I remember seeing Cloverfield in the cinema and thinking that it was really good and always hoping that a sequel would happen. As the years progressed, those hopes started to go away thinking it would never arrive but then out of nowhere it did and eight years after the first one, we get a sequel of sorts. The story follows Michelle who gets in a car accident and is rescued by Howard who is keeping her in his bunker because an attack happened outside. What the film becomes is a question about who is the monster, whats outside or whats inside the bunker.
The film largely works as a three hander because all we have is John Goodman (who is brilliant), Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Michelle who is just trying to get out of the bunker and is also very good especially when she is against John Goodman. The third person is John Gallagher Jr as Emmitt who does feel like the third wheel but does freshen things up although he is slightly expendable.
The problem with this film is that the ending feels bolted on. From what I have read online, the original story was just the bunker stuff and then JJ Abrahams’ production company got hold of the story and added the Cloverfield bit onto it. He would do this with the Cloverfield Paradox to less successful results but in the case of 10 Cloverfield Lane it does feel like they just about get away with it even though I cant get rid of the feeling that the ending is bolted on.
10 Cloverfield Lane would still be a very good film even without the Cloverfield stuff and that is how good I found the film. The performances were really good and also the directing made certain moments of the film feel tense.