A Contained Thriller (That's Somehow Related To "Cloverfield")

Rating: 8/10 (12 April 2018)

I'm going to be judging this film as a standalone movie, not as a "Cloverfield" movie.
A movie with this contained environment and small cast of characters really has to have good performances for it to be able to work. And it does. John Goodman gives a delightfully off-kilter performance that constantly makes me second-guess whether or not his character means the others harm. Mary Elizabeth-Winstead also gives a good performance as a girl in Goodman's bunker. But like other movie heroines, she's not a complete idiot. Her character is one smart cookie, which is relief to see in a movie like this.
I also want to mention how good of a directorial debut that this is. Dan Trachtenberg previously directed the short film "Portal: No Escape", which I highly recommend (you can find it on YouTube). This film is very claustrophobic and masterful for this feature film debut.
My only gripe with this film is its placement in the "Cloverfield" series. I really don't see how exactly this is a "Cloverfield" movie. None of the theories that can be made really stick, and that kind of bums me out (however, it's not as infuriating as "The Cloverfield Paradox").
Other than that, "10 Cloverfield Lane" is a movie that you should DEFINITELY watch.