Don't Get In a Bunker with John Goodman

Rating: 8/10 (18 March 2016)

10 Cloverfield Lane is the most unique film sequel / follow-up I've ever seen. First of all, it's nothing like its predecessor, 2008's super-fun Godzilla-esque Cloverfield. Boldly choosing to abandon the found-footage that made the original a unique smash, Lane instead leans on monster-sized amounts of claustrophobic terror and intrigue. Much of that stems from the marketing, which in true Abrams form is as opaque as a cloud of kaiju-created debris. How often do we really get a theater experience this shrouded in the unknown? When the enigmatic movie finally unspools, it projects an exceptionally scary good time. Set in a survival bunker below the ground, we are stuck with three characters as they each try and figure out what is and isn't true about their unnerving situation. The mystery is as thick as the doors keeping our characters in, and director Trachtenberg never shows his hand until need be. Masterfully going between surprising moments of humor and sit-up-in-your-chair darkness, it's hard to believe this is his first feature. On top of that, he gets some truly unforgettable performances from the strong Winstead and eccentric Goodman. Given the behind-the-scenes dudes who were part of the creation of this film (Abrams, Cloverfield's Matt Reeves, "Daredevils" Drew Goddard, Whiplash's Damien Chazelle), I was sort of in the bag for this movie. However, a more famous filmmaker looms above them all here, even while having no actual hand in it, as this may be the best Spielbergian movie since Jurassic Park, capturing his sense of awe and terror with aplomb. 10 Cloverfield Lane is admirably daring, crazy suspenseful, and deftly crafted horror-scifi.