 19, 2008
    0
    What a waste of time. I couldn't believe the lame, very long into to even get to the monster portion. It was a bad combination of product placement, bad acting, no script, and a hangover all in one. I checked my watch over and over and it's only 84 minutes long. A very long 84 minutes, long. Watch the trailer. It's more entertaining and you'll save yourself valuable time and money. Expand
  27. JoshC.
    Jan 19, 2008
    1
    This movie made my eyes want to bleed and gave me a headache. As a New Yorker the allusions to 9/11 were tacky. The monster had no story and the characters were idiots and I'm glad they all died.J.J Abrams and company hide a truly moronic story behind clever marketing. They get an A+ in marketing and an F for actual movie.
  28. SamF.
    Jan 21, 2008
    1
    First off Anyone who lost someone on 9-11 or still gets emotional every anniversary, Don't see this movie. with that said I gave this movie a 1 for the acting as they truly make it seem this was a film found after the event. This "movie" is 90 minutes of a shaky camera where you barely see anything especially the monster except a few seconds at the end. No explanation of what it is where it came from but these young kids are running away from it. thats the movie...actually they are trying to rescue a girl which is why they stay...I would have gotten my ass outta there ...JJ Abrahms made LOST Enough said...no explanation keeps leaving you with more questions. Expand
  29. KentK.
    Jan 21, 2008
    1
    1 point for the Trailer. 0 points for the movie. All I can say is please STOP making movies with SHAKY CamCorder filming !!! Come ON, now - if you wanted us to GET the fact that it was being filmed on a CamCorder, then just give us a FEW scenes where that is shown to us - then SMOOTH IT OUT for cryin' out loud !! This movie was sheer torture to watch. I hope they release a different version of the film that actually smooths out the crappy camerawork so that a person can actually WATCH the stupid thing without having to look AWAY constantly just to make the world STOP SPINNING. Blair Witch SUCKED for the same reason, and, quite frankly, the last two Bourne Identity movies had too much jerky camera work for my liking. Hollywood....STOP it already, will ya ?! Expand
  30. ScottH
    Jan 20, 2008
    2
    The idea of the movie was decent but the camera work was so bad it pretty much made it impossible to watch. The special effects were ok, but limited. The action was there throughout the movie, but it was really lame. I didn
  31. RichardJ.
    Jan 20, 2008
    0
    Just watched the film in Malaysia and must say it was the biggest piece of crap I have ever seen. At the end of the movie people just sat there and after a couple of minutes got up and walked out without any of the normal chatter you get when someone has enjoyed the experience. It was like a dentists waiting room. Biggest waste of time and money I feel cheated.
  32. JasmineP.
    Jan 22, 2008
    2
    When I watched the movie the other day, I couldn't believe that the whole movie was through a camera. The movie was a mix between the Blair Witch Project and Godzilla. This is one movie that I actually called, emailed, and spoke to co-workers and family/friends and told them to not even waste their money on. The ending of the movie was pointless. Pointless to the point on why the Camera was needed. Sometimes when I leave a theater, I hear people talking or something, NO. everyone left in COMPLETE SILENCE!!! And lookin @ the Box Office reviews, I cant believe, that this movie grossed $41M . I know there are A LOT of disappointed moviegoers... Expand
  33. GianellaG.
    Jan 25, 2008
    0
    So bad it was pointless horrible one of the worst movies i've ever seen i regret watching it i don't reccomend it.
  34. DannyH
    Oct 2, 2008
    0
    Worst movie ever, filming makes you dizzy, just plain stupid, no real story behind it and then theres an ending that just makes you want to cry because its like "well I've wasted 2 hours of my life" but then on top of that laugh because it seems like the producer ran out of money so just decided to end the movie. Crap, if you respect a movie with half a plot, do not see it. If you like watching people die meaninglessly and have a high resistance to motion sickness, go ahead. Expand
  35. JoeL.
    Jan 27, 2008
    1
    Bambi meets Godzilla was more exciting than this overated flick, and that short animation was about 45 seconds. This movie is all hype to separate you and you money. Its a 75 minute movie that spends the first 22 minutes trying to introduce the audience to characters we don't really like. I started to get annoyed at the really poor dialog after the first 10 minutes. The acting is not very convincing, and there is really no "feeling" for what happens to the main characters. I did not find the movie exciting, thrilling, or suspenseful. The hand held cam thing gets annoying after 30 minutes too. The good thing is that its only 75 minutes, about 45 minutes too long! This flick just had a made for TV feel about it. Blah! Expand
  36. KenL
    Jan 30, 2008
    1
    The Blair Witch Godzilla Project. Enough said.
