In the middle of last July, you settled into the fourth row seat at your local movie theater with your popcorn, cherry Slushee and box of Sour Patch Kids that’s barely half-full of candy. You were ready to finally gaze upon Transformers, the most anticipated movie of the last couple years. Little did you know that fact would change with one and a half minutes of grainy footage with no title or clue about what you just saw.

I am, of course, referring to the first trailer for Cloverfield, the latest project produced by Lost and Alias creator J.J. Abrams. This fairly low-budget film has had one of the most creative marketing campaigns ever to come out of Hollywood. The trailers and lack of information about the film has caused a flurry of Internet rumors that gave everyone the chance to give their own theories about the film. Well, the wait is over and Cloverfield has arrived for everyone to see.

The entire film was shot with hand-held cameras. It is presented as footage obtained by the government after a “monstrous” (pun intended) attack on Manhattan, New York. The story starts at a surprise party for Rob Hawkins (Michael Stahl-David), who is leaving the next day to take a job in Japan. Just as everyone is enjoying the party and getting comfortable, a rumble that feels like a massive earthquake shakes the whole city causing blackouts and confusion. That is when all havoc breaks loose. Over the next hour, the audience joins a group of four friends as they wonder the streets in terror of a monster whose size and range of destruction you cannot comprehend unless you see it yourself.

While the action is fast and thrilling, what really surprised me about the film was the depth of the story. I found myself emotionally attached to the characters you follow. You feel hopeless when they feel hopeless and you want everything to turn out all right, even though the chances of that are extremely slim. The emotion the audience feels is created by the love in the relationships between the characters; love that has been felt their entire lives and love for those they barely know. They experience ultimate fear and it truly brings out the best in all of them.

Now the film isn’t perfect. It is difficult to totally accept the reality of the situation. It will require some imagination. It also gives solutions that are too simple for actions and are a little confusing (for example, why don’t they just drop the camera and run?). But Cloverfield does feel as real as a monster movie can be. It is one of the most creative film experiences ever created. There is no explanation for why the attack is happening or where the monster came from but you don’t need it. The movie is, at its core, about the best day and the worst day of the central characters’ lives and how all that matters is that they have each other.

Cloverfield set itself up to be a disappointment but it lives up to the hype. This movie needs to be experienced on the big screen. Don’t miss the ride.

Exerpt from Chad Pendelton: “Cloverfield Hits Hard”