Cloverfield (2008)

Most people think so. 72% of audiences gave it a thumbs up, by Google's archived audience score. Critics agree, scoring it 71%.

Five young New Yorkers throw their friend a going-away party the night that a monster the size of a skyscraper descends upon the city. Told from the point of view of their video camera, the film is a document of their attempt to survive the most surreal, horrifying event of their lives. Wikipedia ↗

Cloverfield is a 2008 American found-footage monster film directed by Matt Reeves and produced by J.J. Abrams. The film is presented entirely as footage recovered from a personal video camera found in the rubble of what was formerly Central Park.

The footage documents a farewell party in lower Manhattan that is interrupted when a massive creature attacks the city, and five partygoers attempt to rescue a friend trapped in a damaged building while the military battles the creature through the streets. Cloverfield's viral marketing campaign, which began with an untitled teaser trailer attached to Transformers showings, was revolutionary — using mysterious websites, hidden codes, and fragmentary information to build speculation and excitement months before the film's title was even revealed. The found-footage format, combined with Reeves's disciplined adherence to the camera's limited perspective, created an immersive experience that made audiences feel they were experiencing a monster attack firsthand.

The creature was deliberately withheld from full view for most of the film, glimpsed only in fragments that made it more terrifying. Cloverfield earned $172 million worldwide on a $25 million budget.