  37. MariaD
    Feb 10, 2008
    0
    A waste of time and money, when it first started I thought Please don't let this whole movie be shot through this shaky camcorder! But it was it was that shaky blair witch thing it made me sick and gave me a head ache, if I wasn't so curious to see the monster I would have walked out, in the end everybody in the theatre were either laughing or verbally disgusted with the film...save your money and go watch plants grow thats much more exciting. Expand
  38. KimberlyJ.
    Feb 23, 2008
    0
    Horrible movie. Way too much hipe. Characters were annoying. "Plot" was annoying. Film style was annoying. Hated it.
  39. JaredB.
    Feb 3, 2008
    0
    Six months ago, I saw the first preview of the movie "Cloverfield." I was looking forward to seeing it. To say the movie was a disappointment would be a gross understatement. Actually, I found this film to be a major disaster. Nothing worked here, or even tried. As bad as the cast, the script, and the direction were, these were far from this movies worst flaw. That honor, or dishonor, depending on how you look at it, belongs to the camerawork. I swear I developed motion sickness watching this darn thing. If you haven't seen this movie, take my advice: save your time and money. Expand
  40. JimC.
    Feb 3, 2008
    4
    There was bad acting and the camera work was terrible. It got annoying after a while, but overall it was okay I guess. I liked the statue of liberty head flying off.
  41. TimW
    Feb 4, 2008
    4
    Cloverfield was not a great movie. I was told there would be scares and jump-out-of-your-seat moments. I didn't jump once. Also, I found the characters unengaging. The party scene at the beginning was way too long and dull, populated as it was by cardboard characters.
  42. ss
    Feb 4, 2008
    0
    We went to see it at the cinema, throughout the movie people were leaving, because of how rubibish the film was. When the film ended, the whole cinema groaned. A totally rubbish and pointless movie....... please no sequel!!!!!!
  43. Tony
    Feb 5, 2008
    0
    The first 20 minutes were so boring I fell asleep, a first at the cinema, and when the explosions woke me up I thought "at last it's started." I might as well of stayed asleep as the awful hand held camera made it unwatchable. Worst film since Blair Witch Project which used the same diabolical system. Tony
  44. BenT.
    Feb 6, 2008
    0
    no alien looks that way because i have the omnitrix and i know aliens. Diamondhead, now that is an alien!
  45. SusieM.
    Feb 6, 2008
    1
    Can we say Blair Witch meet Godzilla with better filming. I went expecting a better movie to get an upgraded version of the Blair Witch project. I tell you what This movie totally sucked and I wouldn't suggest it. when my boyfriend and i went to go see this movie we didn't realize what it was and both got motion sick from the movie, we couldn't tell when it started and its not worth seeing. Please don't waste your money or your time to see this very very bad film. Expand
  46. RamM.
    Feb 6, 2008
    0
    Simply put, this has to be the WORST movie Ive ever seen this year. Whose idea was it to film the entire film on a shaky hand held cam?!! five minutes into the movie and i knew i just wasted my money. I felt like throwing up the entire time!!! Where did those monsters come from? Its not even shown or explained?!!! Who thought of this movie?!!! The worst monster movie ever. I wish i saw D-War instead.To all those who haven't seen this movie yet, don't!!! Expand
  47. PhilB.
    Feb 8, 2008
    0
    Love the idea but but but I had to close my eyes after c.10 minutes as nausea / motion sickness kicked in due to the 1st person perspective, shaky hand-held camcorder filming, and I wasn't even close to the screen. It sounded good though! Did anyone else suffer from this?
