Cloverfield

The first big movie of the year turned out to be a very small movie. J.J. Abrams took the monster movie genre and turned it on its head.
When I hear monster movie, I think lots of special effects, big creatures, explosions, and an epic battle for the safety of the city. Even the pitiful Godzilla flick with Matthew Brodrick stuck to form. The monster shows up and wreaks havoc. The army comes in and does battle with the monster. A group of scientist work feverishly to understand the monster and find its weakness. In the end, the monster is destroyed (or driven back into dormancy). The world continues as normal. Everything about these movies are big. The monster is a major character. The plot is centered on the fight against the movie. Everything in the movie happens because of the monster.
In Cloverfield, the monster is the catalyst for the action. The monster does show up and wreak havoc. The army does do battle with the monster. However, the monster is not a major character. The plot does not center on the fight against the monster. Nobody is focused on understanding the monster or finding its weakness. The monster and the fight against the monster are simply plot pieces. They create the situations the characters react to, but they are not explored.
So, Cloverfield is not a monster movie. It is just an action movie. The story is told Blair Witch style. We see the action unfold on a handheld video camera. We watch as a group of friends try to cope with a horrific situation. They race through the city in an attempt to rescue a friend and then escape the city. They face death, the military, run ins with the monster, collapsing buildings, and a deadline before the city is destroyed.
While the action kept me on the edge of my seat, I cannot say I loved the movie. The characters were thin and their central motivation was not compelling. I didn't believe that the main character and the girl they rush to rescue are that in love. The movie does not do the work to make it believable. The supporting characters are more believable.
Cloverfield is a good movie. It puts an interesting twist on the monster movie genre. However, the story falls short of greatness.