Soft 7 - gripping, interesting characters.. somewhat lackluster finish..

Rating: 7/10 (21 June 2016)

The strongest thing that Cloverfield Lane has going for it is that the acting is good and it's probably a touch better than its predecessor. A TOuch! Maybe not too - I may have to watch this again. My initial thoughts on the original Cloverfield was that it was a 6/10, but after reviews, I up'd that to a 7. This may go the other way. It's close - they're actually 2 really different films - making me wonder if/why they didn't connect them in some way.
The film quickly jumps right into the meat of the subject matter, and overall it doesn't feel as slow or as monotonous as other close-quartered devices.
It is about the middle of the film that we get some justification for the situation; squashing some speculation and setting up what really could have been an epic finish.
Unfortunately, low budget films like "Southbound", "Miracle Mile", or blockbusters like "12 Monkeys" handle similar situations with far more effectiveness in(terms of the ending) than does Cloverfield Lane.
There's a few mistakes in the last 10 minutes that were a bit glaring, and the CGI, for a big-budget film like this, was a little below par.
Fortunately, the rest of the film will keep you interested. It's SUPER early, but 10 Cloverfield Lane looks to be one of those that may, or may not stick around for the Top 25 of 2016.