While 10 Cloverfield Lane retains the same title as a previous monster film, there are very few if any similarities between the two movies. Although some of us might call this information rich background tension such as what was that sound outside? The fact that it has been set in Cloverfield universe works well with the intention of making it tense. However, even though I enjoy its setting within the context of explosive scenes and beautiful acting by John Goodman and Mary Elizabeth Winstead, 10 Cloverfield Lane is just a standalone thriller.
The movie begins with Michelle (Winstead) driving away from her boyfriend Ben’s place, portrayed by an unseen Bradley Cooper. This thought-provoking, sudden car accident causes nervous giggling among those watching it at my cinema hall because it is marked by the name of the production company and film’s title.
She wakes up to find herself locked up in Howard’s survivalist bunker; a giant man played by John Goodman. According to him, they were ‘attacked’, hence bringing about poisonous air outside but luckily enough Michelle and Emmett his neighbor survived due to his years’ worth of preparation for a hypothetical ‘end-time’.
Michelle and Emmett must decide whether or not they fit into Howard’s world of paranoia. As director Dan Trachtenberg does here marvellously all throughout is play with Michelle (and consequently our) sense of safety. At times the underground seems like a safe haven protecting everyone from things that might be there or otherwise whilst other times it feels like a tight cell in which we are held captive by a crazy person who is becoming more insane every day.
Even when Michelle seems to get some confirmation about what happened outside, this whole time Howard remains uncomfortable around us. John Goodman gives one of his career best performances here which many feel makes him perfect for such roles – he can bring out both tenderness and genuine inventiveness in a character while still expressing outrageously exaggerated concerns about home-making. He loves it, going on about how he likes his “prollems” and actually moving his gigantic body in time with the jukebox’s beat.
However, there are few moments of comfort. More often than not, Howard is a controlling and explosive presence who cannot understand either of his two hostages. This game ends poorly due to Howard’s inability to think of Michelle as anything other than a little princess or girl; meanwhile the sound made when Michelle’s door creaks open creates panic since we all know that Howard could be right behind it – a moment away from entering her room.
Winstead and Gallagher create an impressive ensemble with Goodman. John Gallagher Jr.’s gentle southern drawl adds something more pleasant into what would otherwise have been a rather tense group dynamic while Winstead herself stands out for being dryly humorous yet tenacious woman who has some agency unlike the silly characters in Cloverfield (2008). 10 Cloverfield Lane picks up steam largely due to Winstead whose final scenes feel completely hysterical from beginning to end with those explosive set pieces expanding her world.
The Verdict
10 Cloverfield Lane is a fantastic directorial debut for Dan Trachtenberg. Although its story is smaller than the one in Cloverfield, it remains just as effective in terms of terror and excitement, emphasizing again that human beings can be scarier than fangs and suckers.
Watch free movies on Fmovies