  48. MaximumR.
    Feb 9, 2008
    2
    At the movie theaters, I paid 8 dollars to see the movie. I had a bucket of popcorn, candy, and a smoothie. But even with all of that, the movie was horrible and i left halfway through the movie.
  49. TomP
    Mar 2, 2008
    3
    Cloverfield made no sense to me. There is no plot at all to the story even when the soldiers are involved in the quarantine of personnel because of the
  50. JeffR.
    Apr 19, 2008
    2
    movie was good, if i could see it. good plot good action, good effects. Thank god Transformers was not shot like clover.
  51. KenW.
    Apr 24, 2008
    0
    I must admit that the sales promotions on TV lead you to believe that this is going to be a pretty good horror movie. I was never so disappointed in a show in my life. To be quite honest it sucked Whale Dung at the bottom of the ocean. I can not believe the insatiable stupidity of the so called directors and producers of this junk, by filming the whole show through a cell phone. Give me a break. Not to mention the screen play writing. It reminded me of a dog in the yard chasing its tail, started no where, getting no where, and going no where. This is painfully obvious with the main actor and his limited lines of "Bob, Bob, Bob." One other thing to add for this waste of time of a so called movie, if you have any form of Epilepsy as I do, please do not even begin to watch it, as from the insatiable stupidity of the so called directors and the constant bouncing around of the film is subject to set off a seizure. I must admit though that the sales pitch was pretty good, as it duped me into wasting my money on this DVD. I would have been better off ordering a pizza, at least I would have enjoyed the pizza. Expand
  52. HeatherR,
    Apr 26, 2008
    1
    This seems to be the only movie that actully wanted to make me barf. Literally. The constant moving and shaking of the camera gave me the worst head ache!! I gave it a one because maybe one or two parts where funny or cool. Yet, it wasn't scary. It wasn't very funny. Over all it was hard to watch because of the shaking. Oh, and ending sucked.
  53. TomL
    Apr 26, 2008
    0
    WOW Cloverfield SUCKED! The last time I was this dizzy I was halfway into blair witch!...Terrible...I would not recommend this movie to anyone! See this stupid ass movie. I normally really like sci-fi, but seriously, there could have been much more. I mean Godzilla was made like 30 years ago, and I can still watch the original. Director needs to go back to school. Totally sucked, and literally make me sick. Expand
  54. SteveT
    Apr 30, 2008
    1
    Most of this movie is camera shots of peoples shoes. Boring 3rd rate actors and very annoying cinematography. I absolutely hate this movie. It is trash masquerading as art. If you liked Blair Witch you will probably liked this too but I consider Blair Witch the No.1 most overrated movie ever made, Cloverfield is the second.
  55. KennyC
    May 27, 2008
    0
    Worst movie ever. Blair witch style camera-work put the nails in the coffin of what might have been an acceptable picture.. maybe. No way someone impaled through the chest can run down 70 flights of stairs and make it from Columbus Circle to Grand Central, then survive a helicopter crash to then help pull someone out of the wreckage... and.. I've never seen a camcorder battery last that long. Expand
  56. JoeT.
    May 31, 2008
    2
    Movie sucked. blair witch camera work. story starts and ends giving you absolutely no information on whats going on.
  57. IanM
    Jun 16, 2008
    2
    I am littering this with [***SPOILERS***]spoiler alerts so don
  58. MattB.
    Jun 30, 2008
    0
    This movie was a great disappointment in fact i'd go as far as saying its one of the worst movies i've ever seen right up their with Carla, and dark harvest. The camera angles were Godzilla meets Blair witch the sequel. The movie lacks an actual true storyline and instead replaces it with cgi and no actual point. The movie doesnt have an end and it seems as though abrams got half way through the movie and then learned he got the startreck movie so he just figured he'd throw this movie to the dogs. Expand
  59. JimO
    Jun 6, 2008
    0
    Not very thrilling or terrifying, cloverfield puts you through a story which is so far fetched I was shocked not to see some disney characters coming by to say hi. woman that are dying for the entire movie somehow live and is just as active as the other characters in the film. The entire city of NY is evacuated in 2hours? very far fetched.
