10 Cloverfield Lane, Review: Hollowcaust

Ultra-thin story line, with some slick moments in the first half, is how one can sum up 10 Cloverfield Lane. A psychological, science fiction, holocaust, suspense tale, the film needed a rock solid unravelling. Instead, it goes off on an indulgent tangent, and you come out wondering, “So this was what it was all about?”

It is the second film in the Cloverfield franchise. The film was developed from a script titled The Cellar, but while under production, by the Bad Robot production company, it was turned into a ‘spiritual successor’ of the 2008 film, Cloverfield (it is by no means a sequel). 10 Cloverfield Lane began as an “ultra low budget" spec script, penned by John Campbell and Matt Stuecken. Damien Chazelle was brought in to rewrite their draft, and to direct the movie as well. Chazelle did work on the script, but dropped out from directing, when his Whiplash project received funding—a very wise decision indeed, in retrospect.

Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) has had a break-up with her fiancé, Ben (Bradley Cooper, voice only). She packs her belongings, leaves her home and drives far from the city. Michelle takes her eyes off the road for a second, when her car gets slammed by a truck, causing her to tumble down into a ditch. She wakes up in a small room, with a head-wound and a needle in her arm that's hooked to a saline drip. To her horror, she sees her leg is chained to a pipe. Someone comes downstairs to open the door to the room. It is a man who introduces himself as Howard (John Goodman). He claims to have rescued Michelle from the car accident offers Michelle a pair of wooden crutches.

Howard calmly explains to Michelle that there has been an attack on the surface, and that the air up there is ‘unbreathable’, so he brought Michelle down to the bunker he has built beneath his farm. Howard brings Michelle up to the airlock, to see what's going on outside. Nothing appears unusual, but Michelle spots Howard's truck with red paint on the side, and she recognises it as the truck that hit her.

Michelle soon meets a younger man named Emmett (John Gallagher, Jr.). His arm is in a sling, and Howard tells Michelle that Emmett knocked over a shelf with a week's worth of food supplies. Emmett explains that he willingly joined Howard in building the bunker. He also claims to have seen the attack occur, describing a red flash and running to get inside, which he says explains his broken arm. After some developments, the two realise that Howard is a threat, and they need to get out of there. But just as their plan begins to takes shape, Howard discovers it. Emmett takes the blame, but Howard shoots him in the head.

Josh Campbell (4 Minute Mile, basically an editor) and Matthew Stuecken (mostly a producer) are credited with the story and screenplay, which might have worked as short film idea. Even then, it would have needed to have a more convincing ending. Damien Chazelle (Whiplash, Grand Piano, The Last Exorcism Part II)’s contribution here would not stand anywhere in front of his Whiplash effort. Red herrings, including ear-rings, are strategically placed, and there is no hearing after that. Maybe it is all part of a grand sequel plot, but for us, unsuspecting one-time viewers, the plot ‘thinnens’, not thickens! How does the kidnapped heroine become a bull terrier, the moment she finds that she is being held captive, is beyond comprehension. Also, the manner in which Emmett is shot dead at point blank range closes the chapter on the most endearing character, rather abruptly and needlessly. Keeping us guessing about the intentions of Howard is indeed suspenseful, though not so if the suspense continues after the end credit titles have rolled.

Dan Trachtenberg (TV and shorts)’s feature debut is uneven and a bit of a let-down. He has a powerful cast to work with, yet ends up just letting things roll by. In parts, the film is good like the games the trio play, the music from the juke-box, and the choice Michelle makes in the end. Unfortunately, it is his inability to integrate them into a cohesive whole is what causes the disappointment      

John Goodman (63 in June, of English, Welsh, and German ancestry; King Ralph, The Big Lebowski, The Flintstones, The Artist, Argo, Trumbo) is a dependable actor. Even when it is not clear who or why he is, he keeps things going, by sheer force of performance. Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim v/s the World, A Good Day to Die Hard, Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter) has an ill-defined role, and passes just about muster. We needed more of the good-natured banter provided by John Gallagher Jr. (The Heart Machine, Hush, Short Term 12). Bradley Cooper is the hapless Ben, and it could have been voiced by anyone.

Credit titles, both in the beginning and at the end, are attractively done.

What could have been a nerve-wracking, edge-of-the-seat package, turns out hollow, once you get below the Cloverfield surface, into the bunker/cellar.

Rating: **

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LnlvCqvZsA