Post by Anthony on Apr 23, 2016 15:28:52 GMT
THE tense, sort of sequel to 2008 monster smash Cloverfield confounds our expectations beautifully, says Andy Lea
THE guessing game begins with the title – a clear reference to found footage monster movie Cloverfield.
But the spine-tingling trailer poses something of a conundrum – there are no shaky cameras and there's no giant beast rampaging through New York.
Instead we have John Goodman wiggling his ample backside to a 60s pop tune while two 20-somethings fit together jigsaw puzzles in an underground bunker.
“Something is coming,” says Goodman as the roof shakes and the jangling chords of a horror soundtrack fade in.
I’m not going to spoil the fun by revealing what that “something” is.
This thoroughly engrossing three-hander, made by Cloverfield’s production company Bad Robot, works like a very intense puzzle.
And director Dan Trachtenberg keeps hold of the final piece until the thrilling final scene. The ending might be a bit divisive but I thought things fitted together with a very satisfying snap.
The early contender for this movie’s “monster” is John Goodman’s Howard. When Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) comes round after a car accident, Howard’s is the first face she sees.
As she has found herself chained to a wall in an underground cell, it’s not a particularly welcoming sight.
After a few enigmatic words about his plan to “keep her alive”, Howard slams the door shut.
Michelle is left with a pair of crutches, a drip, an iPhone (reading No Service), a screwdriver and a handbag.
Then she notices there’s an air vent on the opposite wall. After the title, what Michelle will do next becomes the next guessing game.
The script, which apparently was written before producer JJ Abrams made the link to Cloverfield, keeps throwing up fresh conundrums.
We learn that Howard is a conspiracy nut and the owner of the bunker. He claims that there has been “some sort of attack” and the atmosphere outside is now poisonous.
Is he a madman or a saviour? Or could he be both?
Things don’t get any clearer when Michelle meets the bunker’s third resident. Emmett (John Gallagher Jr) is a local odd-job man who says he raced to the bunker after seeing the sky light up “like something out of the Bible”.
got a bruised face and busted arm, which he claims he suffered when “fighting” his way into the bunker.
Although there’s something about the way he says that word which suggests he isn’t telling the whole the story.
All three actors are excellent and Trachtenberg, who is making his feature debut, ratchets up the tension like a seasoned veteran.
Hitchcock is clearly a big influence. The flashy opening sequence is a blatant Psycho rip-off, but the camera tricks and the editing become far less showy once we’re inside the bunker.
This is all about building suspense through the measured drip-feeding of information.
As the three characters settle down to life in the bunker, our allegiances and our expectations keep getting pulled around.
If Hitchcock had ever directed an episode of The Twilight Zone, it might have looked something like this.
THE guessing game begins with the title – a clear reference to found footage monster movie Cloverfield.
But the spine-tingling trailer poses something of a conundrum – there are no shaky cameras and there's no giant beast rampaging through New York.
Instead we have John Goodman wiggling his ample backside to a 60s pop tune while two 20-somethings fit together jigsaw puzzles in an underground bunker.
“Something is coming,” says Goodman as the roof shakes and the jangling chords of a horror soundtrack fade in.
I’m not going to spoil the fun by revealing what that “something” is.
This thoroughly engrossing three-hander, made by Cloverfield’s production company Bad Robot, works like a very intense puzzle.
And director Dan Trachtenberg keeps hold of the final piece until the thrilling final scene. The ending might be a bit divisive but I thought things fitted together with a very satisfying snap.
The early contender for this movie’s “monster” is John Goodman’s Howard. When Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) comes round after a car accident, Howard’s is the first face she sees.
As she has found herself chained to a wall in an underground cell, it’s not a particularly welcoming sight.
After a few enigmatic words about his plan to “keep her alive”, Howard slams the door shut.
Michelle is left with a pair of crutches, a drip, an iPhone (reading No Service), a screwdriver and a handbag.
Then she notices there’s an air vent on the opposite wall. After the title, what Michelle will do next becomes the next guessing game.
The script, which apparently was written before producer JJ Abrams made the link to Cloverfield, keeps throwing up fresh conundrums.
We learn that Howard is a conspiracy nut and the owner of the bunker. He claims that there has been “some sort of attack” and the atmosphere outside is now poisonous.
Is he a madman or a saviour? Or could he be both?
Things don’t get any clearer when Michelle meets the bunker’s third resident. Emmett (John Gallagher Jr) is a local odd-job man who says he raced to the bunker after seeing the sky light up “like something out of the Bible”.
got a bruised face and busted arm, which he claims he suffered when “fighting” his way into the bunker.
Although there’s something about the way he says that word which suggests he isn’t telling the whole the story.
All three actors are excellent and Trachtenberg, who is making his feature debut, ratchets up the tension like a seasoned veteran.
Hitchcock is clearly a big influence. The flashy opening sequence is a blatant Psycho rip-off, but the camera tricks and the editing become far less showy once we’re inside the bunker.
This is all about building suspense through the measured drip-feeding of information.
As the three characters settle down to life in the bunker, our allegiances and our expectations keep getting pulled around.
If Hitchcock had ever directed an episode of The Twilight Zone, it might have looked something like this.