10 Cloverfield Lane (Blu-ray)
Staci Layne Wilson
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Starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman, John Gallagher, Jr.
Directed by Dan Trachtenberg
At first, recent car wreck survivor and current captive Michelle (Winstead) thinks of nothing but escape: how to claw, dig, charm, or crawl her way of the cinderblock bunker in which she’s been forced to live. But Howard (Goodman), the ex-soldier survivalist/conspiracy theorist crackpot who built the doomsday domicile, assures Michelle she does not want to be outside. One breath of the not-so-fresh air will kill her.
Michelle’s cellie, Emmett (Gallagher), is a bearded bumpkin who at first seems as trapped as she, but once they get to know each other a bit, he reveals that he fought his way into the bunker and is quite content to wait out the apocalypse right there. Michelle’s radar is up, but she begins to think less about escape and more about staying alive.
But of course, there’s a twist.
What follows over the course of 10 Cloverfield Lane’s two-hour runtime is something akin to an extended episode of the classic “Twilight Zone” TV series which eventually collides with this sequel’s namesake. (However, fans of cinematic filmmaking techniques will rejoice – there’s not a whit of Cloverfield’s signature viewfinder-POV shaky-cam here.) There’s also suspense (thanks to writer/director and JJ Abrams’ protégé Dan Trachtenberg), scares (thanks to “The Walking Dead” composer Bear McCreary’s stirring score), and heart (thanks to the cast, whose work together is as tight as any stageplay troupe).
For those wondering about the horror and sci-fi aspect of the film, I can assure you the monsters are awe-inspiring – these killer kaijus are hell-bent on demolishing every last human being on earth. They are vicious, relentless, and ruthless. Fans of Alien, Jurassic Park, Godzilla, and the like will not be disappointed.
As for the extras, we get a commentary by director Trachtenberg and producer Abrams along with over 30 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage. Nothing too awe-inspiring, but not totally shabby either.
If you missed 10 Cloverfield Lane in theaters, now’s the time to check it out on Blu-ray. The initial claustrophobic, white-knuckle chamber piece aura is perfect for home viewing.
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Film
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Special Features
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