Very well directed, but cheapened by clear corporate interference !!!

Rating: 7/10 (21 June 2017)

What I liked:
1. The Direction - Based on this film, I have to say Dan Trachtenberg has an inherent sense of crafty visual storytelling that really impressed me. I always find a filmmaker's ability to express feelings and emotions and also proceed the narrative with visuals instead of dialogue, extremely remarkable. I found that flavour of Hitchcock- esque 'pure cinema' in '10 Cloverfield Lane'. The opening to this film is wordless and we don't get to hear a single word out of the protagonist Michelle's mouth till about the 9th or 10th minute mark, but the director manages to say a lot during that sequence with just the camera. Trachtenberg's use of camera movement is fluent and expressive(reminded me of the camera movements in 'Don't Breathe'), his ability to generate and raise the tension in specific scenes is uncanny and he also has the ability to get exceptional performances out of the actors.
2. The acting - We get marvellous performances from Mary Elizabeth Winstead and John Goodman. Winstead completely pulls off the task of portraying a character who goes through a spiritual and behavioral transformation over the course of the film and Goodman is exceptional as the wild card who remains a mystery throughout the film.
3. The script(for the most part) - The film's core concept, though not new or original, is still refreshing due to Trachtenberg's handling of the material. An undeniable claustrophobia, paranoia and dilemma is always lurking around the corner in every scene in '10 Cloverfield Lane'.
What I did not like:
THE LAST 15 MINUTES - '10 Cloverfield Lane' is a clear example of a film that can be divided into 2 parts - the part made by a filmmaker which is approximately the first 85 minutes and the part made by a studio committee which is approximately the last 15 minutes. In order to make a direct connection with the original 'Cloverfield' film which was merely tangential up to that point, the film takes a turn for the absurd and does exactly what it managed to avoid till then, which is become bloated and ridiculous in an attempt to emulate big budget, effects heavy, commercial studio films that the world gets inundated with. We get this laughably over the top action sequence which betrays the restraint that ornamented the rest of the film. The final sequence genuinely did put me off to some extent and came close to souring some of the goodwill of the film in my mind. The concept of Michelle outgrowing her fears and making a bold decision could have been executed in a much more subtle fashion which would've been appropriate for the film as a whole.
Although the finale is disgustingly plastic and hollow, I can't ignore Dan Trachtenberg's brilliant visual storytelling, tension building and crafty handling of the film and I also can't ignore the remarkable performances on show and it is these elements that make the film worth a recommendation.