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10 CLOVERFIELD LANE (review)

Review by Benn Robbins
Produced by J. J. Abrams, Lindsey Weber
Screenplay by Josh Campbell, 
Matt Stuecken, Damien Chazelle
Story by Josh Campbell, Matt Stuecken
Directed by Dan Trachtenberg
Starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead,
John Goodman, John Gallagher, Jr.

10 Cloverfield Lane is 7/9ths of a good film.

It would be a great film had it had nothing to do with the “Cloverfield” franchise. Or if it had everything to do with the “Cloverfield” franchise.

What is certain is that it never quite knows what it wants to be and I blame that entirely on J.J. Abrams.

What began as, and continued to be, a taught psychological thriller on par with Hitchcock and Kubrick slowly but surely unravels into a schlocky “Hey look I’m J.J. Abrams, and I am wicked clever and you’ll never guess what I am up too,” half-assed attempt to be a filmmaker 100 times better than he.

I might blame the writers or first time director, Dan Trachtenberg, if there was anything said about any part of the production but secrecy and the fact that it was announced only two months prior to release and NO ONE even knew this film was being made makes fingering who is responsible on it’s shortcomings a little hard.

So I turn to it’s producer, Mr. Abrams.

Where the film is a resounding success is with the cast and the actual telling of the story.

John Goodman is a national treasure.

Here is a man who is so good at what he does, he can be the most lovable cuddly teddy bear in the world (Sully in Pixar’s Monsters Inc.) and the scariest goddamned character in the world. (see any Coen Bros film he is in.)

In 10 Cloverfield Lane, Goodman shines. It is definitely one of his best roles and performances and the film is worth going to see for him alone. He runs the gambit from sweet nurturing and protective overseer to psychotic crazed conspiracy theory madman like flipping a switch.

The other two main actors, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and John Gallagher Jr. are great as captives/survivors Michelle and Emmett.

The simple narrative of three people in a fallout shelter during a possible doomsday scenario has been done to death. To sell the story the film makers must rely on the actors and the words coming out of their mouths as well as the motivations of their actions. Without that the believability goes out the window.

Ostensibly the film becomes a three person play. A Who-Done-It, psychological drama with a twist. Each one gathering information about the others to figure out who the other person really is and if what they are saying is really the truth. Basically, an elaborate cat and mouse game. The tension builds till the big reveal.

The problem is, there are like three reveals in this film. Each one gets more and more outlandish and silly till you, along with one of the characters in the film literally say, “ Oh, come on.” in unison.

By making this the “a ‘blood-relative’ to the original Cloverfield”, as Abrams said, you detract from the actual good part of the film and make it more about how it ties into the 2008 monster movie.

Which, in my mind, isn’t a good thing.

I like the original Cloverfield. I think I would have also liked this film 100% more had if had nothing to do with the original.

Go see it for yourself. It is highly entertaining.

Maybe it was all me and I got too caught up in the whole “How does it connect to Cloverfield BS”

Again, John Goodman is a god damn national treasure. Go see it for him alone as he is phenomenal.

The film is a definitely good, however, Goodman should be renamed John Greatman.

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