All I could think of was Half-Life and the stupid antlions...especially when they were in the tunnel. I knew exactly what was going to happen, and I hadn't even seen any previews for the movie or heard anything about it before going. I told the people around me this.
Wasn't bad, but wasn't great. I too thought the plot was stupid and they could have done so much more with a badass monster. The movie had no epic feel at all.
You know, they should make a Half-Life movie. I guess the only problem would be that Gordon doesn't talk in the games. But I feel that Half-Life has a good enough plot to create a movie or two off of it.
Overall on Cloverfield, I think its only a movie that will be enjoyed in theatres or if you have some massive home theatre system; otherwise, it has no replay factor, considering the main draw is the sound effects and visual effects, which are hampered by the camera angle. Not sure it was worth the 8 bucks, but it kept me a little entertained for a while.