A monster movie meeting head on with an art flick gives you Cloverfield. Shot from the point of view of an average man in the street with a camcorder, the entire thing is home-movies style; no movie score, no cut-away to anything that's not from that camcorder. As such, it can be a bit jerky at times- especially when the guy with the camera is running for his life- but it does add a certain sense of news-footage realism.

Not everyone will like this movie. The big monster gets precious little viewing, and when we do see him it feels more like suddenly jumping into a cheap B-movie. Up front you know who's ever operating the camera isn't going to live out the movie, just from the first line "...this footage was found in the area formerly known as Central Park", so the only suspense in that department was the fact that one of them actually lived (at least it looked that way). Still though, it has a certain alternate appeal; a monster movie for the people in the street running around and going "Goadzeera" while the big guys in the back make the decisions.

On my Cheesey Scale, this one is a Brie.