Note: It should go without saying, but it's open season on 10 Cloverfield Lane spoilers in this post and its comments.
It's crazy to think that eight weeks ago, we didn't even know 10 Cloverfield Lane existed. Almost a decade after surprising audiences with the trailer for the secret monster pic Cloverfield (and reaping substantial box office rewards for that particular bit of marketing savvy), J.J. Abrams and Bad Robot pulled off that magic trick once again for with the hush-hush trailer drop for 10 Cloverfield Lane. But did the movie itself live up to the marketing hype?
After all, 10 Cloverfield Lane was never meant to be a Cloverfield movie. Touted as a "spiritual sequel" and "blood relative" to the original, 10 Cloverfield Lane was originally scripted a low-budget thriller by the name of The Cellar that was scooped up by Bad Robot when they saw the opportunity to attach a brand and a high concept ending. Unfortunately, that cut and paste process is apparent in the film, resulting in two parts that don't feel whole. On the upside, both parts are pretty damn cool.
The bulk of the film, the "The Cellar" portion, follows Mary Elizabeth Winstead's Michelle when she wakes up after a car crash locked in a bunker with John Goodman's Howard and John Ghallager Jr's Emmett, who tell her that an ambiguous attack has devastated the world outside. Smart, determined, and crafty Michelle is one of those knockout "female protagonists" so many filmmakers seem to have trouble with, making the audience eager to root for her and she navigates the audience through the film's unfolding series of character reveals that constantly level-up the stakes and leave you guessing. Almost ever element of this portion of the film works well: the performances are genuinely excellent all around, with Goodman reminding the world that he's a cinematic force, and director Dan Trachtenberg nails the tension and delivers some legitimately brutal moments through the quiet unease.
Unfortunately, the "Cloverfield" portion of the film feels tacked on. Once Michelle escapes the bunker and meets the "monsters", it no longer feels like the same movie. It's actually a great third act, and Trachtenberg proves he can deliver tension through action as well as he can through pacing, but it doesn't quite work in context and that makes the marketing misdirect a bit difficult to swallow. 10 Cloverfield Lane essentially has nothing to do with Cloverfield, so the title is nothing but a branding movie and an attempt to build a new franchise. Watching the movie, I could feel how calculated it was. All told, 10 Cloverfield Lane is two part of two great movies that amount to a lesser whole. It's still pretty good, but The Cellar would have been better served as its own film, and Cloverfield fans would have been better served by a film that was designed for them, not just marketed to them.
Now, that you know a whole bunch of my opinions, I want to know what you guys thought. Did you feel led astray by the marketing campaign, or do you think Cloverfield works as a brand? How did the two parts of the film gel together for you? And most important, how excellent was John Goodman? Sound off the comments below.
In case you missed it, be sure to check out Matt's full review and color in the details of the (super slim) Cloverfield connection with my recap of everything you need to know from the 10 Cloverfield Lane ARG
