10 Cloverfield Lane

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 Producer J.J. Abrams described 10 Cloverfield Lane as a blood-relative of the movie Cloverfield. I do want to warn fans of the first Cloverfield not to go into this automatically expecting a direct sequel, because it’s not that. If there was one word I would choose to describe this movie, it would have to be mysterious. I didn’t really know what to expect from this movie. Hell, nobody seemed to really know this movie was coming out until the trailer came out of nowhere two months before the movie was released. You follow Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s character in the movie, and you really only learn things as she learns them. You know what she knows, and that’s it. Winstead makes for a strong leading lady, and I really buy into all of the emotions she feels throughout the movie. John Goodman is equally as good, if not better. He gives a performance that kept me guessing throughout the movie. I never really knew whether or not he was telling the truth or lying, sane or insane. I get the feeling he’s at least a little bit unhinged, and you become legitimately terrified and uncomfortable the more and more you are around him. The movie is a slow burn, which is going to turn some people off already. It worked for me, though. This movie is directed by a man named Dan Trachtenberg. This is his first film. For all intents and purposes, 10 Cloverfield Lane feels like a contained psychological thriller, and the movie is directed with a masterful level of tension. I would also like to compliment the production design on the bunker the main characters are staying in. It genuinely feels lived in, like a home. I do think the ending could have been stronger, though I didn’t hate it or anything like that. Overall, I think 10 Cloverfield Lane is a pretty solid movie that’s worth a look. 

9 / 10