10 Cloverfield Lane

When Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) regains consciousness after a car accident, she finds herself in a bunker underground. She learns from the mysterious Howard (John Goodman), whom she initially believes to be her tormentor, that he would have rescued her and brought her with him to his bunker. Because by an attack the earth's surface would be contaminated and all humans, whom Michelle knew and loved, would be dead. Only she and young Emmet (John Gallagher Jr.), who had helped Howard build the shelter, were still alive and had to stay underground until the radiation on the surface was no longer lethal. But Michelle doesn't quite want to believe this story. But was there really a destructive attack? And is Howard her savior after all? But if not - what is he planning to do with her and Emmet?

Totally under the media radar, director Dan Trachtenberg and his celebrity producer J.J. Abrams (Star Wars - The Force Awakens) have directed a gripping thriller for a comparatively low budget of $15 million, which was announced with a trailer and poster just weeks before its theatrical release. The title 10 Cloverfield Lane sent many fans crazy, as it seemed the long-awaited sequel to the found-footage monster movie Cloverfield was finally coming to theaters. Even though word has long since gotten out, let's be very clear once again: 10 Cloverfield Lane is NOT a sequel to Cloverfield. Rather, J.J. Abrams floated the idea of a sort of anthology series, set in a similar universe as, say, the American Horror Story series, yet always telling completely separate, independent stories. So while 10 Cloverfield Lane is a blood relative, it's just not a direct descendant of Cloverfield.

So if you're waiting for the monster that haunted New York in Cloverfield to show up or even be mentioned here, you'll be bitterly disappointed. But if you can get rid of exactly this expectation, you'll get a really excellent mystery thriller, which after a somewhat tough beginning is able to intensify its tension steadily. It's almost impossible to deliver a detailed review of the movie without giving away some of the twists and turns that are significantly responsible for the suspense. But this much can be said: The first half of the film already has a gripping atmosphere, but it is primarily dominated by quieter moments and extended dialogue.

But then Trachtenberg increasingly uses very cleverly placed twists and turns, which repeatedly steer the action in a new, often unexpected direction. And the closer the story gets to its finale, the more intense and oppressive the tension becomes in this apocalyptic chamber play. John Goodman delivers an absolutely superb performance, expertly meandering between menacing and endearing and keeping the audience completely in the dark about the true nature of Howard. But Mary Elizabeth Winstead is also perfectly cast as a young woman who refuses to simply surrender to her fate and wants to find out the truth at any cost.

Quickly, all possible connections to Cloverfield are forgotten in the first 80 minutes, and 10 Cloverfield Lane works brilliantly as a standalone. But then comes the furious showdown, where the audience more or less learns what happened beyond the bunker (no, it's not the Cloverfield monster). And on this reveal, and the finale that comes with it, opinions will clearly divide. Because the three-person play suddenly becomes something else entirely, revealing the aforementioned blood relationship to Cloverfield, but somehow not quite wanting to fit in with the rest of the film. But while for some this resolution won't work, it doesn't change the fact that for long stretches 10 Cloverfield Lane has become an excellent mystery thriller that thrives on its oppressive setting and very good cast. And for that there is a very clear: Absolutely worth seeing!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp