A surprisingly tense and well-written movie, this sequel easily surpasses the original

Rating: 8/10 (13 March 2016)

I was skeptical about the new Cloverfield going in. The first movie was good, but not great, and it's rare that a sequel is as good as the original. Coming out, however, it was clear that not only is 10 Cloverfield Lane a clear step above the original, but also a great movie in its own right.
While clearly set in the same universe as the original Cloverfield, 10 Cloverfield Lane is a very different beast altogether. It uses a completely new cast of characters, is pretty much set in one location, and forgoes the found footage style of the first one for a more traditional direction. While I thought the found footage was fine in the first one, it definitely wouldn't have worked well in this one.
Basically, the plot is about a woman (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), who after being in an accident wakes up trapped in a doomsday prepper's (John Goodman) survival shelter with another man (John Gallagher). There is also a cameo by Bradley Cooper. Goodman's character warns that there has been an attack and that the three of them must remain in the shelter for an indefinite amount of time. As you can guess, the situation in this bunker soon turns south. All three give strong performances. This is clearly the best performance of Winstead's career, and the never disappointing John Goodman also gives one of his better performances. Like his character in Barton Fink, Goodman does an excellent job of playing a character who, while not outwardly evil, clearly has something off about him. With only three characters and one location, the performances alone carry this film a long way.
That being said, the script also doesn't disappoint, which is penned in part by Whiplash director Damien Chazelle. All three characters are well developed, and while some plot points are predictable, the well-written script never lets the audience know exactly where the movie is going.
10 Cloverfield Lane is a tense and exciting movie definitely worth checking out. It's admirable that in this sequel this get smaller rather than bigger (the actual budget is even less than the first). I think this film could become a sleeper hit, and is a must-see for fans of John Goodman or the original Cloverfield.