Chilling, tension-filled spiritual successor to Cloverfield

Rating: 8/10 (10 March 2016)

It was 2008 when Matt Reeves and producer J.J Abrams blow audiences away with their found-footage hit 'Cloverfield, a film that reignited the found footage genre. This year, first-time director Dan Trachtenburg brings us a supposed sequel that was kept a secret for quite some time before finally making its way on the media. Embracing on a solid technical scale and a gripping atmosphere, this spiritual successor formulates a whole new direction while concealing a relation with its predecessor. Instead of fostering a cast of characters fighting to survive against on a terrifying, large scale disaster orchestrated by a giant monster the size of Godzilla, this film sizes down on a trio of characters confined one single room. The film stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Michelle, a young woman leaving her home to escape from an ill relationship with her boyfriend. On the road, Michelle is unexpectedly injured in a car accident and thrown off the road. She wakes up in an underground bunker sheltered by an old farm owner Howard (played by John Goodman) and his bearded colleague Emmett (played by John Gallagher Jr.) who vows to protect her from the widespread terror of what he believes is a doomsday event that lies in the outside world. Before too long, Howard's strange behavior leaves her questioning whether she is safe, or has just stepped foot in another bad situation.
This film is not quite everything you may expect from watching the trailer. Unlike the first film, the found footage style is not used as this film takes place primarily inside the bunker. So the setting is designed to give viewers a genuine sense of claustrophobia, and it definitely suites the tone of the story. And with the decent cinematography, sound editing, and the typical J.J Abrams-style visuals setting the picture, viewers are blessed with some well crafted scenes from the start to end. The film progresses through plenty of scenes gleaming with powerful suspense and palpable tension that dares to leave viewers holding their breaths and leaning at the edge of their seats. These scenes embrace such a tense, heart-pounding atmosphere enough to keep viewers engaged with the characters and story. Nearly every scene is unpredictable. From near beginning to end, it becomes a terrifying showcase where you almost frequently have to remind yourself you're not one who is trapped in that confined space. While the pacing is slow at some spots, it builds up to its gripping climax at the end where the story's connection with its predecessor begins to shine a little light. Mary Elizabeth pulls off her role as the main character, but the biggest gem comes from John Goodman playing Howard, a performance so strong, if appropriately terriyfing it keeps the story moving. John Gallagher Jr. is pretty decent here as well. These actors excel at making their characters believable in every sense.
10 Cloverfield Lane is a fantastic spiritual successor to 2008's Cloverfield, and probably one of the best suspense thrillers to be released in a while. This movie is very well shot with sweet cinematography, nicely directed for a first-time filmmaker, and brings grueling suspense to keep viewers at the edge of their seats. It should come to no surprise that there are some notable connections to the original Cloverfield, but I'm not gonna give them away. Overall, even if you haven't seen the 2008 film, this film is still worth an experience.