Movie Review: Cloverfield

My Rating: 4/10

Don't insult the intelligence of your audience! Really,really crappy camera work would probably help to save production cost but it shouldn't be used as an excuse to fill in a story. Even the special affects can't save this bad excuse of a movie. Scenes aren't only badly lit, the colours aren't visibly corrected either.

As a professional videographer, we work very hard to avoid video camera shake. It's what we look out for when we view videos produced by our peers. Steady video camera work and good lighting separates the pros from the amateurs.

I am an avid PC and console gamer so I am quite used to the effects of fast paced gaming and too much happening on screen too fast is not a new concept to me. However, I was not prepared for the nauseating effects of this film. Even my wife suggested switching the DVD player off.

For the average Joe who likes a little 'home-video' feel, Cloverfield might excite them but professionals like us have seen this nonsense once too often. The amateur can probably relate to the unsteady hand-held motion so prevalent in this film, they probably can't tell a steady shot from a badly shot, badly lit film. We have a high standard to maintain, lots of research to do and watching a badly shot, badly lit film is not one of them.

If you are into home videos with either insufficient or overexposed lighting, this is the movie for you. If you're not then for the record, I was fooled by the trailer. Take heed.