10 CLOVERFIELD LANE (2015)

3/24/2016 - 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) - 5+/6-/10

A fairly satisfying minimalist thriller that falls apart due to fraying story threads and an over-the-top capper that left me wanting. Enjoyable, but only to a point.

It had proper tension, with Winstead maintaining a solid empathic baseline with spikes of Goodman intensity. All three actors did a fine job, though the herky-jerkiness of the conspiracies made for an inconsistency of identification & emotional presence. So many plot points seemed forced and ancillary, presented only to butter the anxiety bread without providing any actual nourishment.

The meat of the plot was still strong enough and executed finely to be a decent and suspenseful film, with some strong moments. Unfortunately, I didn't find that the end had the gravitas necessary and felt forced, which took me out of the film completely. Almost farcical, which left a bad taste in my mouth.

Overall, it was fine but not the thriller I hoped, nor the extraordinary achievement I had wanted. Serviceable, but undeserving of any supposed "hype".