An intense experience - from start to almost-finish

Rating: 8/10 (28 April 2016)

Spoiler Free Area: If you haven't seen this movie yet, I urge you not only to watch it, but watch it without prior knowledge. Don't read a description of the plot, don't watch the trailer, nothing. Just go and see it. So I'm not gonna go into detail about the plot of the movie, and just describe my experience.
Right from the get-go, this movie got to me. Intense doesn't even cover it. Beautifully made from every angle - from the camera work to the perfect soundtrack - everything was spot-on.
John Goodman probably delivers his best performance, at least in my opinion. Nuanced, delicate, perfectly balanced - just wonderful. The same applies to Mary Elizabeth Winstead. I loved her character, her resourcefulness, her strength. A delight to watch.
**Spoilers from here on:** The only thing that knocked this movie from a solid 10 to a (still very good) 8, is its ending. I feel like this movie should be 10 minutes shorter. The entire ending - the aliens, the spaceship, that Independence- Day-ending, it just felt like it was taken from a different movie. Why not leave a more open ending? Why give a definitive answer to the question 'Did something really happen'? I found myself thinking - 'Why is this movie still going?' Think about it. How great would it have been had Michelle taken off her home- made gas mask, taken a long breath... roll credits. THAT movie wouldn't have left me for weeks. But... it's still a solid ending, and an intense, powerful, creative movie. Loved it, loved it, loved it.
8.6/10