"10 Cloverfield Lane" (2016) is a capably written and well performed thriller

Rating: 8/10 (3 April 2016)

"10 Cloverfield Lane" (2016) is a capably written and well performed thriller; it might not be quite worth the high praise it seems to be receiving elsewhere, but I'd still give it an 8 out of 10.
Mary Elizabeth Winstead actually is terrific actress. She has far more to do here than her one-note heroine in 2011's underrated "The Thing" prequel, and she performs beautifully. John Goodman is perfect as a mentally ill, dubious savior. John Gallagher, Jr. does just fine as a good-natured everyman in over his head.
I did think that "10 Cloverfield Lane" ran a little long for its content. This could have easily been an especially well executed episode of a one-hour show like "The Outer Limits" or "The Twilight Zone." It's feature-length format felt a little padded. We don't need the prologue explaining why Winstead's character is traveling. Nor do we need the movie's slowly building character arc for Goodman's "Howard." (We know to suspect his stability from the trailer.)
This appears to have very little to do with "Cloverfield" (2008).