  60. DanM
    Jul 4, 2008
    0
    By watching this movie, I just wasted 2 hours of my life.... Someone please tell me why Matt Reeves gets paid this much to make a movie that not only dissapoints, but really honestly, has no true storyline ? I could some up with a better storyline, and actually put a part in about what the creature was ! Seriously this movie is not something I would have even promoted, because the movie its self is not even finished. Expand
  61. BenC.
    Nov 10, 2008
    4
    Suspenseful, but not enjoyable. Clover itself is a pretty poor monster compared to say, some of the Godzilla movie monsters.
  62. Ananke
    Jan 18, 2008
    3
    A harsh lesson in bad kaiju. the monster has no motivation, unlike godzilla who only wanted to go to his precious radioactive tower. the humans were vapid and unrealistic. their physical injuries at odds with fight or flight instincts would never have allowed certain survival instincts. all this movie did for me was give me a bad headache, and i went into it so hopeful for amazing thrill ride. this was the ubermeh. Expand
  63. ErikB.
    Jan 18, 2008
    0
    Completely and utterly pointless. Lead in scenes too long and drawn out, and I was actually surprised to see as the credits rolled that there had even been a script. God help us if they make more of these movies. This film was so bad it made me hate every movie I've paid for in the last 5 years.
  64. NK
    Jan 18, 2008
    2
    This movie tries so hard to be cool and gritty and different but fails on all but one of those goals. Gritty is about the only compliment it gets, if you can call grainy footage and cameras that shake epileptically "gritty". The introduction to characters drags, the action sequences are unsatisfying and the ending is a complete dud. And be warned: if watching the "Handycam-esque" style of Blair Witch Project made you feel a little queasy, Cloverfield will have you reaching for, and filling, the bucket. Blurgh! Expand
  65. JasonM
    Jan 19, 2008
    2
    I pray to god that this style of filmaking dies with this film. I did not pay $7 to watch a guy run around with a handheld video camera. If Blair Witch meets Godzilla meets You Tube is your thing, then this movie is for you.
  66. NeoP
    Jan 19, 2008
    0
    AAAAHHH! I am still throwing up from this. . .I don't not even know what to call it. . . .poopy? no it was worse then that. I didn't have any regrets in my life until I saw this movie. It has made me so frustrated I do not even know how to explain. The whole thing could have been great-besides the fact that there was no script and no image. Everything was just a blurry image of stupidness screams. I kept praying that the monster-whatever it was(you never find out) would eat the camera guy to end my misery. It was torture! Watching this movie was t--o-r-t-u-r-e! There is no reason to go and see this movie. Unless of course you are looking for a bad time, big headache, and somehow to waste your money. This could have been a good movie.. But it wasn't. The trailer was more interesting than the movie. I knew as much as I did before I saw the movie from when I left the theater. The only thing I learned was what it feels like to vomit all over the person next to me. The movie can be summed up in one word: worthless. Can they even call this a movie? From what I've seen the producers have no right in calling this a movie. How did they manage to put this on the big screen? We'll soon find out in the next 'Guinness Book of World Records' there will be the record for most people being tortured in one afternoon. Expand
  67. DarrylF
    Jan 19, 2008
    3
    Total waste ! so much potential.. I guess I was expecting so much more !
  68. ChadS.
    Jan 19, 2008
    4
    "Cloverfield" is a retarded art film. To put this ambitious gambit of a movie in perspective, you need to be a movie buff; not a snob(who only watches art-house fare); or a fanboy(who only watches mainstream junk); but rather somebody who has seen it all. And let me tell you: I've seen it all, and "Cloverfield" is something new. It's like watching "Godzilla" directed by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne("Rosetta", "L'Enfant"); an event film that eschews Hollywood convention for avant-garde disconformity, most notably, the emphasization of form over content. "Cloverfield" is a film you want to cheer for because it brazenly invites audience polarization. We haven't seen a film in wide-release so willing to simulate an amateurish shooting style since "The Blair Witch Project". What "Cloverfield" lacks, however, are characters who act like people(the versimilitude of Heather Donahue's performance in the Eduardo Sanchez & Daniel Myrick film made the Sundance fave from 1999, an artistic and financial success). Paper-thin characters hamper this film's attempt to conjure up the 9/11 tragedy from a you-are-there perspective. We can take only so much of, "Oh, my God! Oh, my God!" Expand
