I suppose I'll be reviewing the Cloverfield films backwards, but that's okay. This second film in J.J. Abrams' monster universe 10 Cloverfield Lane is an absolute masterpiece in suspenseful and thrilling filmmaking. Expertly utilizing the effect of small spaces and limited but great performances, this film never fails to blow me away each time I watch it. John Goodman leads the cast of these amazing characters, and the close cinematography and editing definitely add to the overall creepy tone of the film.
The main aspects that make this film so great are the performances and story. John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and John Gallagher Jr. are the three main actors and actresses, and because of this limited cast, they were elevated to greatness. The fact that the story took place in a confined space made it so interesting and creative, and this lack of space made for a great focus on the cast. It is apparent that the director of photography and editor were experts of their craft. The difficulty to work with such a claustrophobic area must have been quite the challenge, but they made it work excellently. This might be one of my favorite Goodman performances ever, as he played the subtly sinister protagonist throughout the entirety of the movie. Winstead and Gallagher Jr. were fantastic as well, and brought a lot of fresh life to this franchise. The suspense that was built into this story was definitely the outstanding part of this film, as this was more of a thriller than the other two so far in the franchise. The suspenseful writing made this film so intriguing, and it is great that it was so detailed, or else it would have been two hours of dull dialogue. The backgrounds of the three characters and their overall connections to this universe made for great aspects as well (Goodman's character is the brother of the conspiracy theorist from The Cloverfield Paradox).
Other parts that I adored were the use of sound and the connection to the Cloverfield universe. The sound and silence in this film was very suspenseful, and I believe that is what makes a thriller so exciting. The genius use of sound increased the suspense like nothing else, as well as adding to the creepy tone and characteristics of the characters. I first saw this film in a Harkins Cine-Capri, which with the enhanced audio systems, made for a great experience with a large group of people. Especially in the moment where Goodman's character shot Gallagher Jr.'s character, the entire crowd jumped because of the sound. I had forgot about that particular moment this second time around, and the sound really got to me again. The other part that I love about this film was its distinction from the other two films. One can watch this movie and appreciate it for what it is without having to see the other two movies in this franchise, which is great. It is done very well to establish itself as its own compelling story without having to rely on other films to assist it. However, for fans of this franchise, it is obvious that some things that were going on during this film were connected to Clover's initial attack in the 2008 film. The shaking and sudden booms are meant to be the military attacking Clover but are never exactly explained in the context of this movie. As for the aliens at the conclusion of this film, it only added to the confusion back when this film was released. This was cleared up in this most recent film, however, which tried to explain the existence of all of the monsters and aliens throughout this world. As much as I enjoy this entire universe, I very much appreciate this film's focus on development and a rich story that was not exactly seen in the other two.
10 Cloverfield Lane is an amazing story that does not rely on the others in order to be successful. This movie is filled with great performances and an engaging story which was very critical for this series to continue on into the future.
My Rating: ★★★½
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