dir Dan Trachtenberg cast Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman, John Gallagher, Jr.
Michelle (Winstead) leaves New Orleans after a phone argument with her fiancee Ben (encountered by the viewer only as a voice on Michelle's cellphone - the voice is supplied by Bradley Cooper). Driving through the Louisiana countryside, she is injured and knocked unconscious in a car accident caused by something we don't see. When she comes to, she is lying on a mattress on the floor of a cell-like room chained to the wall with an IV in her arm. Her captor turns out to be Howard (Goodman), a gruff man who quickly unlocks her, gives her crutches, and eventually lets her out of her cell. He also tells her that they are in an underground bunker that he constructed and that they cannot leave because there has been an "attack" perpetrated by unknown parties (Howard mentions the Russians and "Martians" as possibilities) that has left the outside uninhabitable, either through chemical contamination or nuclear fallout. Michelle doesn't believe Howard at first, being convinced that she heard a vehicle outside, but the only other occupant of the bunker, a young man named Emmett (Gallagher), confirms that he saw signs of an attack before pushing his way into the bunker just as Howard was closing the door. Later, during an aborted escape attempt, Michelle sees evidence that Howard is indeed telling the truth and accepts that she will have to stay in the bunker for a year or two until the outside air is breathable again.
Howard, however, is controlling and jealous and Michelle and Emmett discover revelations about his past which indicate that he may be dangerous, even mentally unstable, and again call the truth of his account of the situation into question. The two begin to plot an escape.
10 Cloverfield Lane began life as an original script which J.J. Abrams purchased and adapted into a sort-of sequel to his 2008 film Cloverfield, about a giant monster attacking New York City. Thankfully, 10 Cloverfield Lane is filmed as a straight third-person narrative and does not use Cloverfield's "found footage" narrative method. 10 Cloverfield Lane is a masterful horror/suspense film, much better, in fact, than its predecessor, which you don't need to be familiar with to understand this film. As Michelle slowly uncovers more information about who Howard really is and what happened in the outside world, we share her anxiousness and this makes for a compelling and suspenseful viewing experience. What's really going on here?
All three central performances are very good, with Winstead's and Goodman's work particularly outstanding. Winstead, an actress who I was vaguely aware of, but had never seen in a major role, was a revelation, at least to me. Her transformation from a frightened and bewildered victim to a resolute (and physically strong) agent of her own destiny is put over with complete conviction and is eminently believable. Goodman also does a great job. Howard at times seems like a basically rational and somewhat friendly, if gruff man, and at other times seems dangerous, even psychotic. Goodman takes a character that could have seemed like a scriptwriter's contrivance and makes him seem like a plausible human being.
Though 10 Cloverfield Lane garnered mostly positive reviews, I was shocked to find that many critics who did not like the movie criticized the ending as anticlimactic or disappointing. Although I did feel this way about the ending of Cloverfield, I found the ending of 10 Cloverfield Lane to be extremely satisfying and I don't understand how anyone could see it as anticlimactic. It does leave open the possibility of a sequel, but even if one is never made, I think it's just fine as a way to leave this story.
10 Cloverfield Lane is an excellent film. It's thoughtful, intelligent, suspenseful, and scary, with a main character that you can really root for.
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