I didn’t think I was going to like this movie, which is why I didn’t bother watching it until now. I don’t like LOST, which didn’t help my lack of enthusiasm. And I was wary after the film’s extremely effective viral marketing – experience has unfortunately shown that the better the marketing, the worse the film, more often than not.
Well, I was wrong – it was good – great, even. I understand why people don’t like it – but I think they miss the point. The goal of the movie isn’t to make yet another happy-happy good-guys-win and everybody lives happily ever after “Happy Independence Day Mr President” cookie cutter monster film with everything explained and wrapped up nicely for you, the goal is to make you feel like you’ve run around in NYC trying to avoid a fucking monster while all sorts of shit goes on. In that, it succeeds brilliantly. I tend to like “experience” films where the goal isn’t to tell you a story but instead to just make you feel something. In this, the film is very well done.
If you get motion sickness easily, if you need all the loose ends tied up and no questions remaining, if you need a big “plot” to validate your movie-going experience – don’t watch it, you’ll hate it. If, however, you’re willing to submit to the premise and just stop asking questions and take in the “evidence” then I think you’ll like it, I certainly did.
