Good in the moment even if not hugely satisfying overall

Rating: Null/10 (2 July 2016)

Like the film Cloverfield, I only heard of this film from a trailer seen recently, and decided to give it a go despite knowing very little about it. This is how the film wants it, and how it works best; it does this itself from the start where we learn a little about Michelle but there join her in her disarray and unknown circumstances. Not knowing the picture outside the bunker or really inside it either, means that mostly you are intrigued by either. The use of music and direction within the bunker does owe a lot to Lost – in particular its juxtaposition of dated domesticity against a bigger picture of unknown dangers (maybe) – and it does work even if it is a bit familiar.
Mostly though it is the performances that make it work. Winstead and Gallagher are solidly convincing, but it is Goodman that feeds the tension. The old adage 'just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not after you' applies here, and his character is unsettling in the detail. The inner and outer stories don't totally satisfy in their specifics and their end-points, however just as the trailer works to hook you in, the film is good in any specific moment. Unfortunately those moments don't all work as well as one another, and they don't come together into a satisfying whole as you may wish.
In the end it does have the feeling of a well-constructed product, which benefits from smart casting, writing, production, and marketing – but not necessarily story-telling. It was still entertaining as I watched it, but it didn't really leave a lasting mark, and it isn't really inspiring a second viewing now that I know what it holds