10 Cloverfield Lane

It's well acted, nuanced, and surprisingly effective. A definite must-see thriller.

It works best whenever Goodman swaggers into frame, a slack-jawed psycho with a cuddly side.

10 Cloverfield Lane might not be a true sequel to Cloverfield, but that doesn't make it any less magnificent, watching it a spellbinding treat I simply did not want to see come to an end.

Set in the same universe as the 2008 monster-focused blockbuster, 10 Cloverfield Lane focuses tightly on a trio of survivors, with solid fear and tension.

Both Winstead and Gallagher Jr. are great as the young bomb shelter roomies, but it's Goodman's film. He's a Stephen King-style character -- affable and menacing, with both a cheery bonhomie and a hair-trigger temper.

John Goodman brings his A-game to the part of the tightrope-walking Howard who is at times kind and gentle and at others unhinged and cuckoo. Mary Elizabeth Winstead matches him note for note.

10 Cloverfield Lane takes the time to flesh out nuanced character dynamics without sacrificing its thrilling pace. The script, direction, and acting all serve to keep this practically single setting film engaging and exciting

Overall, the craftsmanship on display pretty stimulating and Trachtenberg has put his name into the hat of directors you need to watch out for in the near future.

[...] this is a film that gleefully revels in its own expressionist undertones, and the fact that it’s a part of the “Cloverfield” universe only goes to benefit from that.

"10 Cloverfield Lane" is a capricious blast of horror, drama, and science fiction all rolled into one twisty enigma.