A Near Perfect Thriller, However Not Like It's Predecessor

Rating: 9/10 (12 March 2016)

10 Cloverfield Lane is directed Dan Trachtenberg, this being his first film, and stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Michelle, a woman who gets into a massive car accident when leaving her fiancé, and wakes up chained to a wall in an underground bomb shelter. Her captor, or possible savior, is a man named Howard, played excellently by John Goodman, who claims there has been an apocalypse, and that the outside air isn't breathable, so she must stay underground. Also in the shelter is a man named Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.), who also claims there was an end to the world, however he isn't too sure of what's true. Together, Michelle and Emmett must figure out if there was an Armageddon, and, if not, how to escape the madman that has imprisoned them.
This film is somewhat of a sequel to Cloverfield (2008), however some say it isn't. In a way, it is, and the connection bears the only downside to the film, but I'll get into that later. Right now, I'll discuss the positives. The best thing about 10 Cloverfield Lane is the suspense. This movie's is easily one of the most suspenseful thrillers I've ever seen, comparable to some of the greats like Se7en (1995) and Psycho (1960). Much of the suspense is due to the great acting, especially from John Goodman. While Mary Elizabeth Winstead and John Gallagher Jr. did amazing, John Goodman gives one of the best performances of the 2010's. Who knew that Roseanne's husband could play one of the creepiest characters brought to film. I really hope to see him in more roles like this, because he killed it.
Like mentioned earlier, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and John Gallagher Jr. also do fantastic, and aren't necessarily washed out by John Goodman's character. Thank you Hollywood, for finally bringing us a strong, independent female character with Michelle. Rather than some stupid person that constantly needs a guy right next to her for protection and attention, Michelle is strong and can stand alone, and face an evil man such as Howard, without a boyfriend holding her hand. John Gallagher Jr. does really well playing a confused man, wondering whether or not the end of the world is real or not, and whether or not he's being lied to. However, his character, Emmett, isn't really fleshed out all that well. This doesn't really take away from the film, since he's not the lead character. Overall, the movie's about Michelle.
The directing is also amazing. 10 Cloverfield Lane is Dan Trachtenberg's first feature film, and he does amazing. I very much look forward to his future films, especially any thrillers he directs, due to just how suspenseful this movie is. All but 10 minutes of the movie takes place in a tiny bomb shelter, and yet the direction seems to open up the bunker, and make it seem bigger than it actually is. This technique is very impressive, and adds a lot to the film, rather than the location get boring after an hour or so. This actually leads me into the next point, which is the run time. This film clocks in at about 2 hours, and it flies by. The run time feels nothing like 2 hours, and a bit more like 45 minutes or so. I honestly felt like I was watching an amazing episode of some horror television show, and it happened to be astounding.
Now, it may sound like I'm just praising this movie, but there was a big negative, involving only the last 10 minutes or so of the run time. Describing this with no spoilers is going to be a bit hard, but I won't ruin the movie for anyone who hasn't yet seen it. Now, the whole film, the audience, as well as Michelle and Emmett, are wondering whether or not there was an apocalypse or if Howard is just a creepy kidnapper. We find out at the end, and the outcome isn't bad in itself, but it makes another aspect of the film make no sense. Like I said, hard to explain without spoilers, so I'll just leave it at that, and you'll see what I mean when I watch it.
Overall, 10 Cloverfield Lane is a very good movie, and a near perfect thriller, with great acting, including John Goodman's Oscar-worthy performance, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead's great female lead. I'm going to give 10 Cloverfield Lane an A, or a 9 out of a 10.