I know I already reviewed this film two months ago, and declared myself less than impressed with it. However, after hearing friends repeatedly tell me I missed the point of the entire movie and it was indeed one of the best monster movies to come out in a long time, I wondered if maybe I fell asleep when I watched the standard DVD release and just didn't realize it. Anyway, just a few weeks ago, I got my first Blu-ray DVD player and have been revisiting some old titles in the new format. As it happens, Cloverfield was released on Blu-ray on June 3, 2008 so I decided to give the movie another shot.

When I first saw Cloverfield a couple of months ago, I felt like the storyline had been recycled from countless higher quality monster films. For me, films like Godzilla and It Came From Beneath the Sea posses better story structure than Cloverfield could ever hope to achieve. Writer Drew Goddard (Lost) and director Matt Reeves (Felicity) developed characters with so little personality, I found it very hard to care whether they lived or died. One thing is for sure: the filmmakers have created an unusual film, and the incredible sound and improved visual effects on Paramount's Blu-ray release allowed me to enjoy the film much more the second time around.

After watching Cloverfield on blu-ray, I think it's still safe to say that the film is good example of style over substance. No matter how much the picture pops out at you, the plot is still seriously thin. Some kind of creature attacks New York and we follow a group of almost faceless people as they attempt to survive the creature's relentless assault. Further, the film is really a gimmick. Supposedly, the characters shot the film themselves with a handheld digital camera, which was found by the Department of Defense after the events took place.

The characters are: Rob Hawkins (Michael Stahl-David), a New Yorker about to move to Japan for a new job, his brother Jason (Mike Vogel), his girlfriend Beth (Odette Yustman), his buddy Hud (T.J. Miller), and friends Lily (Jessica Lucas) and Marlena (Lizzy Caplan). All of them except Beth are at a going-away party in the city when the monster attacks, and Rob's only concern when the event happens is to get across town to Beth and make sure she's OK, with the other friends coming along.