10 Cloverfield Lane is a movie where even the characters are not sure what is going to happen next.
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Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) decides to pack up all of her things and just leave town. She is driving at night when all of a sudden she gets hit by a car and ends up on the side of the road. She awakens some time later attached to a wall not sure where she is or why she has been taken there. A man named Howard (John Goodman) comes into her room one day, says he saved her and that the world up there is now uninhabitable because of some kind of chemical attack. As she gets freed from her chains and begins to walk with crutches she meets Emmet (John Gallagher Jr. ) and they begin a strong friendship. The bunker appears to have everything they all could need and it seems like they will be living in there for a good long while. For a while things are great and life couldn’t be better, but over time Michelle cannot shake a strange feeling she has about Howard. When she finds an ominous message one day her fears only get stronger. What type of person is Howard really? Should Michelle and Emmet trust him? And what really is going on outside of this bunker?
10 Cloverfield Lane is not your average film. It can be hard to follow what is really going on, and most of the time the two younger people don’t seem to understand what is going to happen next. The cast all do a wonderful job playing complex characters and brought out a stellar performance by John Goodman in a role that this writer didn’t see coming. Without giving anything away it is unlike anything that I have seen him play before and there are a ton of dimensions to his role that don’t really come into focus until the final scenes. The soundtrack was wonderful and played music that was feel good and joyful all from a simple jukebox in this small safe haven. The movie will mainly keep audiences guessing about not only what is going on but when the villain comes to light they are sure to be on the edge of their seats.
10 Cloverfield Lane does have some faults though. It is not a simple narrative but instead is one that weaves along at a slow pace therefore making it difficult to understand what is going on most of the movie. It also got annoying for this writer that when things seemed happy it was obvious that these moments were going to be short lived. The worst thing about 10 Cloverfield Lane though was the ending. It came off as rushed and almost appeared to be put together at the last minute. Not only did it seem out of place, but for this writer it didn’t really make much sense. Definitely not one of the best thrillers to come out in recent years and this won’t be a movie everyone will like.
10 Cloverfield Lane gets 5.5/10. Even though there are some good things about this thriller overall once it is all over it leaves more questions than answers. When the threat appears on the screen it looked cheap, weird and there are not many words to describe what they are even supposed to be. The performances do help make this an alright movie but are not enough to make it a must see film. The movie is mainly filled with tons of suspense, a bit of comedy, and many moments that just are there to add intensity to a picture that otherwise would have come off as dull or boring. For all of these reasons this writer thinks it is not worth seeing, but that is only my opinion.
If you are in the mood for a thriller then this is the film to pick. For those who enjoy suspense and mystery they will like this movie. Yet for those who want to see a really amazing movie this is not the one for them. 10 Cloverfield Lane comes out today.
Check out the suspenseful trailer here: