Director – Dan Trachtenberg (Portal: No Escape)
Starring – John Goodman (The Big Lewboski, O’ Brother Where Art Thou), Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter), and John Gallagher Jr. (Jonah Hex, Law and Order)
Release Date – 2016
Rating – 4/5
Tagline – “Monsters come in many forms”
Sequels can be tricky. How do you follow up a movie that people love and give them an extension of the story? Some go the easy route and toss the same characters in the same situation just like Halloween II, Fright Night II,the entire Subspecies series, and so on. This is a quick way to make some cash and give fans what they wanted. Back in 2008 Matt Reeves directed the film Cloverfield. The film did well among major critics but a good portion of horror fans did not receive the film well. A found footage kaiju film made it unique but horror fans were not satisfied.
Personally, I enjoyed the film and could not wait to see where we would go next. Jump forward 6 years and we have the first sequel in a proposed trilogy. 10 Cloverfield Lane, directed by Dan Trachtenberg, was no ordinary sequel but saying it is not a sequel would be a lie. The film is still set in the universe as the first film but gives us a different story that was unfolding as the first film took place.
**Spoiler Alert**The film begins with Michelle (Winstead) as she is leaving her boyfriend and heading out of town when she suffers an accident. She awakens chained to a bed in an underground bunker. After she wakes up he meets she meets Howard (Goodman). Howard built the bunker and prepared for the worst. He saw an explosion in the distance and rushed home to his bunker when he found her crashed car. He explains everything to her and warns her about the outside.
They think that the U.S. is under attack and try to make the best of the situation, however, deep down Michelle does not trust Howard. She starts snooping around and discovers that he had once kidnapped a local girl and she was never heard from again. She comes up with a plan with Emmett (Gallagher) and is caught by Howard. He shoots Emmett and tries to trap Michelle but she breaks free and is able to leave the bunker where she learns what really happened to the world.**Spoiler Alert**
I was pretty excited when they announced 10 Cloverfield Lane. As I said earlier, I enjoyed the original film and was curious where the story would take us. I had no idea, nor would I have expected, that the story would go the way that it did.
The acting in this one is fucking fantastic. I have been a fan of Mary Elizabeth Winstead since the first time I saw the Black Christmasremake, Black Xmas. She was the only thing that I cared for in the film. Since then I have followed her career pretty closely. Just like every other film, she knocked it out of the park. She was strong, emotional, and did an amazing job. She was perfect for the role and did an amazing job. Her co-star, John Gallagher Jr., did great as Emmett. He lightens up the mood in several scenes and does a great job.
However, he fails in comparison to Goodman and his performance. Goodman has been one of my favorite actors ever since I was a little Blacktooth watching Rosanne. Goodman was absolutely amazing in this film. His performance is intense and he made the film what it is. I never wanted his performance to end.
The story for this one caught me off guard. I was expecting more kaiju madness but the film mixed it up on me. The film follows people living in a bunker after the U.S. is attacked. Those attacks were actually the events unfolding in the first Cloverfield. This was a brilliant approach to the story that gave us what other’s were doing when the attack took place. This was a great way to introduce the viewer to another kind of monster. The film flows like a psychological thriller until the very end when we are tossed back into the chaos of the first film.
Finally, the film does have a few kills that are very boring and lackluster. We get a gunshot to the head kill that takes place off the screen and that is about the bulk about it. The film relies heavily on story and not gore. The film also has some great practical effects that are simple and effective. The end is also full of CGI that left a bad taste in my mouth. It did not match the background at all and left me wondering why a company headed by J.J. Abrams could turn out effects that look that dated. Overall, 10 Cloverfield Lane is one hell of a sequel. It has some great tension and suspense that catches the viewer off guard. The cast is amazing and the film ends with the next step in the Cloverfieldsaga. Check it out!
