This movie is great from start to finish. The first shot of the movie is an ominous film slate that, I think, should be read carefully. It does an excellent job of setting the tone for what you are about to see (I think this was a great idea and very effective). I thought at first that it took too long to get to the good stuff, but all of that is necessary for the rest of the plot, so be patient. Since the entire movie is shot, and subsequently viewed by us, the audience, from the perspective of the hand-held camera, the result is major shakey-cam. This is done, of course, to make the movie more realistic as it is from the perspective of a guy with a camera. This didn’t bother me at all, probably because I knew it was going to be like that; plus I’m all for anything that makes these types of movies feel intense. And intense it was.

If this type of thing was to really happen to New York City, this is exactly what it would be like. None of the characters (and, in turn, us) really have any idea about what’s going on; they are just trying to make it out alive. They do learn and see things as their night goes on so the movie doesn’t leave the audience unsatisfied. But it’s as if you are right there with them experiencing this horrific event. I also enjoyed that there was very little exposition from outside sources, such as news footage, and that there was really no comic relief and basically no relief from the intensity at all once it got started.

The Bottom Line