A Great Film, Turned Just Good by a Crappy Ending

Rating: 7/10 (21 February 2019)

There's enough there to earn "10 Cloverfield Lane" 7 stars; for me, that means I liked it. There's no plot. None. And that's fine. It's a character driven story where the viewer gets to decide what to make of each of the characters. Whatever you decide will dictate how you view this movie. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is fantastic; relatable, convincing as Michelle. John Goodman's Howard is as mysterious and eerie as they come, yet to a degree sympathetic at times, adding to the dynamics of the characters and the film as a whole. Emmett perfectly rounds out the trio as viewers tow - the - line trying to figure out whose side he's on. Of course, with "Cloverfield" in the title, aliens are to be expected. The low - budget, limited effects from the beginning are tossed out in the last roughly 20 minutes or so when we're finally introduced to the terror we (or at least I) was sure Howard was making up - cheesy aliens with even cornier effects. The aliens reminded me of the things from Stephen King's "The Mist" movie adaptation and add nothing to the story. Naturally, Michelle is able to fight them off and, we assume, becomes a true badass by heading off to Houston to help in what will be a probable sequel. Am I likely to watch should it come to fruition? Sure, but not with the overwhelming enthusiasm I would have for another suspenseful, character driven, realistic fright.