10 Cloverfield Lane

By: John Delia

Being that 10 Cloverfield Lane has been touted as a sequel to the 2008 release of Cloverfield, I thought we would find ourselves where the action thriller left off. Well, I was pleasantly surprised that this chapter surrounds a mystery that had me spellbound from the creative opening to the Cloverfield tie-in. It’s an eerie addictive sequel that captivates and compels as it moves along from one strange scene to the next.

Waking up in a room handcuffed to the wall, Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) realizes she’s being held captive. Moments later, the door gets unlatched and Howard (John Goodman) walks in with a tray of food. Still groggy and puzzled, Michelle resists help from the man. But he’s determined to keep her well and recover from her injuries she received when he found her. So begins a tale that’s mysterious and shocking as the two become at odds with each other as Howard has motives for her captivity and believes the world is under attack by foreign or alien life.

The movie has a lot going for it, especially if you are not really aware of the circumstances surrounding the original Cloverfield. This sequel plays out like a kidnapping and director Dan Trachtenberg keeps his audience in suspense throughout the first and second act. He knows how to thrill by introducing his story slowly as we find out why she’s been brought to the bunker. He introduces a third character, Emmett, played by John Gallagher, Jr. while tightening up the drama and making it even more convincing.

Without giving much more away, the movie really twists and turns as we near act three. The three main actors in 10 Cloverfield Lane are at the top of their game, much like Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay and Sedan Bridgers were in the movie Room. But here it gets more gripping when Michelle tries to escape the bunker in which she’s being held.

John Goodman does an excellent job of turning Howard into a desperate man trying to get Michelle to believe him about the attacks from above. He uses Emmett to back him up on their plight and keep Michelle from trying anything that may harm herself or give their position away to what he calls “the invaders.” Goodman adds a wide range of his skills to Howard. He’s obsessive wanting to have everything go his way, secretive and sometimes very scary when he can’t get his way. In one scene, he even creates a bit a laughter to relieve some of the tension.

10 Cloverfield Lane has been rated PG-13 for thematic material including frightening sequences of threat with some violence, and brief language. Be cautious when deciding to allow immature children see the film as it does have some scenes that are inappropriate for adolescents.

FINAL ANALYSIS: A very good sequel to the film Cloverfield from which the movie was spawned. (B)