‘10 Cloverfield Lane’ Early Buzz: An Intense, Claustrophobic Spiritual Sequel
There has been plenty of mystery surroundingDan Trachtenberg’s feature directorial debut,10 Cloverfield Lane. Thefirst trailerrevealed the project is related toMatt Reeves' found footage monster film, but producerJ.J. Abramshasclarifiedit’s not a direct sequel. We’ll soon learn how much10 Cloverfield Laneshares in common withCloverfield, considering the film opens in theaters this weekend. Early reviews for the thriller have hit the web, and much to our delight, they’re all very positive thus far.
You might want to be careful reading some of these reviews. With the exception of Variety’s write up, most critics have been careful not to reveal too many plot details. If you want to stay completely in the dark on the film, then maybe you should hold off on reading these reviews, but none of the excerpts below feature any real spoilers.
First up, here’s what our own Angie Han had to say about it:
10 Cloverfield Laneis an auspicious debut forDan Trachtenberg.Cloverfieldfans should know the films have almost nothing to do with each other on a narrative level, but both fit into the same mold of “elevated genre” pictures. The tiny three-person cast deserves tons of credit for making10 Cloverfield Lanemore than a generic thriller. The usually lovableJohn Goodmanis believably frightening as Howard, a portrait of paternalism gone awry, andMary Elizabeth Winsteadbrings a keen intelligence to the film’s thoughtful spin on the “final girl” trope.
Meticulous production design and an engaging script (byJosh Campbell,Matthew Stuecken, andDamien Chazelle) add loads of personality to the tiny universe of Howard’s bunker, and top-notch sound design puts the audience right in there with them.In a release calendar clogged with bloated nine-figure blockbusters,10 Cloverfield Laneis a taut three-hander that’s exactly as big as it needs to be.
Here’s the10 Cloverfield Laneearly buzz:
The Hollywood Reporter:
Games Radar:
Entertainment Weekly:
Hey U Guys:
10 Cloverfield Lanecurrently has nothing but positive reviews over at Rotten Tomatoes. Soon we’ll see more opinions appear online, but Dan Trachtenberg’s semi-sequel is off to a great start with the critics, who are praising the director’s eye for tension and the three central performances. If the film is as thrilling as some of these reviews suggest, even some of the less enthusiastic ones, then both unsuspecting audiences andCloverfieldfans are in for a treat this weekend.
