Review of 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) by Paul F — 20 Mar 2017

A Cloverfield sequel?! Unfortunately, this is not the case with 10 Cloverfield Lane, a spiritual successor to the found footage horror sci-fi film Cloverfield released back in 2008. Aside from its overall tone and general creepiness, the two movies do not share anything in common. But no matter, because this J.J. Abrams-produced film more than lives up to the similarly named film that he also produced several years ago.

10 Cloverfield Lane tells the story of a young woman named Michelle, portrayed by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who gets into a car accident after having a fight with her fiancée in New Orleans. When she awakes, she finds herself trapped in a doomsday shelter built by Howard, played by John Goodman, who tells her the world above is unsafe due to a chemical or nuclear attack on the surface. After a lot of anxiety and an escape attempt, she finally settles down in the bunker with Howard and a local handyman Emmett, portrayed by John Gallagher Jr.

I can't delve too deeply into the plot without giving away the one or two major spoilers that the film contains. But, I CAN tell you that the way the film handles the revelation of those secrets is done very well, and the plot is a very interesting and engaging thrill ride. The character of Howard provides an incredible amount of tension and anxiety throughout the events of 10 Cloverfield Lane, making for a tightly wound thriller film. John Goodman does a fantastic job portraying the questionably insane doomsday prepper: he is unpredictable, menacing (largely due to his size), and interesting, and more layers are added to his personality as Michelle and Emmett find out more about his past during the film's events. Mary Elizabeth Winstead also does a great job playing Michelle: her performance is convincing and captivating, and her reactions to some of the surprises in the bunker generally translate over to the audience. The combination of Goodman, Winstead, and the claustrophobic environment introduced by the bunker provide most of the film's tension, relief to which is provided by Gallagher's performance, which is also great.

Honestly, there's not much more to discuss about 10 Cloverfield Lane. The acting is great, the story is great, it stands out as an exceptional thriller, and the only real issues it experiences arise from the slow pacing that exists in between the more intense scenes. It's a film I would definitely watch again, and it gets 4 stars.