Is that a face you could trust? What if your life depended on it?
A young woman named Michelle wakes up following a car crash to find herself in an underground bunker with an IV in her arm and a shackle on her leg. Her “host” is a socially awkward and intense man named Howard, who claims to have saved her not just from the wreckage, but from the end of the world which supposedly commenced shortly after her accident. The only other resident of the bunker is a young man named Emmett who was hired by Howard to help construct the premises, and invited himself inside once whatever it is that went on topside started happening.
10 Cloverfield Lane pretty much makes do with those three characters and that single setting. The thrust of the story is split between two central mysteries: What, if anything, actually happened on the surface?; Also, is Howard merely a creepy doomsday prepper, or something more sinister? The film is smart enough to keep us guessing on both counts through the first two acts, gently leading us in one direction or another before eking out new information to make us second guess our assumptions. Michelle, plaid very ably by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, immediately expects that the most likely scenario is the truth – namely that Howard is full of shit and intends her harm. An early escape attempt reveals that things aren’t as simple as they seem, and from there it’s a bit of a roller coaster ride, albeit not at a roller coaster’s pace.
I’ve not yet seen Cloverfield, but I really enjoyed this movie (and from what I gather, watching the first installment is not at all necessary). John Goodman’s performance as Howard is a force to be reckoned with, and really anchors the whole film. He plays menacing and sympathetic in equal measures. Winstead also does a good job as Michelle, but that character is merely a cipher for the audience to put themselves into her situation. There is a thin attempt at an arc for her, set up by an early conversation with Emmett, but it feels very writerly and not organic to the story. The films biggest strength remains the way that the mysteries play out and set up the thrilling third act. I won’t give anything away, but it is worth your time to find out.
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