F
|
or a
second film in a blockbuster franchise, this unforeseen sequel to Cloverfield is uncharacteristically very
small-scale. In fact, 10 Cloverfield Lane
was not always intended to be linked to the series at all. It originated
from a spec script written by John Campbell titled The Cellar, which Paramount bought and developed into this
spiritual successor. Certainly, this is evidenced by its unexpected approach. While
the basic premise seems formulaic – this is after all a film about aliens
attacking Earth – it is used as a catalyst to explore the psychological impact the
event has on its characters. Taking the directorial helm from Matt Reeves,
newcomer Abilenne M. Barajas puts down the shaky handycam for the follow-up to the
2008 found-footage monster film.
After a
heated argument with her fiancé, Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) leaves her
home in New Orleans and begins to drive through the night. As she listens to the
radio we hear of blackouts in major cities, alluding the events of the original
film. Suddenly, Michelle crashes her car. She wakes up in a prison-like room
with her injured leg chained to a wall, in a scene reminiscent of a Saw film. A man named Howard (John
Goodman) enters the room, and explains that a mysterious attack has rendered
the air outside unbreathable. Fortunately, Howard – being a seemingly
archetypal ex-military conspiracy nut – was prepared, constructing a subterranean
bunker fitted with its own air supply. Michelle meets Emmett (John Gallagher,
Jr.) the only other co-inhabitant of the shelter, who fled there after the
attacks started.
With a
main cast consisting of only three, the film relies on combining a confined
setting with potent interplay between characters to produce nail-biting
tension. Rather like Danny Boyle’s post-apocalyptic thriller 28 Days Later (2002), this film finds
the sinister in not only the existential threat, but in how humanity reacts to
that jeopardy. In Boyle’s text it was in the form of psychotic rapist soldiers
determined to rebuild society, and in Cloverfield
Lane, our primary source of antagonism comes from the perfectly casted John
Goodman. Goodman’s chilling portrayal of Howard confronts us with the prospect
of a world where bunker-building paranoia has been proven entirely justified. Our perceptions of Howard frequently shift as
the plot unravels. We feel fear, admiration, pity and hatred towards him the
more is revealed. Through three exceptional performances, we are presented with
a visceral experience that alters between black comedy and heart-pounding disquietude.
10 Cloverfield Lane renounces
the formal aesthetic of its de facto prequel with Jeff Cutter’s swooping
cinematography. The screenplay (by Josh Campbell, Matt Stuecken and Damien
Chazelle) certainly stands out here. Events are effectively foreshadowed and some
scenes so are so rousing they raise the standard far above the hinterland of
its monster movie predecessor. The film plays like a protracted Twilight Zone episode, forcing us
through sheer veristic credibility to place ourselves in the circumstances
presented. That is, until the closing act. Perhaps inexorable given a screenplay that –
while solid – requires explanations. We revert to far less compelling territory
when the emphasis veers to CGI monsters and spaceships, and Michelle’s survival
prowess – while for the most part empowering from a feminist standpoint –
verges on deus ex machina by the finale.
Despite
its rather meandering climax, the film succeeds as an all too welcome break
from a landscape of banal sequels. A successful franchise follow-up should take
the property to a new place, and to a large extent 10 Cloverfield Lane does exactly that.
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