10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) Movie Review

Rhoda

So, I finally watched 10 Cloverfield Lane and I have to say that I was a little more than disappointed. To start, the first ten minutes (or what felt like it) of the film was drowned out by music as the story began. It isn’t that I was offended by the music, it’s just that it went on for way too long. 

The story itself begins with the main character, Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), having some sort of argument with her fiancé and she leaves her home. While driving, she’s involved in a car accident and wakes up in the bunker with Howard (John Goodman). She thinks that she’s been kidnapped, but he tells her of the attack above them he saved her from. The third person in the bunker, Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.) tells Michelle that he witnessed the attack and thinks it’s safer in the bunker. 

They soon find that Howard is an odd character, but gradually warm up to him. At some point, Michelle and Emmett discover something which gives them reason to believe Howard kidnapped another girl and possibly killed her there. Michelle and Emmett devise a plan to fashion a suit allowing one person outside into the air they believed to be toxic. However, Howard catches on to what they were doing and shoots and kills Emmett. 

Michelle finds her way to the outside and is discovered by aliens of whom she quickly destroys. The film ends with her deciding to drive to a hospital where others are fighting the aliens. The very last shot is of a mailbox falling to the ground with the address 10 Cloverfield Lane written on it.

Overall, sounds like potential for a good film, right? Yes. Until you ask the question, “What does this have to do with Cloverfield?” And that is, for me, where it fell apart. The only indication of Cloverfield was on the mailbox.  This would have been a good film had it solely been based on a crazy man who abducted people and kept them in his bunker and the woman’s plight of trying to escape him into a possibly more dangerous unknown situation.

This film only brought up new questions for what seemed to be a completely different storyline and world. I have read that possibly, its inspiration was The Twilight Zone. But if that was the case, why try to tie Cloverfield and 10 Cloverfield Lane together? 

On a good note, the acting was pretty good. I’m a fan of John Goodman and have never seen him in a role like this and I was super pleased. Would I watch this again? No. But I am slightly curious as to what storyline the sequel will follow. Because yes, there will be a sequel. So, until then…