Review of 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) by Tesha M — 18 Jul 2016

The premise is a brilliant idea; after a car crash, a young woman finds herself semi-locked in a makeshift bunker while a man, after offering her food, claims that he saved her from an apocalyptic event, and everyone she knows is dead. Moreover, that man is John Goodman, so good times. There are only two characters remaining, the aforementioned girl plus one more, and both of them are are pretty good.

The premise promises thrills and it doesn't disappoint. There are various exciting scenes inside our claustrophobic setting (a roomy bunker is still suffocating) and the film does a good job of creating new questions in the place of the ones it answers. Alongside the thrills and the mystery, are some genuinely creepy scenes which enhance the experience.

Past the midway mark, some inconsistencies creep in, but they are to be expected in a complicated scenario, so they do almost (almost!) no harm. Also, those of you who are fans of The Walking Dead (like yours truly), will notice a certain soft-core treatment of the (perceived) apocalypse. I would have expected some more radical solutions to certain problems.

Then the time for the climax arrives. And the air from the puffed up chest of the film surges out, because the screenwriter punched it in the guts. Some people may like it, but I found the climax a cop-out that wasted the build-up of the film, and rendered the conclusion utterly pointless.

In general, 10 Cloverfield lane has all the right attributes for success; A great premise, a trio of actors who are a great fit for the role, and enough thrills to keep us from getting bored. The problem is that all that build-up goes to waste. For a man as focused to a proper ending as I am, that is a cardinal sin. If the destination is terrible a better get a fucking good journey. So, perfectly watchable, but do not expect too much. 6.5/10.