A young woman (Michelle) has a car accident after having a fight with her fiancé. She wakes up in a survival bunker built by a conspiracy theorist named Howard Stambler. He and a young man who helped him build the shelter ( Emmett) believe that the end of the World has happened and everyone on the surface is dead. Michelle is unclear if she has been kidnapped or saved by her host, and every clue she comes across only leads to more questions. Her journey to find the truth is filled with incredible suspense and unusual turns that pushes her emotional sanity to the breaking point.
Cast:
Who will like this Movie
If you are looking for this to be a sequel to the 2008 movie "Cloverfield", you will be disappointed. If you go in looking for an intense, suspenseful thriller, then you will be incredibly satisfied. It has some elements of "After.Life" with Liam Neeson and Christina Ricci. And most of the movie takes place with minimal characters in an enclosed space, which is reminiscent of the very first "Saw". It also had an element of "Signs" to it as well. It's definitely a thinking movie for more mature audiences.
Phantom Thoughts
So here's the thing....J.J. Abrams went to a lot of trouble keeping this movie a secret. So much so, that no one even knew it was being made until about 2 months before it's release. There is a reason for that. And I am not about to ruin that, even after it's been out in the theaters. I WILL being giving my opinion on the spoilers, but not until the very end of this review....and with many warnings before I do. So feel free to read on.....for now.
The one question everyone was asking was "Is this a sequel to the 2008 movie 'Cloverfield' ?". The answer is not a spoiler. The answer is no. Even though they have similar titles, the two films are not connected (at least, not on the surface). But there is a tie-in that I will get into later. And the other reason would be that the two are about a different way of viewing these types of movies.
Now to the essentials of the matter: John Goodman was BRILLIANT as the role of the conspiracy theorist: Howard Stambler. When you work on a big movie, it's easy to hide sub-par acting (Hello, Kristen Stewart in 'Twilight'). But in a small movie, taking place in a small, confined area, the acting better be fucking brilliant. Both Goodman and Mary Elizabeth Winstead nailed it to the wall. No knock on John Gallager Jr., but his role was not as important. See, John Goodman keeps you guessing throughout his whole performance as to whether he an over protective pessimist whose worse fears have come true, or a broken kidnapper who has cracked. Same goes with Winstead. She is not the "damsel in distress" of your normal horror movie. You don't question her actions, in fact, you hope that you would be smart enough to make the same ones. And you are as confused as she is on what is the truth.
These things are what made the original "Saw" so good. Both were not dependent on big special effects or major gore. But the suspense and great story were what made them riveting. Same as the before mentioned (and much smaller in popularity) "After.Life". Liam Neeson plays a mortician and Christina Ricci plays a car crash victim. Liam's character says he can "speak" to the dead which is why he can communicate with Ricci, who refuses to believe she's dead. And the whole movie is the journey to find out which is correct.
OK.....here's where I talk about the big reveal and plot twist of the movie. So if you haven't seen it, stop reading now.
SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
I MEAN IT......STOP SCOLLING UNLESS YOU'VE SEEN THE MOVIE
You've been warned!
I'm not kidding.......
Fine. I think I have been more than fair. If you are still reading, then I will take it that you have already seen the movie. I take no responsibility for revealing any secrets from this point forward.
So this is a space alien movie that has different creatures than the one in the original "Cloverfield". Which right away lends you to believe that it's not connected in any way. Ehhhhh......not so fast. One thing that Howard says is that he worked for a satellite company. Bold Futura is seen on letterhead in the bunker, and we already know that a satellite from Bold Futura is seen crashing into the ocean at the end (or actually beginning) of "Cloverfield". So this COULD be a tie-in.
So why do I mention "Signs" in the Who will like this section? Because there is a connection. Yeah, yeah, I know....there was a HUGE gapping hole in the plot of "Signs". But aside from that, they both had a very unique way of looking at an alien attack. See, most movies follow a character or chain of events that explains EVERYTHING to the viewer. They set a story and guide the viewer through it. But in both "Signs" and "10 Cloverfield Lane" it's more like you really were in the middle of an alien attack. I mean, especially out in the rural parts of the country....how would you know what was going on? You wouldn't. That's the point. These movies put you in the middle of it....with very little information and even less knowledge of what to do. It also helps to put your doubt on whether it's actually really happening or not. I love that aspect of these movies.
Until next time, see you in the center seat!
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