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Cloverfield (2008)
Cloverfield (2008)
2008 | Action, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Cloverfield is, at heart a found footage Kaiju movie with the twist that you don't see much of the main monster until the end of the film. Unlike Kaiju films like Godzilla or even Pacific rim, Cloverfield does not concentrate on the monster but on the people affected by it's rampage and the found footage aspect of the film helps bring us in close with a small group of survivors as they try to work out what is happening and try to find their friends.
I knew some one who absolutely hated this film for the very fact that the monster is rarely seen, although he clamed that you never actually saw the monster, which isn't true so I don't think he watched all the way to the end. He had a point though, if you want to watch a film where monsters fight it out amongst themselves then this probably won't be for you.
The monster is really nothing more than a plot device and the fact that it is only revealed in parts and not fully seen until the end helps to keep the film centred on the people and helps add a touch of reality to the film, after all if you lived in Japan during a Kaiju attack you would be more interested in saving your own life than weather you were about to be eaten by Godzilla or Ghidorah.
Being a found footage film, Cloverfield suffers slightly from the usual shaky camera work and occasional low sound but these are kept to a minimum. The film also manages to avoid relying on night vision or infra red so the footage is, for the most part, much clearer than other films of this style and doesn't keep switching formats which make the film less distracting than others.
Over all Cloverfield is a good monster/survival film which leaves some questions to be answered in the sequels (or not )
  
Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965)
Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965)
1965 | Sci-Fi
6
6.3 (3 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Planet X marks the Spot
Sixth Godzilla movie, third for Rodan, second for Ghidorah, if anyone's counting. Not really a proper monster movie, if we're honest, more a sort of Japanese take on a flying-saucer B-picture. Aliens from Planet X ask to borrow Godzilla and Rodan to help deal with their local monster problem (King Ghidorah); evil plans are naturally afoot.

Almost wholly mad; still quite entertaining, but the lack of actual monster action (the three big beasts get very little screen-time) is inevitably quite disappointing. Rattling pace makes up for a lot of the film's flaws, and the basic idea - aliens try to conquer the world using monsters - would be endlessly recycled in future proper Godzilla films. Easy to dismiss this movie as quaintly dated 60s tosh, but surely a film where the forces of evil are driven off by the power of rape alarms has something to say to the #time's up generation.
  
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Awix (3310 KP) rated Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) in Movies

Apr 2, 2021 (Updated Apr 7, 2021)  
Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
2021 | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Epically corny monster mash. When Godzilla suddenly seems to become hostile to the human race, Monarch recruits Kong to lead researchers to the hollow earth in pursuit of a new energy source that will allow them to defeat the giant lizard. But just what has got the Big G so riled?

Scores extremely heavily on the garish spectacle front, with monster rasslin' aplenty and some eye-catching visuals (although it does feel like the earth's core is next door to the uncanny valley). However, the film is often critically under-exposited and many of the plot devices and developments are frankly nonsensically. Various actors do their best not to get overshadowed by the special effects, usually to no avail, Kong gets more screen-time than Godzilla, the new design of a classic Toho monster is rather decent, and the various fights are thumpingly effective. Not as good as either the last Kong or Godzilla standalone movie, but reasonably effective goofy blockbuster fun nevertheless.