Arrived on time and in great condition thank you

A few years ago, ‘Cloverfield’ was released. If you missed it, it was one of those ‘found footage’ films where everything is shot by the point of view of one really annoying character who won’t put the camera down no matter how much danger comes their way. Sorry, I digress. I really don’t like the ‘found footage’ genre. I find it cheap, annoying and just downright implausible. It was because of this that – despite ‘Cloverfield’ being a massive hit, I hated it. A giant Godzilla-like alien monster started rampaging through a major U.S. city and the story was about a small band of survivors fleeing the area. One of them had to film the hold experience because… I don’t know. I just remember getting really frustrated with the film because he wouldn’t stop filming even when his leg was being eaten by little monsters. Anyway, it was because of that which meant I wasn’t that bothered about seeing this sequel. Only it’s not a sequel. Or is it?

For a start it’s not ‘found footage’ any more (hooray!) and we meet a girl who gets into a bad car accident on the way home. She’s dragged from the wreckage by good ol’ John Goodman who takes her home and they live happily ever after. Only joking. He’s actually a paranoid nut-job who built a ‘perfect’ survival bunker just in case the world should happen to end and he wanted to go on living. So, our heroine wakes up there, injured and a little frightened. Especially as Mr Goodman won’t let her leave. The closest she gets is the reinforced steel door where she can look out over the stricken world. Only it’s not that stricken. It looks quite normal, but Goodman swears that there’s enough fallout out there to nuke a cockroach from the inside out. So, she’s trapped, with no idea what’s happened. Can she get out? Should she, even if she could?

Anyway, because most people have either seen, or are aware of, the first movie with the giant monster etc, we assume something bad has indeed happened to the rest of the world. Only this film doesn’t really follow on from the original ‘Cloverfield.’ So, the longer it goes on, you wonder whether you’re actually watching a sequel at all, or another film that has sort of piggybacked off its name/fame and has created something different all together. ‘Cloverfield’ was a big budget monster/horror movie whereas ’10 Cloverfield Lane’ is small, low budget and confined to the bunker for the whole time.

And, in my opinion, it’s the superior movie by far. John Goodman is excellent as the paranoid nutter who is probably the last person you want to be stuck on Earth with and you’re rooting for our heroine to escape (assuming there’s a world left to escape to!). It’s more psychological horror than giant-monsters-crushing-New-York-horror and it’s all the better for it. I hear that some people weren’t too keen on the ending, but, even if you hate it, you should hopefully enjoy the preceding 90% enough to just ignore the very last few scenes. I wouldn’t watch Cloverfield again, but I’d definitely watch this in a few years time.

Back in 2008, the found footage movie [[ASIN:B0014E9174 Cloverfield [DVD]]] snuck up on people, nobody knowing anything about it till the trailers first came out.

Eight years later, the same production company pulled the same trick with 10 Cloverfield Lane.

Michelle [Mary Elizabeth Winstead] is a lady who runs away from problems. At the start of the film, she is doing just that once again. When her car goes off the road. She wakes up in a room seemingly the prisoner of Howard [John Goodman]. But then finds he's actually saved her life. They are in his underground bunker. An attack has left the world above uninhabitable. There's another man there called Emmett. And there's enough in the bunker for the three of them to survive.

They just can't go above ground. Or they will die.

All seems fine, and bunker life begins affably enough. But Michelle is increasingly suspicious of just how much she can trust Howard...

Not a found footage movie. Not a monster movie of the traditional kind. This is a three hander character drama suspense movie that plays out over a limited number of sets. But when you let good actors get good character roles and focus on that, the results are good. As happens here. The movie is very suspenseful, as you really have no idea what will happen next. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is a reliable actress and delivers again here, making Michelle a character you can root for. John Goodman also turns in a superbly unpredictable performance.

Things proceed in this fashion for a very watchable first two thirds of the film.

Then it goes another way.

Hard to say too much more without spoilers, but the rest of the film does finish off a very solid character arc. And reveal more about the title. Those who wanted more of the same as in the original will be disappointed, but this is the best kind of sequel. One that does something completely different from the original. And yet does connect with it.

But ultimately it's an entertaining watch, and worth a look.

The dvd has the following language and subtitle options:

Languages: English.

Subtitles: English, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish.

The disc goes straight into the menu screen when loaded without any trailers or ads.

Extras:

A commentary from the producer and the director.

Three featurettes:

Cloverfield Too. An eight minute overview of the film. Since it's a few minutes longer than these usually are, it manages to be more in depth than the usual promotional featurette, so it's a good watch.

Bunker Mentality. Three minutes about the movie sets.

End of story. Two minutes about the last act of the film.

Both of those two are short, but pretty good viewing.

