Review by Adam Winn, Staff writer
“10 Cloverfield Lane” is a loose sequel to the 2008 film “Cloverfield,” and the term “loose” applies because, though this movie may exist in the same universe as the other one, it is a complete stand-alone film. Filled with an endless supply of suspense, drama and action, this new film is not only astounding, but even surpasses its predecessor as a unique, captivating work of art.
The plots starts off with a woman named Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) packing up and moving her belongings out of the apartment that she and her fiancé shared. It’s revealed she does this because of an unknown fight the couple recently had. Not long after, she ends up in a car wreck that causes her vehicle to flip off the road. As soon as she wakes up, she finds herself in a nearly empty room, with her right foot handcuffed to a pipe.
Soon after, her captor reveals himself to be a man named Howard (John Goodman). He informs her that they are inside an underground bunker near his farmhouse because an unknown, apocalyptic event has taken place outside. He further states that the world as it used to be is gone. She then discovers that another man named Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.) is also living in the bunker. He confirms that a disastrous event has taken place outside but isn’t exactly sure what has happened.
Uncertain of what to think, Michelle tries to resolve whether what she is being told is lie or if something truly catastrophic has transpired outside and is preventing them from being able to leave the bunker.
A couple of months ago, no one knew that this film even existed. The film’s cast and crew did an excellent job at keeping this movie and its plot top secret, much like what was done with the first film. Audiences will enjoy this because they will go into the film having no idea what is going to happen or what the story is actually about.
As mentioned before, this picture is a stand-alone film, separate from the first “Cloverfield” movie, so the viewer doesn’t need to have seen the first one in order to understand or appreciate this one. While the original is essentially an action/monster movie, this new film is more of a suspenseful mystery.
This flick is jam-packed with twists and turns, so even when the audience thinks that they have the plot figured out, they usually don’t. The viewer discovers things at the same time as the characters do, which allows the story to have a good build-up that, in turn, keeps the viewers’ interest peaked.
The cinematography has a claustrophobic vibe to it, which helps set an unnerving sentiment for the audience. It also makes the spectator feel as if they are actually there, trapped in the bunker like the rest of the characters.
The entire cast deserves a round of applause, not only for keeping the film a secret, but for their individual character portrayals. Winstead did an amazing job playing the lead role. She makes the audience truly sympathize with her character and the newfound circumstances in which she finds herself.
Goodman, however, stole the movie with his outstanding portrayal as a socially-awkward man and the audience can never tell if he’s actually a good guy or if his character has ulterior motives.
This new film is more than what meets the eye. Theatergoers looking to watch a movie that will keep them thoroughly entertained from the first scene down to the very last one are sure to find this more than enjoyable. “10 Cloverfield Lane” is a rare movie experience and is one that audiences will certainly not want to miss.
that of the teenage-daughter Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy) who appears to be an innocent girl trapped in circumstances outside her control. She becomes the scapegoat for her religious family to blame all of the transpiring events going on around them.
As far as horror films go, “The Witch” is subpar at best. The flick has unnerving background music and menacingly, disconsolate scenery that help set the mood, but otherwise the rest is just a letdown.
Critics from sources such as, “Rolling Stone” and the “Washington Post” have given the film positive reviews for being “terrorizing” and “unique.” Nevertheless, just because this so-called “horror” picture is different from the other genre-related films that have been released lately, doesn’t make this particular movie exceptional, especially when compared to classic films, like “Halloween” or “The Shining.”
If the viewer wants to watch a film that has few disturbing moments and some respectable acting performances, then this is a good film to check out. However, if the viewer is expecting to be frightened or looking forward to seeing something truly spell-binding, regrettably the audience