Cloverfield

Hype can truly destroy a movie, making the target audience hope for the best and when the film finally comes out the studio is the one with egg on its face. This isn't such a bad film but the hype made it seem like it was going to be the next best thing to sliced bread. Now after seeing it, sliced bread is a much better invention. With the talent J.J. Abrams guiding this story we get the complete atmosphere that was intended, from the very beginning your left in the dark in the way of the plot but once things start happening you get swept into the tale.
While a going away party is taking place a member of the party starts videotaping and captures the partygoers as well as the invasion that destroys New York City. The monsters that are in this story are just the way they need to be, not a lot of direct camera shots, which leaves the audience in the dark about what it truly is. Between the monsters and the battle sequences there is nothing wrong with the film, what the big draw back is the way it was filmed. To give the audience the feeling of being a part of the story the entire thing is told through a hand held video camera, the same way that the story "The Blair Witch Project" was done. Unfortunately here there is so much jostling of the camera there are scenes that just don't work and then by the end some of the audience is left with the feelings of headaches and nausea.
If it wasn't for the camera work, this could have been a huge blockbuster, and considering that the story is left with some definite plot gaps that would be filled in by the sequel, many moviegoers are wondering if there will be a second part to this fiasco. In the way of monster films I think this could have definitely been what Abrams wanted it to be, an American Godzilla-like series of stories. But with such a weak beginning this could be the sighting of this creature, unless the studio wants to take another chance at it and fix the mistakes from the first one.