10 Cloverfield Lane

War of the Worlds meets Saw in this thriller, horror, mystery, science fiction, war film that has nothing to do with the original Cloverfield. Starring that guy from Roseanne and that girl from ScottPilgrim Vs the World.

There is not much to say about this film. It follows a fairly simple plot, has decent characters arcs and ends in a predictable but satisfactory way. I was surprised to find, then, that once the credits rolled I felt disappointed and not entirely sure why. After putting some thought to it, I came to the conclusion that this film was mediocre for a handful of small reasons.

Firstly, the film title. Following in ‘Batman VS Superman’s footsteps, the title misleads you. A sane person would think it has anything to do with the original Cloverfield film (which is basically sci fi Blair Witch Project). A sane person would be wrong. It shares no characters (aside from the monster that appears 5 minutes from the end), no cinematic techniques, pacing or plot lines. It may as well have been called 10 Elm Street for all the connections that it made. Of course Hollywood knows sequels sell better than new intellectual property, so despite any correlation, we get this. While you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, you probably should name it after its contents.

Let's play a game Michelle. It's called 'never give a
straight answer to simple questions'.

This movie is the jack of all trades, master of none in terms of genre. While based during/ after what is portrayed as a war it lacks any scene containing a battle, so the war genre definitely falls short. It could be considered science fiction, but only for the last 10 minutes when an alien actually gets some screen time. It is somewhat a mystery whether John Goodman’s character is good or crazy, though this is spoiled halfway through the film. The only horror is the fact that no character gives straight answers to simple questions, and thrillers are generally thrilling. By trying so hard to satisfy all genres, it fails to meet any single one. Simply put, it lacks direction.

While the plot is quite concise and simple, it also lacks any real villain. The audience is introduced to Howard (John Goodman) as something of a monster but grows to accept him in an odd Nightingale effect sort of way. The threat of the elements outside the bunker are also made apparent, but it is quite difficult to be afraid of a silent killer Earth. It turns out Howard was being a good (though a little maniacal) guy and nothings wrong with the climate outside. We are introduced to the real villain, the aliens in the last 5 minutes. It is worth mentioning too that the plot is oddly twisted at times in order to create suspense or intrigue. Michelle awakes to being locked to a pipe, only to be given the key in the same scene. She is shown all weaknesses of the bunkers security, only to be banned from exploiting any of them. She is introduced to an image of Howard’s missing daughter, only to be provided with convenient evidence that she was abducted by Howard. It’s like riding in a pot holed road in a car without suspension, and by the end you are sick of hitting your head on the roof.

10 Cloverfield Lane contains the components to be a good, even great film, but lacks the sense of purpose to connect the dots. While it may deliver some intriguing characters and plot points, any attempt at suspense/mystery feels forced and always falls short given the lack of any real antagonist. In all honesty I didn’t want another Cloverfield film, but this...sequel?.. leaves a bland taste. I give it 4/10 Saw dolls.