  69. MichaelR.
    Jan 19, 2008
    2
    For the first time in my life I emailed all my friends to warn them about how bad this movie is and the critics are dead wrong. This is complete garbage and other review have really nailed down why. Something else I didn't like was if you are going to do a guerilla type movie the story should line should really try to pass this as "it really happened" type feel or else the audience will be confused and angered like I was. The movie ends "My name is Rob Anderson and if you are watching this, you know more about this than I do". No Rob, actually I don't...because no monster ever attacked NY and we haven't invented time travel so there is no way this video could have come from the future. All I know is I just dumped $15 on your crap piece of film. Thanks JJ Abrams Expand
  70. RebeccaS.
    Jan 19, 2008
    1
    This movie was a waste of my time. It was way too bloody, violent and just plain stupid. The first 20 minutes were boring-just bring a pillow and blanket and sleep for the first 20 minutes. This movie was so bad people in walking out! Save your money and time and go get ice cream instead of seeing this movie.
  71. AlexR
    Jan 19, 2008
    1
    The movie abused the camcorder first person view. It was great for a while but shakey cam was pretty annoying. The movie used some guy's stupid going away party as a plot device so that when the monsters came, they'd all be together. The monster's origin wasn't even hinted at, leaving their existance and origin left COMPLETELY open for interpretation. I'm all for making the viewer think, but that was just lazy writing. The end, aka "Thanks for your money", tried to use "the camcorder as the storyteller" but completely failed. Massive disappointment. Expand
  72. GabeK.
    Jan 21, 2008
    1
    Boring, lifeless movie. I decided to give it a 1 just because of all the talk it has created. Anyone who gives this movie higher than a 6 is either: mentally retarded, smokes pot, or is a liberal arts major.
  73. MichaelD
    Jan 21, 2008
    3
    Seems like a re-hash of several other movies. When it comes down to it; it just isn't that exciting. The movie was hyped way too much. Just OK, wait for DVD.
  74. toddgot
    Jan 21, 2008
    0
    this movie sucked so much ass that i wanted to shoot myself after watchin it the special effects were ok but when the guy and the girl just sat under a bridge and waited to die that was bull shit they needed to have some kind of ending in stead of just sitting there extremely disappointed.
  75. michaelh
    Jan 21, 2008
    1
    Terrible movie! I wasn't expecting Godzillas buddy to show up and the shaky camera work made everyone dizzy!
  76. CMode
    Jan 22, 2008
    0
    I have never in my life been so angry about paying to see a movie!!! First they introduce the audience to the most nausiating camera work ever and then they try to get you feel for some of the most forgettable characters ive ever watched only to end the movie on a cliffhanger by not letting you know why this wanna-be Godzilla is destroying NYC and if the military's attempt to blow it up has worked or not. Absolute crap!!! Expand
  77. TonyL
    Jan 22, 2008
    3
    I like the way the monster was presented, but I cared about little else in this film. A film like this only works when you care about one or more of the main actors, I didn't care for any of them. I wanted the monster to eat them all. Cable only!
  78. GaborA.
    Jan 22, 2008
    3
    I could forgive the stream of ridiculous coincidences and absurdities that is the plot of this movie and willingly suspend all disbelief if there was a shred of originality to whisk me away. But there isn't. I spent most of the movie day dreaming about what I would do if something like this happened in my city. My dream was definitely less cheesy. Alas it hasn't even been that long since we've had a good monster movie. Its called The Host. Rent it. Avoid this. Expand
  79. Anonymous
    Jan 22, 2008
    2
    The trailer tells the entire story - with very little else to learn. I found this film to be a complete rip off. I wanted to love it however I left unfulfilled. If you like "Blair Witch" then you will like this film.
  80. RustyS.
    Jan 22, 2008
    0
    I also agree on this being one of the worst movies ever produced. Horrible camera work (even for a handheld) horrible acting, no plot, no background, no anything that a good or even decent movie should have. When the movie was over, everyone just sat there. When the credits began to roll, the groans and complaints started. I'd like a refund for this movie because I too feel cheated.
