10 Cloverfield Lane Review

PG13: Thematic Material Including Frightening Sequences of Threat with Some Violence, and Brief Language

Paramount Pictures, Bad Robot

1 hr and 45 Minutes

Cast: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman, with John Gallagher Jr., and the voice of Bradley Cooper.

BACKSTORY: Tuesday March 8th, several friends and I went to the premiere of 10 Cloverfield Lane, a film that was snuck out of nowhere early this year and caught everyone by surprise and to be honest I felt honored to be at the premiere for it. My friends got to meet JJ Abrams and I got to meet Mary Elizabeth Winstead and things were cool. But then John Goodman came to sign autographs and he was silent and looked miserable. Despite being a great actor Goodman has always terrified me as a person because he looks like one of those actors that can just kill you with a look so after seeing him being so quiet and looking mad I was terrified even more. After seeing 10 Cloverfield Lane, I can never look at Goodman at all because now he is the Freddy Kruger of my existence.

STORYLINE: After getting in a car accident, a woman is held in a shelter by two men, who claim the outside world is affected by a widespread chemical attack.

REVIEW: You know after you see a movie that messes with your head that after you leave you have no idea what to think about it? That is exactly how I feel about 10 Cloverfield Lane. From the trailer (and TV spots to some extent) you get the sense of a mysterious creature feature since it has the name Cloverfield on it. No everything you heard about this film is true. 10 Cloverfield Lane is not a sequel or has anything to do with Cloverfield at all by that matter. What this is, is a psychological thriller that happens to have monsters in it. For this being Dan Trachtenberg's first feature film, he breaks ground for this to have an indie movie feel with but at the same time still have monsters in it. What makes this film work is the thrills and the three characters. From the beginning, you are put in this mystery with Winstead and you feel as if you're in her shoes throughout. She is our avatar for the film and with every action she does you genuinely feel scared for her situation she is in and how she tries to survive. The movie is terrifyingly realistic to a point it becomes like the 2015 film Room but just happens to have monsters in it. The three main leads are all terrific and you get a great sense of their character. Though there is more development with Gallagher Jr. than Winstead and Goodman, you do get a taste of their personalities and their motives.  The standout of course here is John Goodman who is scarier than any monster the film throws at you. After you see him here you may not ever want to even see Goodman play a good guy in any film because he's traumatically terrifying for the most part. The filmmaking here is really good where just a regular narrative style benefits for the story than found footage. That being said there are some flaws in the film especially considering the third act. The climax of the film is thrilling and intense and you are at the edge of your seat, but when you think the traumatic experience is over, the movie just goes overboard and throws in the monsters and says "here you go monsters have fun!" By that time its too little too late to thrill us more to an extent just to throw in the monsters. Its as if the movie forgot it was a "Cloverfield" film until the last 10 minutes and just says "oh shit we were supposed to have monsters EVERYBODY THROW IN THE MONSTERS AND ALIENS!" The film is also inconsistent with its dark tone. There are points where it inserts humor to have some scenes to be lighthearted, but its just uncomfortable and awkward when its there. Though some may laugh, some will be very bothered by this. The film could've benefited without the "Cloverfield" name,  but it does make up for a ending that teases a sequel that hopefully will be made instead of another "Cloverfield" anthropology film.

LAST STATEMENT: Though the film suffers from the Cloverfield name and an overkill conclusion, 10 Cloverfield Lane is brilliantly acted, filmed, and overall a genuinely intense cinematic experience.

Rating: 3.5/5 | 76%

Super Scene: Michelle's big escape