10 Cloverfield Lane Review

     Is it a sequel? Is it a prequel? Well...it's neither, really. 10 Cloverfield Lane takes place in the same universe as the original Cloverfield with a whole new set of characters.

     10 Cloverfield Lane tells the story of Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) who mysteriously wakes up in the doomsday shelter of Howard (John Goodman) after a nearly fatal car crash. Michelle is reassured by Howard that she is safe from a widespread chemical attack that has contaminated the air outside the shelter. When Michelle finds out that things aren't quite adding up to Howard's story, she looks to uncover the mysterious situation, with the help of another shelter member by the name of Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.).

 
     This film primarily takes place in the same setting and acts like a small, independent movie in many aspects. We really only get three characters with Michelle, Howard, and Emmett. However the performances of all three keep the audience very much enticed. The standout performance to me was from John Goodman. Seeing him as this creepy yet sympathetic man that you would most likely see on Doomsday Preppers, made the film very entertaining. He nails the role. John Gallagher Jr and Mary Elizabeth Winstead's performances are not far behind though. Winstead's performance felt very much like Sigourney Weaver's performance as Ripley in the first Alien movie but worked perfectly for this story.
     This was first full length feature film of Dan Trachtenberg's career and what a way to kick it off. Often times you will find that good directors get good performances out of their actors and Trachtenberg really got the most out of these three performers. There's also really well done editing and transitions that help the audience to feel just as confined in the doomsday shelter as the characters.
     The score was composed by Bear McCreary and it beautifully adds to the tension within the shelter. It is often times within the forefront of the scene and helps enhance the progression of the story.

      Although the storyline is predictable at times like many thrillers, it is very intriguing for the most part. This film tends to fall apart a tad bit in the third act. Once Michelle escapes the shelter (not a spoiler if you watched the trailer), the ending feels a bit rushed and it seems as though they tried to cram in a blockbuster action sequence when the movie felt small beforehand. The tone just didn't seem to match within the third act. They could have had her escape a bit early and develop the outside world a little more.
     This is just a minor problem with the film and Trachtenberg does a fantastic job directing for his first feature film. The performances are outstanding and this is definitely a film that you should see in theaters.

Rating: 9.1 out of 10