Review: 10 Cloverfield Lane

When the trailer for 10 Cloverfield Lane mysteriously dropped in mid-January, everyone was confused. What was this movie that was coming out so quickly on the heels of its trailer release? Was this a sequel to 2008’s Cloverfield? The trailer itself didn’t give much away and so we all waited for March. It was a short wait, but a wait well worth it. 10 Cloverfield Lane, while in the Cloverfield universe, is a thrilling, tension-fueled ride that stands all on its own.

The film opens on a girl from Louisiana, Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), getting in her car and running away from her boyfriend, who begs her over the phone to come back. Her runaway plans are on track until she gets in a terrible car accident and wakes up in a bunker, chained to the wall, and greeted by Howard (John Goodman). Howard explains that he saved her life and that there’s been an attack and that the air is contaminated. Only himself, Michelle, and his young neighbor, Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.) escaped.

Really, the less you know about the film before watching, the better. I will say that if you had any qualms about seeing this film because you didn’t like the shaky-camera, monster movie Cloverfield, get rid of those doubts now. 10 Cloverfield Lane has no shaky cameras and no dumb youngsters running around making dumb decisions in an effort to survive.

Instead, Michelle is an incredibly smart and capable protagonist and her quick thinking and resourcefulness immediately make you want to root for her. Each of the three main actors gives a great performance, but Winstead really shines. Michelle is just the right mix of innocence, smarts, and resolve and Winstead plays it all with subtlety. Goodman is terrifying as Howard, a doomsday prepper who seems equal parts captor and protector. When Howard enters a room, you don’t know who you’ll get, and that tension makes him all the more terrifying. Gallagher, almost unrecognizable from The Newsroom under shaggy hair and beard, is the perfect amount of dopey and sweet without becoming a caricature.

The film is fueled by the tension between the bunker and the outside world. Which situation is worse? As things escalate in the bunker, Michelle quickly realizes that whatever’s outside, contaminated air or not, she needs to get to it. The film builds on this tension beautifully and keeps the audience on the edge of their seats while Michelle finds herself in worse and worse predicaments. Perhaps the only detractor is that our protagonist occasionally appears too invincible, escaping against all odds mostly without serious injuries.

All in all, 10 Cloverfield Lane is an incredibly fun watch. Mostly, it’s a story of humanity, and about the complex and nuanced relationships between the three main characters. It asks many questions and (most importantly) answers only some of them. That need to know more mirrors Michelle’s need and by the end of the film, I only wished there was more to watch.