  81. MichelleS
    Jan 22, 2008
    0
    If I could give this move a negative score I would. Camera work was so bad even in the non-action parts (like at the party) I almost threw up in the first 15 minutes of the movie due to motion sickness, the movie went downhill from there. I understand the camera concept but even if you are running or scared you're telling me you can't hold a camera semi-still so we could actually see what was going on instead of just getting sick from the blurring back and forth. And in the non-action parts why the heck could this guy not look at people's faces instead of the camera being pointed at their feet or only half their face. Bad acting, no real story, NOTHING in this movie was done right, EXCEPT the credits and those were only good because it meant the movie was over. Not only do I wish I could get my $6.25 back (luckily I went to the late show so it was not $9.00) but I think someone should reimburse me for wasting 1 1/2 hours of my life. If I want to pay to get motion sick I will go to an amusement park at least there you will find lovable characters and loads of entertainment, two things this movie lacked. I did not care if the characters lived or not, in fact I was hoping they would all die so the movie would end. The fact that there is no story proves the writer is not really a writer, he could not even think of a plausible reason this monster attacked, where it was from, how to kill it, NOTHING. Other movie goers were as confused and disappointed as I was based on their after movie chatter. On guy asked "what just happened" and I said "I'll tell you, you wasted $6.25 and 1 1/2 hours of your life". Another movie goer said "there is 1 1/2 of my life wasted that I will never get back". Also I never knew cheap handheld home video cameras had night vision, professional style lighting and such AMAZING and long lasting video and battery life. I could go on and on about how awful and completely retarded this movie is but it's not even worth talking about honestly. Please, if you feel the need to waste $9.00, just send me the money and stay home, don't waste your time on this movie. Expand
  82. JeffT.
    Jan 22, 2008
    1
    I was so let down. Blair Witch was cool, this was not.
  83. BetsM
    Jan 22, 2008
    1
    Terrible movie, camera work made me want to throw up. Didn't care anything about the people, monster could have killed them all and the world wouldn't be any worse off. The only reason I didn't give it a zero is that I didn't get up and leave (not sure why but I suffered through the whole horrible thing).
  84. keithc
    Jan 22, 2008
    1
    This movie was the worst one i have ever seen i felt like throwing up the camera was moving so bad. there was limited special effect scenes and it was a terrible plot. A lot of the scenes were terrible i mean cmon the lady got stabbed in the heart and miraculously she can sprint away from the monster. also you never got a good look of the monster until the very end of the movie and even then you didn't see it all. Plus they don't say how the monster got to earth or why it all of a sudden attacked. THIS IS WHY WE NEED WRITERS...SO THE PLOT IS GOOD THE ENTIRE MOVIE!!! Expand
  85. EW
    Jan 23, 2008
    0
    This movie was poorly directed, the acting was severly lacking, and clocking in at about 70 minutes one of the shortest movies I've ever watched. The monster was severely under represented in the movie with only a few shots revealing it and doing so poorly. If you go to this movie and pay you will regret wasting your money on it. If your a fan of reality based fiction this might be your thing but otherwise save your time and money for something else Expand
  86. JimK.
    Jan 28, 2008
    3
    Yes this film does keep you awake, while waitng to see what this thing is, but in the end its alot of nothing. The acting was annoying, the video camera perspective was played out after about 5 minutes, and i thought the creature was anything but original and not scary. I hate that its true after waiting to see this thing, but it did suck.
  87. Thekgv
    Jan 31, 2008
    4
    I went with 3 friends to this movie expecting to either love it or hate it, and instead came out of the theatre feeling underwhelmed by the experience. This feeling was also shared by my friends as well. Now before you decide to classify us as 1) uncultured philistines (because we don't love the movie) or 2) Sundance Diretor wannabes (because we do love the movie) I should let you know that as a group, we have seen movie of all genres and have had dissenting opinions of movies, so we aren't clones and individually we do have different tastes in movies. All 4 of us felt that the camcorder thing was way overdone (maybe a little more steadiness?) and none of the 5 w's regarding the monster were answered (even if they had answered three of the five w's it would have satisfied us). Expand
  88. LesC.
    Feb 1, 2008
    0
    I had a headache within the first 5 minutes(Blair Witch had the same effect on me) - and then I was Nauseous within 10 minutes - It was terrible - no focus, camera moving to quick, I would give it a -1 if that was possible.
