5 min.: Well, this schmoe who is running the camera needs to be kicked in the head. Sad example of today's Generation Why.
15 min.: OK, this needs to start getting somewhere. Still, it's early, and I know this is all setting up the "it happened one day" feel...but, damn, only so much of this I wanna deal with.
18 min.: Started to growl at the people in the background saying "Do you think it's another terrorist attack?"...but then, remembered, this IS New York. OK, acceptable.
21 min.: Well, that was nifty. Statue of Liberty's head...yeah, that would make me start to worry. Really sad to see that, even in the midst of all this, someone is standing there making a cellphone video.
26 min.: Wait, some of these people are actually intelligent. Hell, I'm impressed. Well, sorta. Stuff blowing up, not sure I'd want to chance a major bridge...still, not much choice.
28 min.: See...that's exactly why I would have skipped the bridge.
30 min.: Looting, no surprise there. Nicely used in the story, though, gave me a good laugh.
35 min.: Classic monster movie trope, military firing tiny little bullets at the 40-story thing. Yeah, tickle him, that'll help. Me, if I wasn't the guy in the tank, I'd be hauling my happy ass the other way.
40 min.: Marlena, here, is a riot. "Are you aware of Garfield?" BWAH HAHAHAHA...someone kick the camera guy, please.
43 min.: Nicely done. Believable attack and response, good intensity. Very not Hollywood.
47 min.: Why is it that, in horror flicks, after hiding from things in the darkness, people always call out "Hello?" in a new area? Doncha think that'll get the attention of the thing you fear?
48 min.: Wow, nylon sheeting is an AMAZING sound buffer. 100+ people in pain and doctors and military, and couldn't hear a thing until we stepped through...
50 min.: Eww. Very nice.
54 min.: And after all the excitement, they walk up 50+ floors worth of stairwells? Man, that's seriously in shape.
58 min.: Wow, Beth must make damn good money to afford that place.
60 min.: Still not getting a clear view of the monster...and that's a good thing. Immersion is holding, and I'm definitely still wanting to watch.
61 min.: "What's that?!?" "I dunno, something else, also terrible." BWAH HAHAHAHAHA
62 min.: First clear view of the thing. Oddly humanoid...hmm...
64 min.: Liked the stealth bomber hit, but, damn, camera-douche seems to forget to never, ever cheer for the monster's death until you can see the body and/or you are far fucking away.
64.01 min.: See, told ya.
66 min.: Looking up, the thing staring down at me like I'm a candy bar? Yeah, I'd have shit myself at that point.
70 min.: Man, what a way to go.
Okay, so, I know all about the thing splashing into the water at the end, but for the life of me, I couldn't see it. Three cheers for bootleg video, huh?
Credits: what's with this music? Whole film goes by, no score, no soundtrack (which was the way it should have been), and then this unconnected film-score-esque music over the credits. That's jarring...
------------------
In the end, yeah, I liked this. My main problems were not with the movie itself, but rather with certain characters, and this was not due to being badly done as much as my personal annoyance with that type of person. Yes, the hand-held camera thing got rough to watch in places, and on a larger screen, that would have been really annoying, but it fit the film and wasn't that bad, you just had to accept that the filming was happening in places and in ways that no normal person would have done.
I'm a fan of good monster flicks....OK, truth be told, even bad monster flicks...and it's been forever and a day since anyone's done one well. They tend to be cheesy at best, because the studios want their stars to be the focus of the film, and it's hard to give a shit about one person when something the size of Godzilla is tearing up the streets. Nice to see one done well, for a change. The focus was where it should be, on the monster and on the situation, keeping the tension and the anticipation. After that first 20 minutes was past, I never found myself getting bored.
I'm seeing talk about a possible sequel, either telling the story form a different perspective or as a prequel, giving background. Personally, I hope not. Seems that Hollywood hasn't figured out that going back and telling the origin of the scary thing makes it less scary, and,m besides, it's hard to make tat truly believable. Besides, part of what made this film stand out was the hand-held look and the lack of obvious cinematic feel. To do it again will not go over as well, but to go without it makes it weak (re: Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows).
I'll probably pick up the DVD, just to see it better, and because I enjoyed it. I'll fast-forward through the first 20 minutes, though.