A Novel Slant on the "Woman-in-Peril" Genre

Rating: 8/10 (12 March 2016)

I enjoyed this movie while I watched it but found it ultimately unsatisfying.
I am not a fan of the "Woman-in-Peril" genre. In this genre some sadistic guy has control over a young woman and the suspense is whether or not a team of investigators can save her in time. Meanwhile, the audience gets occasional, lurid scenes of her fear and suffering, and of the sadist's twisted personality and unpredictable behavior.
In my opinion, the less concentration on a woman's suffering, the better the genre. On the other hand, if the woman shows great self-reliance and intelligence in the face of danger, then that will enhance any movie within this genre.
What makes 10 Cloverfield Lane a very superior version of this genre is: excellent acting on the part of John Goodman, great self-reliance and intelligence on the part of Mary Winstead, and the novel slant of an ever-changing mystery concerning the overall situation
The movie is also within the Sci-Fi genre. Before I saw this movie I noticed that some reviewers said that the movie was terrible until the end while others said it was wonderful until the end. I found it strange that those who liked the first 90% of the movie disliked the last 10% while others, who disliked the first 90%, suddenly liked the remaining 10%. After I saw the movie I understood perfectly why this was the case.
Since I do not want to give anything away, let me just say that the movie does contain a Sci-Fi element but the two genres are very poorly integrated with each other.
If you enjoy Woman-in-Peril suspense movies, then you should definitely see this movie. If you don't like Woman-in-Peril and you wanted mainly to see a Sci-Fi movie, then you will be disappointed (even though there is definitely a Sci-Fi element in it).