So, 10 Cloverfield Lane, huh? One of the most secret films of the year has arrived, but is it also one of the best films of the year? Well… Here are 5 spoiler-free things you need to know about it…
THING 1 – It’s not really a sequel to Cloverfield
JJ Abrams insists that 10 Cloverfield Lane is a blood relative of Cloverfield but, you know, it’s not really. You could argue that they take place in the same universe, but you could also argue that they don’t. It doesn’t really matter. You definitely don’t need to see Cloverfield before you see this. You don’t even have to have liked Cloverfield to see this. Cloverfield could be your least favourite film ever, but you’d still probably like this. The two films have as much in common with each other as Gone With The Wind has with American Psycho, in the sense that they’re both set on Earth and have people in them.
THING 2 – The performances are amazing
There are only three characters present through almost all of the film but each actor kills it. You’ve got John Goodman as this extremely strange prepared-for-the-end-of-the-world type guy called Howard, John Gallagher Jr as Emmett, the comic relief, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Michelle, the heroine. They are all absolutely incredible. There isn’t a standout performance because they are all so darn good. I’m trying really hard not to say too much here. You don’t want to know the specifics. They are all amazing though. Just go see it.
THING 3 – It’s tense as hell
If you don’t like jump scares or being thoroughly creeped out, this isn’t for you. You’re going to spend a lot the film sat with your butt cheeks clenched. It seems a bit weird that it’s only got a 12A certificate. I would no way have been able to get through this film when I was 12. But oh well. The film’s also very claustrophobic, what with a fair chunk of it being set in at underground bunker. So if you don’t like small spaces, tough shit.
THING 4 – The ending is okay
Obviously this won’t prove true for everyone because we are all different people and we all like different things, but for me personally and a fair few other people on the Internet, the end of the film isn’t nearly as good as we hoped it would be. It’s alright, stuff happens. We get a resolution. But when it’s put next to the absolute genius of the first and middle acts, the third act is a tiny bit shitty in comparison. It by no means ruins the film though. It just could have been a bit better. Just saying. You know, for next time or whatever.
THING 5 – You don’t want to go looking for spoilers
It’s probably good that no one knew about 10 Cloverfield Lane until a couple of months ago. This way, there are no set photos, there are no rumours, there’s just the film. Quite a lot of people like to go into franchise movies with theories about what’s going to happen, who’s going to die, and all that lot, but with this it’s better if you just go in not knowing a thing. This video review kind of defeats the point of this, but whatever… you’ve come this far. Might as well make it to the end. Okay, we’re at the end now. It’s safe.
So that’s what we thought of the super-secret 10 Cloverfield Lane. Get yourself down to the cinema and see it before anyone can ruin it for you. And when you do, tell us what you thought in the comments.
Read our full review here.
