I think the mundane perspective and ordinary characters were meant to ground the movie. Most kaiju movies follow elite scientists or squads of soldiers so it’s a bit easier to relate to regular people just bumbling around (and a lot cheaper to film).
See, this is what got me into the theater for Cloverfield, I wanted this movie. It’s a bummer I got it in the form of some particularly jittery found footage. I was hoping for something more akin to those goofy disaster movies, but the disaster is a kaiju; not just in tone, but in how it was shot. As you say, some more spectacle would have gone a long way. That, or to really drill down and get into the “human horror” aspect and maybe make the military/authority figures more antagonistic.
All in all, I guess I’m glad Cloverfield succeeded despite my personal feelings because we got 10 Cloverfield Lane which, while not without problems of its own, I enjoyed much more
Came here to say this exact thing. Getting the initial drive to get up and do something can be hard, but taking charge on something is an effective cure to> feeling helpless on what you can’t