It just has nothing to do with Cloverfield except for the name.

Honestly, the name of the film kinda ruined it for me.

[Spoiler Warning for anyone who cares.]

The movie constantly tries to play with your perception of what's happening. Is John Goodman some sort of crazy man who kidnapped this girl to do god-knows-what with or is he genuinely trying to save people from a catastrophe while also being a bit overbearing and controlling?

And the movie does a great job at giving you evidence that supports both notions. He certainly acts plenty crazy, but enough weird shit happens to make you think something bad actually did happen. And, in the end, both possibilities come together for an insane finale. "John Goodman IS a nutcase! . . . Surprise, the world has also been attacked by aliens and he wasn't lying!"

The thing is, your perception is somewhat ruined from the beginning because the film is named "Cloverfield". So from the first minute the movie starts you're thinking, "Okay, when is the crazy alien shit going to happen?" Then, when the film asks you to question what's actually happening, all you can really think is, "I bet aliens attacked the planet." None of the twists really work because you're already expecting crazy alien shenanigans from the name alone.

It would've been so much more surprising if the film ended like it did while the viewer had 0 expectation that anything like that was in the realm of being possible. Instead, when it finally happens, you're not surprised. You're simply thinking, "There it is. I knew it was coming."