After the trailer was recently released for 10 Cloverfield Lane, I decided that it was time to take another look at the original 2008 Cloverfield. In this video I run through the movie and highlight the more notable elements and tackle whether the found footage format works in its favor upon repeat viewings. Cloverfield was a landmark project as it was one of the most ambitious found footage movies ever made and had an estimated budget of $25 million. A budget of $25 million was much more than that of other similar movies made both before and after its release.

The found footage genre has seen a flood of entries since 2008 with the Paranormal Activity series making a ton of money and inspiring multiple sequels. M. Night Shyamalan even made an entry into the genre recently with The Visit. The movie that has come the closest to Cloverfield’s ambition and scope was 2012’s Chronicle, which dealt with teens gaining super powers after encountering an unknown object. In light of the flood of found footage movies released in the wake of Cloverfield, is it still worth another look? Watch the video to find out, and let us know your feedback in the comments!