A gigantic creature of unknown origin pulverises its way through Manhattan in this YouTube-style monster mash-up co-produced by Lost creator JJ Abrams. There are clever dashes of The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms and The Host, but the characters - partygoers filming a going-away do - lack emotional depth and stumble a little too carelessly into danger. The interesting gimmick here is the intimate approach to epic disaster provided by the action unfolding via an amateur camcorder. This Blair Witch flair often creates a gripping, up-close-and-personal portrait of events, and the shaky-cam terrors meld effectively with loud bangs and glimpses of the HP Lovecraft-inspired behemoth. The fearful wonderment generated by such exciting mayhem is palpable as the documentary approach adds enormous resonance to what is essentially a fun repackaging of one of those stop-motion Ray Harryhausen fantasies from the 1950s and 60s.

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.