A very good movie. John Goodman steals every scene he is in - he should definitely be cast as a lead more often. Growing up I watched him in Rosanne, as I'm sure many did, and while I thought he was good I didn't think he was movie star material. It is seeing him in a few minor film roles, and then this, which has finally convinced me otherwise. The female lead, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, is also very good, she bears a resemblance to someone in the first film, which confused me at first, but they are different people. I don't want to take any credit away from her, she was essentially flawless, it's just that John Goodman is special, and I'd really like the movie industry to make the most of him while he is still among us.

The story was very good, very intriguing, and the way the characters responded to events are very realistically written - every character makes sense. However you have go into it without any expectaction that you will understand more what is going on in the wider world during these events - I am sure most people know what they are, but I don't want to give anything away. You have to remember that the first Cloverfield is about people coping with a disaster and the nature of the disaster is secondary to the journey the characters go through and their interpersonal relationships, so this film is very much in keeping with that. I love science fiction, and the more sci-fi elements included the better, but just through good writing and acting they found a way to keep me enthralled without giving me everything I ask for.

The only reason I am not giving this 5 stars, is that it has essentially been done before, by the first Cloverfield, and so anyone familiar with that film will know the twist. I think it would have been better if this film had been released first, as it contains less detail about what is happening in the wider world, so in that respect this film is a step back from what you learn from the first film. Therefore if you are only wanting to watch this film to find out more, you will be disappointed, I have no doubt about that.

A brilliantly executed film - my only criticism being that seeing the first film first.

enjoyed

It caught some flak for being billed as a science fiction film when that aspect is secondary (it vaguely ties into the original 'Cloverfield' film), and avoid if you're expecting two hours of CGI, witless dialogue and explosions. It is however a very well written, brilliantly acted, nicely paced suspense / psychological thriller that (being produced but not written or directed by J J Abrams) is tight, has continuity and holds together well. This compensates for the slight predictability, brought on by the name of the film as much as anything else. John Goodman's captor, Howard, is brilliantly executed and well rounded with real depth. Despite being the antagonist in a claustrophobic setting, he never gives into the temptation of playing a cartoon villain, and has and almost childlike innocence which draws you in, keeps your interest and challenges you by at times by engendering a degree of sympathy. Mary Elizabeth Winstead's Michelle and John Gallagher Jr's Emmett are likeable characters and most importantly for a film like this, react and behave in ways that are plausible - you could imagine yourself doing the same things in their situation. Emotional resonance and plausibility (especially in farfetched situations) are elements badly lacking in Hollywood screenwriting today and very welcome. Not a perfect film, but highly recommended.

A great sequel to the movie [[ASIN:B0014E9174 Cloverfield [DVD]]]. This movie is very different to the first film- They have ditched the found footage part and it is not as action packed. But I still loved it.
I thought it was weird at first but as the movie progressed I thought it was superb! It is about a women who was in the countryside and had a car accident. She wakes up in a bunker with a man (John Goodman) who claims he saved her from an "attack" that has wiped out many people. The movie had me on the edge of my seat and many things that we didn't know from the first film are revealed. The music by Bear McCreary makes it very creepy and also the song "I think we're alone now" is very good. There are a few shocking moments that make you jump.
Mary Elizabeth Winstead and John Gallagher jr are both great actors and John Goodman is great in the role of Howard. There is a choice of commentary and also some interesting special features such as "Cloverfield Too", "Bunker Mentality" and "End of story" - I never realized that this was the directers first film!
Is it worth the money?
With great acting, shocking moments, good special features and secrets being revealed I would definitely recommend. Even if you haven't seen the first film it is still a good watch.
I can't wait for Cloverfield 3 that is said to be arriving in October 2017 called "God partical."

(10 Cloverfield Lane)
This movie has nothing to do with the (2008) Cloverfield, its a totally different film altogether, the story was pretty good, the acting was spot on and with (John Goodman) it was even better. It had a nice feel to this movie with great suspense throughout, the film was well thought out and gave a good tone of a survival feeling to it. You need to step the first movie ASIDE, it has nothing to do with this amazing movie.

(The Plot) - (SPOILERS ALERT)
A girl wakes up to discover she is in a BUNKER, a man down there says he saved her from the pandemic disaster that accrued outside, she does not know if she should believe this guy, but can she take the risk to go outside. He has tones of survival stuff in the bunker even home appliances such as TV, dvd's, Music Player, and much more, another guy also lives in the bunker and he helps the girl try and escape thinking the guy who brought them there is a MENTAL CASE......... They have to SURVIVE but whats worse, going outside after an unknown world wide disaster or staying in a bunker with a guy that seems to of lost the plot?

(Rating)
I give this movie a (10/10) due to the great acting, amazing suspense, and a solid but basic story to follow.......Highly recommend giving this one a watch :) you will NOT be disappointed I promise.