10 CLOVERFIELD LANE
Paramount
2016 Color
105 Mins.
Horror/Sci-Fi/Thriller
Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman and John Gallagher star.
Written by Josh Campbell, Matthew Stuecken and Damien Chazelle
Directed by Dan Trachtenberg
Rated PG-13 for language, violence and gore.
Trust me do yourself a favor and don't try and find out what happens in this film before you see it. It will greatly affect it's surprisingly innovative execution. Even though the less I tell you the better off you'll be I'll briefly explain the setup. Centering on a young woman, Michelle played by a very strong Mary Elizabeth Winstead who at the beginning seems to be running from something. Well on the road she falls victim to a horrific car accident. When she awakens she finds yourself chained to a wall with a tray of food in front of her. Moments later her Captor Howard played by a very creepy John Goodman enters and explains to her that there was some sort of attac on the outside world and that he saved her life. She of course questions him right off the bat as any good heroine would do. But after some events she believes his story and then it begins to unravel and the horrifying truth is finally exposed. Along for the ride is another man he let Into the Bunker one of his neighbors Emmett played by a very Charming John Gallagher Jr. I won't say what happens in the film's third act only to say that it's absolutely worth the wait. Although this is being marketed as a sort of sequel to Cloverfield it's absolutely its own beast. First-time director Dan Trachtenberg fills the film with nail-biting suspense and a thick atmospheric dread. The three central actors all give solid performances and add a surprising amount of depth to their characters. The standout performance of course goes to John Goodman completely out of character here and and doing a damn good job scaring the shit out of us. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is so impressive as the final girl. Her character is strong right from the get-go but becomes so Kick-Ass and self-reliant it's hard not to clap out at her every action. The culmination of events is truly shocking and leaves promise for one hell of a sequel. Still what stands is an extremely satisfying genre film that is entertaining, sweaty palm inducing suspenseful and increasingly creative as it moves along. My only complaint is that I wish it all would have just been a bit scarier especially considering the surrounding events. That being said 10 Cloverfield Lane is the best genre film to come out in quite some time. ****.25/5
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