Bad Robot takes a thriller movie and tries to market it as a "Cloverfield" sequel... strange but good

Rating: 9/10 (28 August 2016)

"10 Cloverfield Lane" has one shot that references its prequel. That shot is 2 seconds of a street sign. The street is called "Cloverfield Lane." That's it. Suffice to say, those hoping that "10 Cloverfield Lane" is a movie that answers all the lingering questions from "Cloverfield" are woefully misguided.
"Cloverfield" is a great movie. It's a found footage perspective on an alien monster that destroys New York City. "10 Cloverfield Lane" drops the found footage thing... and the monster thing as well. Instead, this movie follows a woman named Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) who gets in a car accident and wakes up chained to a wall in a doomsday bunker. A mysterious man named Howard (John Goodman) tells her that there has been an attack on the USA and they must stay underground to survive. A younger man, Emmett, (John Gallagher, Jr.) complicates the interpersonal dynamic within the bunker. As time passes, questions arise about all the characters' past lives and what, in fact, is going on outside. Has there been an attack at all, or is Howard holding two people in a cell to live out some sick fantasy he has? The tagline "Monsters come in many forms" is perfect for this movie, because its antagonist is not a 100ft tall monster, it's just a man.
I'm not sure if this marketing move is genius or stupid... this is a 15 million dollar movie with almost no effects that made more than 100 million dollars. It achieved this by riding on the coattails of a popular movie from a decade ago. If this movie was called "The Cellar" (the script's original title) certainly fewer people would have seen it. The good news is people went out and saw a good movie. The bad news is that Bad Robot will probably try to follow up this movie with an out-of-place sequel. At the worst, we end up with a Cloverfield Cinematic Universe. With the name Cloverfield attached to this film, we can also throw any Oscar hopes out the window, as the Academy probably isn't going to take it seriously.
Enough with marketing- what makes 10 Cloverfield Lane so good? Well, for starters, the entire movie is tense. Michelle knows nothing when she wakes up from the accident, and neither does the viewer. As Michelle pieces together clues and figures out what is going on in the bunker, the viewer is sleuthing with her every step of the way. The characters in the movie are all smart, and it's fascinating to watch the mind games they play with each other as the mystery unfolds. Nobody, including the viewer, knows who to trust.
All the action in the movie is very well set up and executed. Throughout the movie, the purpose of seemingly every item in this small bunker is established to the viewer. When our three characters have an inevitable physical fight, they use their surroundings in very savvy ways that are satisfying to watch.
Other than that, the dialogue is written very well. There is a memorable personal scene between Michelle and Emmett in which they talk about their past and their regrets "pre-apocalypse." These characters feel human and are fleshed out by the stories they tell.
The score is also haunting and the sets are well made and fit with the movie very well. The acting is great from all parties, particularly Goodman, who gives a great performance while the viewer tries to understand his character.
Even with the odd marketing, 10 Cloverfield Lane is a must see. It is tense and very well-made from top to bottom. Marketing aside, watch this movie, even if you didn't like Cloverfield.