Earlier this year, Paramount and Bad Robot dropped a trailer for what was previously slated as either Valencia or Untitled Bad Robot Project. When the title itself was revealed – 10 Cloverfield Lane – it started torrents of speculation. Is it a sequel to Cloverfield? Is it a spin-off? What does Cloverfield even mean for JJ Abrams and company? Well, just a few short months after all these questions were first being asked they’ll be answered as 10 Cloverfield Lane quickly slides into theaters. Director Dan Trachtenberg’s feature length debut is tense, claustrophobic, and has a wry sense of humor. However, it does have its weaker moments, including a committed if underwhelming conclusion. But don’t for a second conclude that 10 Cloverfield Lane is a direct sequel to the 2008 film. These movies are basically tangentially related, occupying a similar world of catastrophic events.
Following some relationship turmoil, Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) packs up her belongings and leaves town. She doesn’t get too far before a sudden crash forces her off the road. She wakes up, chained to a bed with medical aid provided while unconscious. Michelle has been tended to by Howard (John Goodman), who claims to have saved her life following the crash. But despite her pleas for freedom, Howard won’t allow Michelle to leave, stating that an attack has killed millions and the air is contaminated. Also down in the doomsday bunker constructed by the conspiracy enthusiast is Emmett (John Gallagher, Jr.), a local young man who helped Howard construct the survival shelter. Howard tells his compatriots underground that they should expect to be down there for about one or two years. However, it’s not long before Emmett’s trust of Howard is shattered by Michelle’s presence. But the question still looms as to whether or not Howard is right about the fate of humanity or just a broken kook who has completely lost his senses.
As should be expected with JJ Abrams producing, 10 Cloverfield Lane plays like Mystery Box: The Movie. For the most part, this isn’t a bad thing as the script from Josh Campbell & Matthew Stuecken and Damien Chazelle (from a story by Campbell & Stuecken) pulls its characters in some interesting directions, escalating the mystery and tension throughout. At a certain point, though, 10 Cloverfield Lane stacks up too many mysteries to fully resolve them all. Even with its minor faults, a majority of Dan Trachtenberg’s film mines its events for maximum tension in a confined space.
As good as Trachtenberg is at crafting suspense, 10 Cloverfield Lane wouldn’t work if not for the stellar performances of its sparse cast. John Gallagher, Jr. provides much of the film’s comic relief and the empathetic character to ease Michelle into the nightmarish world underground. Not that Michelle needs too much help with anything. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is no stranger to playing badasses as she’s done in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World or the remake/prequel of The Thing. And here Winstead plays a new kind of badass, a sudden survivalist learning on the fly.
The entire weight of 10 Cloverfield Lane hinges on Howard, and John Goodman carries the burden of weight for the entire film. In a moment’s notice, Goodman can go from a towering, imposing figure that threatens violence without saying a word. In the next, he has to be kind and endearing, exuding charm and trust following a moment of tension. The entire film wouldn’t be as compelling if not for Goodman’s seemingly effortless transitions. The resulting performance plays out like a horror film about being trapped in a fallout shelter with Madman Mundt, Goodman’s iconic character from Barton Fink.
The very conclusion of 10 Cloverfield Lane left me underwhelmed, and I predict that this movie will become rather divisive for moviegoers. But just because 10 Cloverfield Lane doesn’t stick its landing doesn’t mean that it’s not a good movie. It’s a movie that features some excellent performances from its cast of three, and consistently builds its tension until just about the end. Dan Trachtenberg has made a strong feature film debut, and will likely be fielding calls for some big projects in the very near future. In the mean time 10 Cloverfield Lane succeeds in most of what it attempts, and is gripping when it works, which is more often than not.
