Tense & Engaging!

Rating: 7/10 (29 April 2016)

The second film in the Cloverfield franchise, '10 Cloverfield Lane' is a Tense & Engaging Sci-Fi /Psychological Thriller, that is diverse & much more engrossing than its first-installment. This one's a claustrophobic ride, with a Fantastic Performance by The Ever-Amazing John Goodman.
'10 Cloverfield Lane' Synopsis: After getting in a car accident, a woman is held in a shelter with two men, who claim the outside world is affected by a widespread chemical attack.
'10 Cloverfield Lane' is Sharply Written by Josh Campbell, Matt Stuecken & Damien Chazelle. The tense proceedings are expertly written, as you do feel for the lady in trouble. The claustrophobic mood (the film is set in a bunker), is eerie, but suits the film well. What I was particularly impressed by was the flow of the narrative. It slowly warms up & ends on a strong note. Of course, I personally thought the end would be a bit different, but it still works. The Writing is solid, at most parts. Dan Trachtenberg's Direction is marvelous. He has handled the tense as well as the dramatic moments, with flourish. Jeff Cutter's Cinematography creates the claustrophobic mood, most aptly. Stefan Grube's Editing is well-done. Art & Costume Design are first-rate. Graphics are good.
Performance-Wise: John Goodman steals '10 Cloverfield Lane'. The Legend is Magnificent in a role, that is perhaps, his scariest till date. We've seen Goodman be intimidating before, but his turn here, is undoubtedly his creepiest to date. Academy, are you hearing? Mary Elizabeth Winstead does very well as the protagonist in trouble, delivering an arresting performance. John Gallagher, Jr. is superb & adds some light moments in the otherwise tense proceedings.
On the whole, '10 Cloverfield Lane' gets most of it right. Its certainly worth a watch!