In 2008, “Cloverfield” captivated audiences with a fresh take on a rather traditional tale — an attack on a city by a mysterious monster. Directed by Dan Trachtenberg, “10 Cloverfield Lane,” described as a “blood relative” to the original film by producer J.J. Abrams, occurs in an entirely separate universe and possesses a wealth of diversity in both tone and in content. The film’s component variance can render it difficult to truly classify, but this is certainly not a drawback. While the movie is blemished in certain areas, “10 Cloverfield Lane” skirts beyond convention and yields a unique hybridization of various genres, all while delivering quality acting, suspense and style.
Overall, the film’s camerawork is very well-done, almost perfectly contributing to the buildup of suspense in many scenes by gradually and continuously revealing more information about a scene as time progresses. “10 Cloverfield Lane” finds beauty in small details, be they visual or auditory, giving the film a potent sense of character, especially in scenes that are absent of explosive imagery. In fact, much of the movie’s quality comes from its ability to create heart-pounding tension without an excessive propagation of action.
The overarching formula of “10 Cloverfield Lane” is its continual subversion of the viewer’s expectations. Most likely because of its mysterious opening scenes, the movie attempts to be unpredictable and largely succeeds. This is due to the evolution of the plot, and how each successive event provides evidence to seemingly answer naturally arising questions. However, these moments of enlightenment are often fickle, as the contrary to what was already thought to be proven presents itself repeatedly.
As a whole, the movie’s set of revelations is somewhat of a mixed bag — some discoveries are letdowns, but many have satisfying payoffs.
The film’s characters are interesting, as each retains a unique and distinct personality. Character development is interspersed throughout the plot, and quality acting bestows such moments with a sense of authenticity, invoking emotions from the viewer and rendering it quite easy to care about the characters’ plights. However, more of these moments would have certainly been welcome, and some of the existing development feels disconnected from the story. Ultimately, however, character progression — especially the protagonist’s development — is rewarding and fulfilling.
While a degree of suspension of belief is necessary when engaging with cinema, a few plot holes in this film are not sufficiently explained or justified. Fortunately, these things do not detract from the overall quality of the film, but they are nonetheless worth mentioning.
“10 Cloverfield Lane” is a comprehensive film. In one package, it is part horror, part mystery, part action, with many more elements included, all blending with one another to create a unique overarching style. Some of its ambiguity may lead to sparse pacing issues and a few unsatisfying revelations, but most of it creates an effective, character-driven story to bask the audience in suspense. The film certainly has foibles, but it is ultimately a highly enjoyable filmgoing experience.
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