  89. JoseO.
    Feb 11, 2008
    0
    What a waste of time, this is a very bad mix between Blair witch project and Godzilla, this is not a original concept and has bad acting... if you want to see a really good monster movie take a look to the host.
  90. SuzanneA.
    Feb 15, 2008
    3
    I would have given Cloverfield a 2 but I gave it a 3 because it was mercifully short. I know in the 21st century we are supposed to be excited about special effects but can we go back to the old days of character development? Horror movies are better if we have an inkling of concern about the people we are watching. The director needs to watch Alien or Aliens 2 to see why people were fully vested in Ripley. Just watching an Alien kill people and destroy a city isn't entertaining. Expand
  91. BobbyR.
    Feb 16, 2008
    1
    My eyes are exhausted and I have a touch of what feels like motion sickness! was an awful film.
  92. GrahamL
    Feb 18, 2008
    0
    The worst film I've ever seen in my life, bar none.
  93. HerbieHusker
    Feb 19, 2008
    2
    Original concept, but I was feeling sick by the end.
  94. JezzP
    Feb 2, 2008
    0
    It would have been a great movie if they didnt have so much of the camcorder thing. I got sick watching the movie and half of the time I was annoyed by screaming and cutoffs. Poor quality movie...
  95. JoeyD
    Feb 6, 2008
    3
    I didn't like the Blair Witch movie at all but this handheld technique has potential, its just a question of who can utilize it effectively & not go O.T.T (like what happened to 'Bullet time'). JJ couldn't do it, not yet anyway. So after watching an awesome trailer I'm sad to say this movie didn't deliver for me.
  96. hOLY----
    Feb 9, 2008
    0
    OMG.After watching this suckish movie,I found that i would have had a better time drowning myself in a lake full of crap rather than watching cloverfield.I actually threw up because of the motion sickness i endured.
  97. FlonkelD.
    Feb 9, 2008
    3
    The entire movie is filmed as if from a hand-held video camera. While the idea is perhaps novel, the execution is very annoying. Double thumbs down from me.
  98. BrawnBoy
    Mar 6, 2008
    0
    This movie totally sucked. I wasted $25 dollars to see it. This has got to be one of the things I most regret. The movie made no sense. The plot....there was no plot!!! Worst of all the monster looked pretty lame. And the camera seemed to be moving around a whole lot too much. It even made my G-friend dizzy and sick. So we left the movie early. Thank goodness.....
  99. Randalflag
    Mar 8, 2008
    0
    This movie was a piece of trash. It had no plot, the actors were horrible (i was rooting for the monster the whole time) The camera work was sickening (literally) and the movie was a blatant ripoff of a mixture of "The Blair Witch Project" and "Godzilla". The movie could have been shorted to 60 minutes with all the procrastination in the first 30 minutes of the movie, (yes even though it had no story whatsoever, it was 90 minutes of camera shaking and procrastination). I would definately not reccomend this movie to anyone. Expand
  100. BenS
    Apr 21, 2008
    2
    Mark this movie as another overrated waste of time. The monster-fish-dinosaur, or whatever you want to call it, was weakly portrayed. I think a 3rd grader drew the sketches for this one, I mean the thing was shooting fireballs! How un-scary is that?! And the spoider things were random with no connection to anything. They just magically appeared. This was just another teen, wannna be horror movie. I Expand
Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 37 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 37
  2. Negative: 4 out of 37
  1. 75
    Cloverfield's gritty, in-your-face style is uncompromising. If you're looking for a nice, clean movie filmed with a steadycam, you'll have to look elsewhere.
  2. Think "Godzilla Unplugged" -- with chillingly effective results.
  3. Cloverfield, a surreptitiously subversive, stylistically clever little gem of an entertainment disguised, under its deadpan-neutral title, as a dumb Gen-YouTube monster movie, makes the convincingly chilling argument that the world will end -- or, at least, Manhattan will crumble -- with a bang and a whimper.