Review of 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) by Chris O — 07 Aug 2016

A confined thriller with a solid screenplay that does a great job of creating a world within the "Cloverfield" franchise.

After getting into a car crash, Michelle wakes up chained in a small, desolate room, with no recollection of what's going on. A man named Howard has taken her and another man into his bunker, claiming that the outside air is un-breathable and that the world is under siege. Uncertain of the truth, Michelle realizes that there's more to the story than just that.

Following the hit film "Cloverfield", "10 Cloverfield Lane" is not necessarily a sequel, or a prequel for that matter, but a film that takes place in a similar world as the first one. Not even the timelines or the story's line up, but it does take place in the same universe. Basically how this movie got made was that a script called "Cellar" was in the works, but then it got turned into a Cloverfield film. It wasn't even originally meant to be a Cloverfield film, but in the end, it all turned out how it was supposed to. Most franchises and directors think that sequels always need to be bigger and better, but I for one admire the direction they took with this movie, going with a smaller, more confined premise and a deeper character study.

Whenever I see it, I do have to praise it. The acting in this movie was filled with top notch performances and the cast/crew were all perfect for their roles. I had always known Mary Elizabeth Winstead's name, but I had never really seen many of her performances. She was a fantastic lead and her ability to stand out in a movie like this really says a lot. She was easily one of the best parts of the movie and I hope to see more of her in the future. Although she did amazing, John Goodman is right up there with her. Most known probably for his role in "Monsters Inc.", Goodman brought this intensity and brute physicality to his role that made him not only a terrifying character, but a psychologically damaging one. Those two characters had the most depth given to them and they were definitely the best performances. John Gallagher Jr. did good for his role, but I felt like he didn't add a ton to the movie. That's more or less due to the fact that there wasn't a lot written for his character, but he still played up to par.

The thing I enjoyed about this movie was the deep character study brought to us and the confined, small space thriller; a polar opposite of its predecessor. You're able to learn a lot about some of these characters visually and as the story progresses, which makes them more relatable, more interesting, and better hooks you onto the story. You're able to learn about the character's pasts, but the information is never shoved in your face. You're able to use your imagination and think of who each person might be, which adds a mystery and an interest to the film.

The movie is quiet, thrilling and intense all at the same time. However, I think the worst thing this movie had done for itself was giving itself the Cloverfield title. You do know what kind of world these characters are living in which takes away from the mystery a little bit, so you're ultimately left with deconstructing the characters, not the world. Not saying there's anything wrong with that, but that's how it was. Considering the studio has acknowledged that this film doesn't even follow the same plot as the first one, it confuses me as to why it needed the Cloverfield title. It was most likely to draw more attention to this project, but I felt like it hurt it more story wise, even if it did help the movie profit wise.

The finale also felt disconnected from the rest of the film. Although I see what they were going for, I felt like it didn't match up with the rest of the film and it felt out of place. It does a good job of establishing the world that they live in, but there's better ideas in my head of how the ending could've gone down.

In the end, this was a solid thriller with some great performances, and I wouldn't complain if they made another Cloverfield film that was set in the same world.