Quick Movie Review: 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)

2008's Cloverfield was an entertaining movie, but 10 Cloverfield Lane brings entertainment to a whole other level.

Brilliantly written and coaxially directed, you know very early on that it's not going to be a bad film. When the audience has that kind of trust in the filmmakers, it's a very pleasurable experience. Driven by Bear McCreary's very deliberate score, every moment of this film is calculated and poised.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead plays Michelle, a young woman running away from something--a relationship, we conclude. Then, not even 5 minutes into the film, something abrupt happens while she's driving. She gets hit by another car, sending her violently spinning off the road.

In the next scene she wakes up to a prison-like room with no windows. She's chained to the wall. In walks a man named Howard, played by John Goodman. Goodman plays this role how you wish he'd play every role. He's mysterious and crazy and infernal. You're never sure if you should trust him or not. Sometimes you feel like he's okay, but other times he does things that make you reconsider.

It turns out they're in a bomb shelter. There is one other person down there with them--a younger guy, about Michelle's age, named Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.). Howard claims, to Michelle and Emmett's ignorance, that the Earth's air is now chemically contaminated and unbreathable. Michelle and Emmett aren't sure what to believe, but they stick together and have no choice but to trust Howard.

It's like two movies in one. On the first hand, you have a guy who's insane and may be actually kidnapping you, and on the other hand, there could be a possible post-apocalyptic scenario above ground. But it might not matter either way. Just because a crazy guy has a bomb shelter, doesn't mean he's not still a crazy guy.

Director Dan Trachtenberg does a fantastic job in his feature film debut. The movie is almost entirely set in this cramped underground bunker, yet he finds a way to fill all 1 hour and 43 minutes of film without it ever feeling repetitive or boring. We're constantly on the edge of our seats. It's one of the best suspense films in years. Hitchcock would be proud.

Twizard Rating: 100

Quick Movie Review: Cloverfield (2008)

Cloverfield came at a defining moment in viral culture. YouTube was really getting big, and smart phones hadn't even been around for 2 years yet. So give credit to the awareness of the filmmakers, including producer J.J. Abrams, to take a chance on something that spoke to a new generation--perhaps the first film to do so (based off memory so don't get mad if I'm wrong). It was modern and cool and what people actually wanted to see, but not like in a cheap way when some rich old guy says "Ooo, I bet the kids'll really dig this." But in a totally conscious way.

It's a monster movie with a modern flair. Set in New York City (where else?), it features a group of friends trying to escape Manhattan away from this large unidentifiable creature.

The acting isn't the best--save for Lizzy Caplan and T.J. Miller (the latter of the two having his career essentially launched by this movie alone)--but that may have to do with the completely exposed and unrealistic dialogue. It's obvious that the filmmakers chose to focus more on concept and narrative. And that's fine.

During the movie's setup, before the monster attacks, a party is being held to bid farewell to Rob (Michael Stahl-David) before he leaves for a new career opportunity in Japan. Rob's best friend, Hud (Miller), is documenting the whole thing--including the rest of the movie--on video camera, which may be the best decision by the filmmakers in this whole film. Miller arguably carries the movie and provides great comic relief, proving why he deserves to be such a dominant figure in these types of roles these past few years.

Director Matt Reeves does a good job moving the story along and not leaving behind much wasted space. It constantly feels like this is what might actually happen if there were some sort of monster attack.

One allowance you'll have to make, however, is the corny love story amidst all the chaos. Rob convinces his friends to venture back into ground zero in order to save the one-that-got-away, Beth (Odette Yustman). But thankfully Cloverfield never takes itself too seriously. Or maybe it does, but it's so much so that we just laugh and enjoy it anyway.
 

Twizard Rating: 86