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Cloverfield (2008)
Thanks to that Statue of Liberty decapitation in the teaser trailer, Cloverfield might be the only time in history a January release was a blockbuster event. Before the found-footage style began its journey towards over-saturation, Cloverfield demonstrated the thrilling potential of seeing big happenings from a claustrophobically limited point-of-view. It established that when done well, the style can make us not just witness characters’ terror, but feel it through their eyes. Couple its successful use of found footage with its frantic atmosphere, big action, surprisingly bleak tone, and legit scares, and it remains the best Godzilla movie Hollywood ever gave us.