Official Synopsis
After a catastrophic car crash, a young woman (Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World) wakes up in a survivalist’s (John Goodman, Argo) underground bunker. He claims to have saved her from an apocalyptic attack that has left the outside world uninhabitable. His theories are supported by a mysterious stranger who is in the bunker with them (John Gallagher, Jr., “The Newsroom”), but as his increasingly suspicious actions lead her to question his motives, she’ll have to escape in order to discover the truth.
10 Cloverfield Lane is like passing a horrible accident on a highway; no matter how bad things look, you cannot stop staring. It’s a movie that is tense, thrilling and just the perfect amount of uncomfortable. All of it is wrapped into a tightly knit story that is placed into a tightly knit environment. In short, you’re in for an emotional rollercoaster ride that has some roughly planned loops and turns.
Let’s get right into it.
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Act one sets the world of 10 Cloverfield Lane into motion without wasting much time. A young lady named Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) has left her fiancée Ben (Bradley Cooper) after an argument. On the run to ‘somewhere’ USA, Michelle’s flight soon turns to plight when she is run off the road and knocked unconscious. When she awakens, Michelle is in an underground bomb shelter, inside a makeshift jail cell with a damaged knee and not recalling what has happened. Even worse, her captor reveals himself as her savior, Howard (John Goodman), and claims that the world is under attack by some unknown force, which is the reason why she was brought down to the bunker. Right from the get-go Michelle suspects there is more to Howard’s story, though the other cell mate in the bunker, Emmett (John Gallagher, Jr.), tries to convince her otherwise. The act comes to a close when Michelle attempts a brutal escape only to find out there is in fact something severely wrong with the outside world.
The first act crawls a bit, though it never feels comfortable — not one bit. Director Dan Trachtenberg and writers Josh Campbell, Matthew Stuecken and Damien Chazelle do a fantastic job of developing the characters, setting up the situation underground and stirring the pot of uncertainty with whether Howard is a nut job or if he is a nut job telling the truth. Speaking of Howard, let me just say that Goodman’s performance as this character is top notch in act one and never let’s up for the rest of the film. He plays one strange human being in the most perfect of manners, and he drives the film from the first act until the last. Anyway, we had better move on if we intend on getting to the last act sometime soon.
Act two begins with everyone settling down. Howard forgives Michelle for her attack, tries to make peace with her and even opens up a little in regards to his past. In return, Michelle opens up a little, though still keeps a cautious distance. Emmett begins to warm up and get comfortable to both characters. Act two consists of good times, lots of sitting round and incomplete puzzles being completed. The second act ends on a not-so-good note, though. Michelle begins to suspect that some of Howard’s past is either not entirely complete as he states or not entirely true at all. Her fears are confirmed when she finds a clue that leads back to a horrible revelation about Howard. Act two concludes with Emmett and Michelle’s formulation of an escape plan.
Act two is the dip in the story rollercoaster ride for 10 Cloverfield Lane. It falls a bit in tension, but starts pulling up on its tracks for the next great dive. It toys with the emotions of the viewer, much like if a parent opened their arms to hug their child and then quickly pushed them away when they got too close. It’s cruel, but meaningful in its cruelty. It’s sole purpose seems to be that it wants you to think it’s all going to be okay, but quickly let’s you know that nothing is okay. In short, it’s damn gold.
Act three begins with Michelle and Emmett doing their best to find a way out of their underground confinements. I won’t go into great detail of what goes on, as I truly don’t want to ruin it, but just know that nothing goes as planned and the outside world is worse than imagined. Act three caps the actions of the first two acts beautifully. It treats the story right and even goes further than most people expect. It’s a solid end to a film that is ‘insanely’ good (see what I did there?).
Overall, 10 Cloverfield Lane proves that a good story with superb acting, and a small budget, can equal out to an uncomfortably wonderful experience that you won’t want to go through again immediately, but you will go through again sometime down the road. It’s a perfect example of character development, toying with people’s emotions about the unknown and pouring on uncomfortable silences that lead to tense endings. It’s everything advertised through its trailer (imagine such a thing). Not to be missed!
The special features side of things aren’t as big and entertaining as the feature, but they’re good. Here’s what you are looking at:
· Commentary by director Dan Trachtenberg and producer J.J. Abrams
· Cloverfield Too
· Bunker Mentality
· Duck and Cover
· Spin-Off
· Kelvin Optical
· Fine Tuned
· End of Story
Not a tremendous amount here, but it’s good nonetheless. For a $15 million dollar film, I’m impressed there were extras of this caliber. Good BTS footage and fantastic commentary.
