Directed by:
Dan TrachtenbergCinematography:
Jeff CutterComposer:
Bear McCrearyCast:
John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Gallagher Jr., Douglas M. Griffin, Suzanne Cryer, Bradley Cooper, Frank Mottek, Sumalee MontanoVOD (4)
Plots(1)
Following a car accident, Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) awakens in the basement fallout shelter of a conspiracy-crazed man (John Goodman) who claims to have saved her from the wreckage of the crash. He also informs her that a chemical attack has devastated the surrounding area, rendering the outside world uninhabitable. Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.), who barely made it into the shelter, corroborates this version of events, but Michelle remains suspicious. As the dynamics within the bunker continually shift, she begins to doubt the truth of both what's happening in the shelter and in the outside world. (Paramount Pictures)
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Reviews (17)
The name really screwed it. Throughout the film, the experience from an excellent chamber thriller drama is disrupted by the world “Cloverfield”; you know what kind of reveal this will eventually lead to. And when it gets there, what follows is disappointment, because the connection with the original film is really only on paper. If the film was called Independence Day 2, it would’ve been the same, if not better. A weak four.
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The sophisticated story structure that releases just enough information to keep the viewer entertained is textbook level. Thanks to the fact that Johnny Be Good(man) can be equally terrifying as he is a nice guy, and that there’s always something to look at (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). Lots of powerful moments and cruel twists. Overall, it seems like a costly beginning to a series that we’ll probably never see. The finale works, even if you have an inkling of what is in store, but sweet ignorance is again more preferable.
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The strongest aspects of the film are the story, the suspense and the feeling of uncertainty, where you have no idea whether John Goodman is a kidnapper or not and whether there is indeed a contaminated uninhabitable land outside or not until the final scene. This factor builds up the atmosphere and suspense and there are some good ideas, all underlined by solid performances. I had fun. 75%.
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A decent series pilot that has no business on the big screen. Logical holes in the narrative vs. powerful moments of surprise and an intense climax, which, however, is only as long as the climax of a TV series episode. A small movie to accompany Super 8, which also didn’t warrant much attention. Not as good as the larger and original Cloverfield (if we’re talking about J.J. Abrams’s projects for the same target audience).
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It's a good movie, but I won't pretend I didn't expect more. In the most tense moments, debutant Dan Trachtenberg can't be as gritty and intense as he should, and in the middle section he fails to pinch the atmosphere the way, say, John Carpenter did in The Thing. There are occasional dead moments, and by the fifth time you're figuring out what's out there, or which of the characters is a nutcase, it starts to get tedious. Never, thankfully, so that boredom sets in, and thanks to John Goodman's impecable performance and Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who can do confident damsels in distress like few others, it's still a fun ride where you'll enjoy the twists and surprises. I just think it should have been made by someone who's done some movies before and knows that maintaining a suspenseful atmosphere when there are three people and four rooms on the screen doesn't quite work on its own and needs a little help.
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