10 Cloverfield Lane | Film Review

Rarely have I walked out of a theater with an immediate desire to put my thoughts down somewhere right away. But here I am on a school night, roughly 30 minutes after the credits of “10 Cloverfield Lane” with a flurry of emotions flying through my head as I try to recover from the intense rollercoaster ride I just experienced.

First and foremost, do not feel compelled to watch 2008’s “Cloverfield” before watching this film. While I was quite a fan of the found-footage thrill ride that made me look past my intense hatred for “shaky cam”, there’s nothing you need to know going into this one at all. Any similarities or differences really don’t matter, as the film stands perfectly fine on its own.

Although there are three main characters, the plot unfolds from the perspective of Michelle, a young girl who, very early on, ends up in a fallout shelter built by former military personnel Howard and his younger friend, Emmett. Both men explain to her that she has been rescued from some kind of chemical contamination that has taken place above ground and that leaving the shelter would be fatal for all three of them. Michelle suspects foul play, plots her escape, and thus begins an intense mystery as to what exactly is happening.

One standout element of this film’s story is just how quickly it shifts gears on multiple occasions. I found myself questioning everything through every frame of the film. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, I was thrown a curve ball that reset my brain and forced me to start from square one. This is a credit to the writing, especially since I went in with preconceived notions of what was happening (after having seen the first “Cloverfield” many years ago). The fact that I found myself second-guessing myself until the final act was very welcomed, as it’s nice to know that I can still be surprised after my numerous years of watching films.

My only complaint with the story lies with our main character. Very little is known about Michelle’s backstory other than she had a desire to be a clothes designer, yet her resourcefulness, ingenuity and quick thinking seem almost too high level to believe. I’m not kidding, she could give MacGyver a run for his money with some of the ideas that she comes up with even under intense pressure. I know some people complained about the conveniences made available to Matt Damon’s character in “The Martian”, but this takes it to another level.

That’s hardly a problem, however, thanks to the incredible performance by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who completely nails the character. While it may be a cliché to say so, I found myself unable to take my eyes off of her throughout the entire 103 minutes. I could almost see the wheels spinning in her head, as I understood exactly what she was thinking with nary a word of dialogue to give it away. For the first time in quite a while, I felt like I was along for the ride with Michelle as she experienced the horror placed before her. At times, she was almost unrecognizable from nearly every other character I’ve seen her portray. Winstead delivers a vast amount of diversity in this one film, and she’s on par with her much more seasoned co-star.

And what a performance John Goodman delivers as Howard, the overly cautious, conspiracy theory obsessed man-child. He owns this role and gives one of the most earnest performances of his career that ranges from awkwardly meek to rage-filled ferocity. At times, I wasn’t sure whether to root for or against him, and that ambiguity in a character completely supports this plot that’s full of its own twists and turns.

John Gallagher, Jr’s bearded Emmett is an adequate supplement to Michelle and Howard, but his performance was a bit overshadowed by the other two. That’s not to say that he doesn’t deserve to stand next to the other two; it’s simply not a fair fight in terms of screen time. He’s very much a supporting role that’s necessary to keep things moving in the right direction.

What really solidifies “10 Cloverfield Lane” as something that needs to be experienced is the direction and cinematography. Rarely am I convinced from the opening scene that I’m about to experience something special, but that was 100% the case as soon as the title card flashed on the screen. This is Dan Trachtenberg’s first full-length feature, and while I find myself using words like “good first effort” in situations like this, his artistic endeavor in this film immediately puts him at the top of a list of filmmakers whose movies I must see. He uses several unique perspective shots that teeter on the edge of trying to be “artsy”, yet never reaches the point of being obnoxious. Each scene feels so carefully thought out with purpose instead of merely doing it just for the sake of being different.

That’s not to say that the movie is without its faults, but they’re pretty minor. Some of the special effects put a spotlight on its relatively low budget. I also feel that there’s a bit too much that could have been left to the imagination. Let’s just say that is very obvious that Trachtenberg is big fan of video games. While one might think that would be a positive for me instead of a negative, it feels a tad jarring.

But wow, is this movie intense! At times, I felt I had to remind myself to breathe and blink, because I was that transfixed on what I was witnessing. The film made me uncomfortable (in a good way) in many different ways, so much that it felt much shorter than it actually was. With that said, I’m still struggling with how I feel about the ending, which I won’t spoil here. But it definitely left me thinking, and that’s my favorite thing to do when walking out of a theater.

“10 Cloverfield Lane” should be experienced, period. While it’s not perfect, it’s totally worth a visit to your local cinema. It’s amazing to experience so many different feelings from a movie in this particular setting, and I hope many others will check this one out, if nothing more to see what Trachtenberg will do in the future. He’s definitely gained a new fan in me.