Why I think 10 Cloverfield Lane is a masterpiece.

10 Cloverfield Lane is J.J Abrams 2nd entry into the Cloverfield franchise. Undoubtedly the best of the franchise too. Set in a world invaded by alien life forms, Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) And Emmet (John Gallagher Jr) are held captive by Howard (John Goodman) a man infatuated with doomsday preparations. They are held in an underground bunker installed with all necessities to sustain basic human life. However along the way they grow increasingly suspicious about Howard’s secretive past and plot a risky plan that may put their lives in danger.

10 Cloverfield lane is a Sci-Fi thriller that will have you on edge from start to finish and will leave you wanting more when the 1 hour 40 minute runtime has finished. This leads me into my only criticism of the film after which I shall get into the plethora of things that makes 10 Cloverfield Lane not only an amazing film but J.J Abrams magnum opus. My one gripe the ending of the film, the film ends on a rather ambiguous note which is not a bad thing, however I was left wanting more, why and who is doing this to the planet. This could have been easily changed by adding an extra 45 minutes to this film. With the short runtime of 1 hour 40 minutes an extra 45 minutes would not have felt drawn out and would have definitely shed some light on the outside world of which I was so intrigued by. Now that that is out the way I can get into all the things I love about this film.

Let’s start with the visual and sound aspects of the film. Jeff Cutter the leading cinematographer of this film did an incredible job and has a heavy hand in why this film is so immersive and suspenseful. Jeff Cutter meticulously chose every camera angle and lighting condition for a very distinct reason: ambiguity. He only lets you see exactly what he wants you to see. In many parts of this film Howard is left excluded from shots, this very much so the intention. It leaves you wondering where Howard is at all times and give the feeling that he is always watching and listening. This is aided masterfully by the score of the film. Composed by Bear McCreary, his eerie and fast paced score does wonders. Leaving a feel of constant dread and giving the feeling that something is always about to happen even if it isn’t, keeping you in a constant state of anxiety. Only broken a few times by the use of classic 80’s songs that will have you bopping your head.

Next we have editing and pacing. Editing and pacing are an extremely important yet an under appreciated aspect and can be the difference between a good and great movie. The pacing of 10 Cloverfield lane is impeccable and every scene and moment feels necessary and important to the progression of the plot. Often in films some scenes feel like filler in between scenes that actually mean something towards the plot, not in this film they all feel meaningful towards either the progression of the main plot or character arc of the amazing and relatable yet realistic characters in this movie. The editing 10 Cloverfield lane is calculated, this is shown within the first 5 minutes of the film, when Michelle’s car is rolling. The chaos of the car accident is repeatedly interrupted with short cuts of silence and black screens showing the production company’s logos. This really exaggerates the feeling of disorientation and chaos that one would feel in an actual car accident.

We now move on to undoubtedly the best part of the film: The cast and acting, more specifically John Goodman. He is otherworldly and in my opinion by far his best performance. He is articulate, educated yet indescribably terrifying. Throughout the entire movie he keeps the audience guessing, is he actually trying to help or is he a sadistic kidnapper. This is helped by his past being kept intentionally ambiguous. We never really learn about what actually happened in his past this makes him mysterious and makes his actions extremely unpredictable adding an extra layer of suspense to this already extremely suspenseful film. Even midway through the film where he seems to be a caring character there is still something that feels off with his character, something that I could not put my finger on. That is what is so good about his character. On top of that his lack of emotional range in his role makes him even more creepy as you never truly know what is going through his mind.

On the other end of the spectrum we get Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Her emotional range in her role is about as vast as it gets. Her emotions mimic how the audience should be feeling in every scene. We always know exactly how she is feeling due to her amazing portrayal of Michelle, when she is scared the audience is scared, when she is comfortable the audience is comfortable. This allows John Goodmans actions to be even more unpredictable as if that could even be possible, as she can control how the audience is feeling and then bam John Goodman does something crazy that we would never expect.

Finally John Gallagher Jr: He portrays a naive and innocent character that the audience can relate to. He gives us a break from the tension and allows us to breathe due to his humour. He is the least memorable character however he is very important to this film and it wouldn’t be the same without him. He gives the audience a sense of light heartedness and comfort in an incredibly uncomfortable film.

Overall I think this film is a masterpiece, all of the aspects of this film work together like clockwork to create an incredibly concise and intense experience that keeps us on edge the entire time. It will be hard for J.J Abrams to top this one.

Submitted December 08, 2021 at 09:08PM by Ilikeshoesandgirls https://ift.tt/3DCNUn8