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nce again, Hollywood outdoes itself in blowing up New York City. This time it’s with the curiously named monster flick, Cloverfield, which makes the chilling argument that the world will end in the hands (claws?) of a prehistoric beast that has been roused by atomic tests to terrorize New York City.

Indeed, the film, produced by "Lost" and "Alias" mastermind J.J. Abrams, supplies the mandatory disaster accouterments - head gets blown off the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge gets turned to rubble, Midtown is flattened, buildings collapse blowing out huge gusts of dust. Heady stuff. The disaster in question is supplied by a lumbering-yet-slithering 90-foot tadpole that arises on an otherwise peaceful May night to wreak destruction on New York City: It swats at skyscrapers and smashes NYC landmarks, supported by tentacled mini-monsters that lunge directly at humans like monster fleas.

The first 15 minutes or so of this horror/sci-fi/horror/disaster flick takes us to the going-away party thrown for Rob (Michael Stahl-David), who is taking a job in Japan. Shown only from the perspective of a single digital camcorder, the story follows the party, which takes place in an huge downtown loft, organized by a cast of newcomers: Lily (Jessica Lucas), abetted (or more accurately, hindered) by her somber boyfriend, Jason (Mike Vogel), and the hapless comic relief of Hud (T.J. Miller). Rob's friend Beth (Odette Yustman) shows up with new boyfriend in tow.

Mid-party, something starts attacking Lower Manhattan and destroying everything in its path. The partiers are all flung out onto the streets, along with the rest of the city, when the shaking and booming begin. They wander around in a shock state. Rob and his group, all covered in the dust of crumbled skyscrapers, frantically make their way through the city, trying to save Beth and themselves.