In 2008, producer J. J. Abrams and director Matt Reeves treated audiences to a highly secretive, unknown and mysterious monster film titled "Cloverfield". Filmed on a rather small $25 million budget, the film went on the gross $170.8 million worldwide and was well received by critics. Famed critic Roger Ebert thought "Cloverfield" was "an effective film, deploying its special effects well and never breaking the illusion that it is all happening as we see it". Ever since the film's release in theaters, people have been wondering if a "Cloverfield" sequel will ever been greenlit. Rumors and talks have been circulating the Internet for a while until the project went almost no where... Or so we thought. On January 15, 2016, J. J. Abrams and Bad Robot Productions revealed the trailer for "10 Cloverfield Lane", which is meant to, what Abrams called, "a blood relative" to the original film. The film's trailer and the film's production came out of no where and was a shock to all of us movie fans who have been waiting so long to see a "Cloverfield" sequel. But since it is not entirely a sequel or a continuation, what exactly is "10 Cloverfield Lane"?
"10 Cloverfield Lane" stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman and John Gallagher, Jr., and is directed by first time director Dan Trachtenberg and produced by J. J. Abrams. The film centers around a woman named Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) who, after a fatal car accident, finds herself in an underground cellar where a survivalist, Howard Stambler (John Goodman), claims to have saved her life and tells her that a chemical attack has ravished the planet, making it uninhabitable. Not sure what to believe herself, Michelle does everything she can to learn the truth and figure out a way to escape. Sitting in that theater once this rollercoaster ride of a film came to an end, I couldn't breathe. My heart was pounding and my chest was burning. I can honestly say that "10 Cloverfield Lane" is master class suspense filmmaking. The tension that builds and builds in this movie is behind phenomenal.
For some of us, Mary Elizabeth Winstead may be one of the best scream queens in recent memory, after starring in films like "Final Destination 3", "Black Christmas" and "Death Proof", and here is no exception. Although the scares and frights here are not death or a murderous stunt drivers. Winstead as Michelle is our main lead and we, as the audience, view this world through her eyes as she frantically tries to set herself free of this terrible situation. Winstead, as usual, delivers a natural and engaging performance as Michelle, who is an intelligent, cautious and troubled young woman who will stop at nothing to learn the truth and escape. The "chemistry" that her and John Goodman have is really what makes this film great. Winstead's effortlessly natural acting takes front and center in "10 Cloverfield Lane" and she was able to gracefully carry [most of] the film's weight on her shoulders.
While Winstead delivered a strong and natural performance, John Goodman as Howard Stambler felt to me like a literal force of nature. His sheer size and commanding presence gives his survivalist character a unique edge. Many other films would make this character a pervert or a rapist but I'm glad to see that "10 Cloverfield Lane" doesn't go for that old cliche. His intentions are unknown but we, as the audience, are able to see multiple sides of him, creating a fully realized and captivating character. As said before, the "chemistry" Goodman and Winstead share on screen truly does make this film great as it leads to so much unforgettable scenes of great tension. It definitely is hard to talk about Goodman's character in detail without spoiling anything but I will say that he delivers an Oscar-caliber performance that will quickly get under your skin and make your heart race every time you see him appear on screen.
The one wildcard "10 Cloverfield Lane" had would have to be John Gallagher Jr. as Emmet. I couldn't quite grasp what kind of a character he would be from the film's trailers but Gallagher played Emmet perfectly and was able to naturally sink into the character with ease. The innocently gullible blabber mouth character created many important and engaging moments and provided the film with a different kind of charm that was very welcomed. Because Gallagher is not as big of a name as Mary Elizabeth Winstead or John Goodman, it must have been easy for many audience members to see him slip into the character of Emmet without any preconceived notions on how he may play the part.
Since the debut of the film's trailer 2 months ago, many people have been wondering what the connection is between "Cloverfield" and "10 Cloverfield Lane". To put it simply, "10 Cloverfield Lane" is the spiritual successor to the original and acts as an expansion of the universe. It is not a sequel to the 2008 film nor is it a prequel or a remake. "10 Cloverfield Lane" provides us with brand new characters, brand new settings and brand new stories. While there are some connections to the original "Cloverfield", it is best to see this film as a separate entity. Abrams explains, "This movie is very purposefully not called 'Cloverfield 2', because it’s not 'Cloverfield 2', [...] So if you’re approaching it as a literal sequel, you’ll be surprised to see what this movie is. But while it’s not what you might expect from a movie that has the name 'Cloverfield' in it, I think you’ll find that you’ll understand the connection when you see the whole thing."
While the basic story of "10 Cloverfield Lane" isn't anything ground breaking or new, what the filmmakers were able to do with the simple idea of having 3 people stuck in a bunker is what made it special. Although it's a story I have seen before in the past, experiencing "10 Cloverfield Lane" felt extremely fresh and new. Because of its well paced storytelling, accompanied by many lot of twists and turns, and suspenseful moments, "10 Cloverfield Lane" almost never lets you take a breath, exhausting you with situation after situation [in the best way possible]. By the end of the film, you will be sitting in your seat trying to maintain your breath. In an age when horror films are made cheaply and lazily, it's so refreshing to see a non-horror film create actual sequences of terror and anxiety.
What amazes me about this film is how well made it is. For a film this small in scale, it would have been easy to shoot a film with sloppy editing, uneven pacing and bad/mediocre acting. Thankfully, Dan Trachtenberg, making his directorial debut, and writers Josh Campbell, Matthew Stucken and Damien Chapelle (writer/director of "Whiplash") managed to pull off something most horror directors of today have failed to do for years: create actual tension. The film is handled in a very old school fashion, which allows the film's slow burning tension to build and build into something massive. Of course, producer J. J. Abrams had a lot to do with this creation of this film and his fingerprints are all over it. Like most of Abrams' projects, not knowing anything about the film is the best way to watch it.
Before I wrap up this review, I just want to remind everyone to stay away from spoilers as much as humanly possible. Do not Google or look up how the film ends because it will definitely ruin the entire movie going experience for you.
What can I say? This was an outstanding picture. It's smart, carefully executed, well-paced, sharply directed and brilliantly acted. Abrams has provided us with the film equivalent of Pandora's box. What lies inside is tempting but dangerous. The nail-biting suspense accompanied with outstanding performances from the entire cast made this film an instant modern Hitchcockian classic [with a touch of sci-fi]. As a sucker for science fiction and thrillers, I couldn't help but love this amazing film. I give "10 Cloverfield Lane" a perfect 10 out of 10. EVERYONE GO SEE THIS FILM NOW!!!
Go see it in theaters in DLP and IMAX today!
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