Do yourself a favour and see 10 Cloverfield Lane

Rating: 9/10 (10 March 2016)

When 10 Cloverfield Lane was announced a few months ago, I had the same reaction that everybody else did: what the hell is this and how have I not heard about it before?
When rumours broke that it was just a regular movie that was slapped with the Cloverfield brand in post production for marketing hype, I was less than thrilled. I expected a very cynical cash grab.
I am incredibly grateful to have been proved wrong.
First things first, this is NOT a sequel to the 2008 Cloverfield. It is a standalone film in its own universe. Like the original, 10 Cloverfield Lane crosses between horror and science fiction, with a very strong psychological thriller element throughout.
If you were expecting a direct sequel, complete with the Clover monster and the creepy parasites, I'm afraid you'll be rather disappointed.
I admit that it was wrong of Bad Robot to never come out and explain what the film really is. Throwing around terms like "blood relative" or "spiritual successor" just caused more confusion and imbued a false sense of hope that the original monster would show up at the end.
SPOILERS... he does not.
However, what you will get instead is a brilliantly crafted film with the perfect tone. It honestly gave me one of the most enjoyable theatre experiences I've had in years.
When it's meant to be scary, it's scary. When it's meant to be funny, it's funny. And when it's meant to be balls out crazy, it's balls out crazy. I was smiling the whole way through, loving every second.
The performances were terrific. John Gallagher, Jr gave Emmett the right kind of charisma with a genuine thoughtfulness.
As I'm sure everyone has heard by now, John Goodman was exceptional. His role as Howard was incredibly gripping, intense and also lighthearted. Walking the fine line between sane and insane, Goodman never faltered and kept the audience guessing who the character really was.
The real standout here was Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who channelled Sigourney Weaver in Alien during the entire film. Her ability to show genuine fear, confusion, cleverness and strength made her character instantly likable and relatable.
Unfortunately, I'm worried that the title will hurt the film's success. I loved the movie from beginning to end and I'm a fan of the proposed "Cloverfield anthology series", but it would have been safer to keep the original working title of "The Cellar" to avoid any misunderstanding.
From a business perspective, having Cloverfield in the name would generate significant buzz and probably bring in greater box office numbers.
However, if word of mouth spreads that it's not "Cloverfield 2", angry fans could avoid seeing it out of spite.
But I'm imploring you... just because this is not Cloverfield 2 doesn't mean you shouldn't see it. It's a great movie that subverts your predictions, surpasses expectations and never stops being entertaining.
Do yourself a favour and see 10 Cloverfield Lane.