Since I only have two thumbs, it's "two thumbs up" for Cloverfield.

Run, don't walk to see "Cloverfield".

Forget all that crap you've heard about the so-called shaky camera work and the vagaries of the monster and its unexplained purpose. What you need to do is put yourself in the point of history in which the film places us and allow it to flow over you. You can make the mistake of demanding to know what the thing is and where it comes from or you can play along. I suggest you play along. That's what movies are for. If a real monster showed up, I doubt that it would pause to tell us why it was here.

If you must know who or what the monster is, do the research (called Viral-marketing) and read-up on the Japanese company that Rob (Michael Stahl-David) is being transferred from New York to work for. Watch what happens early in the film when the monster appears and think about it. It's not the focal point of the film, so don't allow it to spoil the fun. It is fun, trust me.

I'm usually the first one to scream at bad hand-held camera work from amateurs, let alone Hollywood filmmakers, and the style here did not bother me at all. I went in thinking it would because of my love of the Steady Cam. Forget the camera work. It isn't important.

What is important is the style. Filmmaking is all about style, and this one is loaded with it. It's "Blair Witch Project" meets "War of the Worlds" (the Speilberg one) and you'll find yourself knee-deep in the story, rooting for the characters and wondering how in Hell they made this thing look so realistic. Filmgoers have gotten used to shiny CGI special effects that look more realistic than real life. This one has the grainy look of a home video and still manages to pull off the realism.

As for the actors, lovers of the sitcom will recognize Lizzy Caplan (as Marlena), late of The Class, the dear-departed CBS show. Otherwise, they're unknowns to me, and more's the better. If this film is to be seen and believed, we're better off with unknown actors than a star-studded cast. It just wouldn't work with people we recognize.

I'm not going to tell any of the story for you. Suffice it to say that the 82 minutes whizzes by and after we meet the principals at their little going away party, the action is non-stop and if you're prone to nervousness, this film won't help your condition.

Don't wait for the DVD. Don't download it from the Internet. Cough up the nine bucks and find two hours of your life that you won't wish you could have back. It's not a "guy movie" and it isn't full of gore and guts.

It's a modern sci-fi/horror classic that lives up to its hype.