64
Metascore
37 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 83Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumEntertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumCloverfield, 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.
- 75ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliCloverfield'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.
- 75Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsChicago TribuneMichael PhillipsIt’s dumb but quick and dirty and effectively brusque, dispensing with niceties such as character.
- 75PremierePremiereIt's not the life-changing movie experience the intense viral marketing attention would lead you to think it is, but its decision to focus on ground-level humanism rather than epic disaster is what separates it from the pack.
- 75Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle Post-IntelligencerWhen the monster shows up, pretty early in the film, everything becomes much more interesting, as it smashes buildings in midtown Manhattan like some sort of Rudy Giuliani, 9/11 nightmare.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterMichael RechtshaffenThe Hollywood ReporterMichael RechtshaffenThink "Godzilla Unplugged" -- with chillingly effective results.
- 50VarietyTodd McCarthyVarietyTodd McCarthyDespite its indie-flavored shooting style, first-rate visual effects, reasonable intensity factor, nihilistic attitude and post-9/11 anxiety overlay, this punchy sci-fier is, in the end, not much different from all the marauding creature features that have come before it.
- 50L.A. WeeklyScott FoundasL.A. WeeklyScott FoundasWhile the entertainment value of Cloverfield is highly negotiable, it's clear that Abrams has consciously aligned himself with those filmmakers who have used the template of a grade-B monster/invasion movie -- Don Siegel, George Romero, Steven Spielberg -- as a stealth vessel for social commentary.
- 50TimeRichard CorlissTimeRichard CorlissMind you, I don't begrudge the creators of even a junk-food movie like Cloverfield the fun they had demolishing New York one more time.
- 38Charlotte ObserverLawrence ToppmanCharlotte ObserverLawrence ToppmanNo movie this year will better embody Macbeth's description of life itself: "a tale ... full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."