Descriptions of Blair Witch meets Godzilla are wholly accurate; this handheld-cam, home-movie monster flick makes extensive use of its admittedly brilliant core idea though it often comes across as gimmicky.
Opening with a Department of Defense message labeling what we’re about to see as found footage from the area formerly known as Central Park, the idea is played to the hilt. We begin with morning-after scenes of Rob (Michael Stahl-David) and Beth (Odette Yustman) before cutting to Rob’s going-away party a few weeks later, inadvertently taped over the intimate scenes.
Through 20 minutes of tedious setup we’re introduced to our cameraman Hud (nicely played by T.J. Miller) and other side characters while tension escalates between Rob and Beth, who has brought male company to Rob’s party. So Beth leaves, and then a giant monster attacks New York City. Cue Statue of Liberty head flying down 34th Avenue.
Of course, it’s a bit more intense than that; we’ve never seen a monster movie told from the point of view of one of those people fleeing on the street, trying to avoid being crushed by Godzilla’s foot.
This framework aids the film immeasurably; we’re so much more involved when we don’t exactly know what the hell is going on, and can’t really see much of the monster – until the end, in a tension-deflating full-on shot (clearly, they should have kept the beast out of complete view for the entire film).
Story during the madness involves Rob and co. attempting to save Beth, trapped in an apartment building; light script could’ve used some work, though I guess they didn’t want to stretch things much past the short 74-minute runtime (which is just about all one can take of something like this).
What little plot we’re left with, however, is hopelessly cliché. Scenes of the destruction of NYC precisely recall 9/11, with clouds of smoke billowing down city streets and, at one point, a shot of twin structures, one crumbling and leaning against the other.
Poor taste or not, these scenes, and the movie as a whole, are undeniably effective; the mood here evokes something akin to the confusion in the immediate wake of the 9/11 attacks.
Those prone to motion sickness are advised to avoid the film, as the shaky-cam stylistics are even worse than in The Blair Witch Project. Instead of amateurs attempting to handle a camera semi-professionally, we have a professional camera crew attempting to mimic an amateur style.
The result is an exaggerated, unimpressive home movie that swings around the camera with wild abandon; not only is everything on the screen disorienting and aesthetically unappealing, but – just like bad acting – we’re always aware of the what the people behind the camera are trying to convince us of (the premise, of course, disables them from doing so whether this was filmed professionally or not; the movie isn’t Blair Witch, which thrived on the ‘it’s real’ promotional campaign for months before its wide release).
Could it have been better? Possibly: if the characters were reporters/journalists and trying to cover the story with some degree of professionalism.
Still, what we’re left with is some kind of revolution in the monster movie genre, and a genuinely tense and effective experience for as long as we can stand to look at the screen.
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