10 CLOVERFIELD LANE - Updated

(2016) 103 Minutes, Rated PG-13

A.C.'s Review: Several years ago producer JJ Abrams production company Bad Robot surprised film fans with the sudden release of a film kept so under wraps no one knew about it until a couple weeks before it hit theaters. It was called CLOVERFIELD directed by Matt Reeves. Essentially it told the story of a rampaging sea monster tearing  up New York City but the hook was it was told by the point of view of those on the ground. In one of the few successful “found footage” movies the film was a runaway success.

            Jump to 2016 and Abrams has released 10 CLOVERFIELD LANE using the same secretive marketing he used on the first film. Fans hoping it is a direct sequel to the first film will come away disappointed. Those who enjoy a suspenseful mystery/thriller/sci fi hybrid will likely enjoy this entry in what appears to be his attempt to launch a sci/fi anthology franchise with different stories each movie with only the Cloverfield name linking the films. You may recall John Carpenter tried this when he released the Michael Myerless HALLOWEEN 3: THE SEASON OF THE WITCH. Fans revolted when there was no Michael and in the fourth film the blank masked killer returned. Will this happen with the sea monster dubbed “Clovie” by fans…stay tuned.

            Back to the this film…a young woman played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead (star of the excellent prequel film THE THING in 2011) has a car accident (or was it?) while fleeing from the breakup of a relationship. She winds up in a bunker owned by Howard (John Goodman) and at  first finds herself chained up. Howard explains that there has been some sort of lethal attack outside his survival bunker and they cannot leave or they will die from whatever is contaminating the air. Also in the bunker is a young man Emmet who helped in the construction of the bunker and fled to it when the attack started.

            The film’s central mystery in what is the nature of the attack, did it even happen and is Howard hiding some very dark secrets?. The woman Michelle finds herself in the frightening position of not knowing if she is safer inside the bunker or outside the bunker.

            My reviews tend to have big spoilers in them but in this case since the film is based so much on mystery I will say no more. My overall assessment was it was a lot more interesting than most of the films I’ve seen lately but I find myself in the camp who wishes this were a direct continuation of the first movie with the Cloverfield monster running amuck.

Best Scene: Michelle making shocking discoveries when she accesses a different location in the bunker to try and get the air supply working.

A.C.'s Rating: MATINEE

Bean's Review: Surprisingly, better movie than expected.  With only 3 characters, limited sets and no special effects until the end of the movie, the acting is what kept your attention.  Wow, what a concept…to actually have actors, act and not depend on special effects and continual fight scenes to draw the audience in and keep their interest.

John Goodman plays a very convincing “bad guy”.  However, with the good storyline and the acting, I was not totally sure until more than half-way into the movie, if he was really bad.  He is!

Mary Elizabeth Winstead also acts well, in that one is not sure if she has the determination and strength to save herself.  She does!

You get attached to John Gallagher, Jr.’s character, but, once again, I was on the fence as to whether he was “in” on the abduction of Winstead’s character, or just an innocent guy.  Unfortunately, for his character, he was a good guy.

The end of the movie is a bit anticlimax and weird.  To finally escape and then encounter goofy aliens, just did not fit into the storyline.

Best scene:  When Goodman, Winstead and Gallagher are playing some sort of charade game and Goodman is giving the hints as to what he is and Gallagher is becoming unhinged because he thinks that Goodman knows Winstead’s and his secrets to escaping (Goodman is Santa Claus)

Bean’s Rating:  Matinee