KEY POINTS:
I've never had a problem before with shaky camera work. I loved the Bourne Supremacy and the Blair Witch Project. I love rollercoasters and never get sea sick.
But 20 minutes into sci-fi epic Cloverfield, which is about a giant monster laying waste to Manhattan, I was incredibly embarrassed to find myself fighting not to throw up.
The movie is shot entirely on a handheld camera, which simulates the point of view of a hapless amateur camcorder operator caught up in the freak attack on the city. It's a great concept and exactly the type of movie terrain I love.
It was a nightmare to watch. I resolved not to leave the theatre - after laughing at the ticket saleswoman who warned me of the nausea-inducing camera work, that was out of the question.
So I struggled through the movie, the waves of nausea coming as the camera work became increasingly shaky. The worst part came when four New Yorkers were in the New York metro system walking through a tunnel. They are attacked by some hideous alien creatures and the camera work, night-scope on, was particularly stomach-churning. At other points, bright flashes of light and an extremely loud soundtrack added to the dizzying effect.
I found that my heart was racing and I had to focus on the backs of the seats in front of me from time to time to recalibrate my senses.
I thought my girlfriend was handling the movie particularly well, but she told me afterwards she had her eyes closed after the first 20 minutes had elapsed, opening them only when she heard someone say the survivors had reached 59th street - she used to live in New York.
After the movie we both felt queasy and headachy and went home to recover. A quick Google this morning reveals numerous similar experiences from movie goers in the US, where Cloverfield opened with a healthy US$41 million in box office takings.
Check out this Yahoo message board of viewer reports.
"Complete nausea. I moved from the middle of the theatre to the back rows, so I could see the walls of the theatre as well as the screen to help stabilise my motion sickness. I watched most of the movie while staring at the wall and catching the screen in my peripheral vision." Snap, so did I!
"I was really enjoying the movie, and just 20 minutes into it when it started getting really good, I started feeling nauseous, ran to the bathroom, and puked...tried coming back...sat down for the minutes...and had to leave the movie...puked all the way home!I didn't even know that could happen...it sucks I won't be able to finish watching it!!!," wrote another viewer. At least I didn't puke.
There's a good explanation of the motion-sickness we experienced here. Basically, the camera work in Cloverfield causes conflicting messages to be received by the inner-ear, the eyes and other parts of the body.
"While watching Cloverfield, viewers were sitting still in their seats, so their inner ear was telling their body they were motionless. But the bumpy camera movements - and their eyes - misled them into thinking they were moving around erratically," WebMD explains.
I can definitely relate to that. Anyway, despite the ill-feeling I was impressed with Cloverfield. I can't help thinking the filmmakers' desired effect was pulled off. They wanted the audience to feel uneasy and we certainly did.
I only saw one person leave the theatre, never to return, but when the credits rolled at the end and the lights went up, everyone in the theatre sat there like stunned mullet, trying to recover.
Cloverfield only let itself down when too much of the mysterious monster was shown. The rest of it I can live with. Even if it made me sick to my stomach, at least it was memorable.
