10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) Directed by Dan Trachtenberg. Starring: John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Gallagher Jr.. IMDB says: “After getting in a car accident, a woman is held in a shelter by two men, who claim the outside world is affected by a widespread chemical attack.”

It was just over eight years ago that audiences were first able to witness the super-secret film produced by JJ Abrams titled, Cloverfield. It was the summer prior that the first teaser was released ahead of Transformers with no title, just the date 1-18-08. Over the next 6 months fans tried to find out anything they could about this mysterious film produced by the mysterious Abrams. The marketing for the film was kept very mysterious, but also very well thought out. Various websites relating to the film began to be discovered and the viral marketing machine kicked into full gear. When the movie finally released, it was a phenomenon and fans of the sci-fi/monster genre had a grand new entry to talk about and discuss. With an ending that left things a bit in the unknown, fans have for years yearned for a sequel of any sort with no avail.

Three days shy of eight years since Cloverfield’s release, a cryptic new trailer is released ahead of 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, also a Michael Bay production as was Transformers. This time we are treated to a mysterious trailer showing three bunker dwelling individuals going throughout their day, leading up to a climax where the song drops out and the looming score takes over as we watch the tense events unfold. Then it is revealed as a JJ production and then the word “Cloverfield” takes center stage before adding “10” and “Ln” to the logo. Once again the hype was set in motion and this time with under two months until the film’s release. If there’s anything we have learned, it’s that JJ Abrams knows how to keep a secret and his projects are often shrouded in mystery.

So now here we are with the release looming less than a half day from the time I am writing this. If anything, I couldn’t be more excited for fans out there to witness the movie for themselves and the discussions it will most likely invoke. Now there’s one thing to know—this movie is in the same universe as the original film, but not in the same timeline. They basically are setting up more of an anthology of tales that are somewhat related in the larger scheme of things. This movie has very much of a Twilight Zone feel to it, which is cool because it’s an equally compelling story on its own without even having the Cloverfield name attached.

The characters in the movie are very sparse. There are really only three main characters, which is nice because it adds to the claustrophobic atmosphere of the setting of the film. First we have Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) who opens the film with an amazing minimalist performance, introducing us to her character and current situation without a single line of dialogue. Then once her accident occurs, we next meet Howard (John Goodman) whose actions and motives throughout the film are questionable. Last we have Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.), who we find out helped Howard build his bunker and throughout the film flip-flops between justifying Howard’s actions or Michelle’s theories. Goodman is amazing and creepy as hell, and gives such an against-type performance that really shows off his acting skills. Winstead brings her A-game as always and delivers a performance that really makes the audience feel and root for her character. Gallagher is more of the third-wheel character and goes back and forth between believing Michelle or Howard and also provides some comic relief during such a tense situation. Still a very important piece to the puzzle and the development of this new world and story.

Besides the main three cast there really is only one other major character, and that’s Bear McCreary’s (Walking Dead, Agents of Shield) ominous and suspense-driven score. The score is a very important part when crafting such a tense thriller as the filmmakers were able to create with this film. There were several very intense scenes where the score is a real driving part of the film and really adds to the tension. I was clenching my fists several times throughout the movie if that’s any indication of what you’re about to go see.

Overall I think most people are gonna really dig this movie. I’m pretty excited to see what they do next in this universe/anthology of films and the creative new ideas they come up with. Abrams has started something really amazing here and if this is any indication of where things are headed then we are all in good hands. This is very much the sci-fi/thriller to get you over that last hump of winter. Make sure you check it out this weekend and leave us your own thoughts about the film and even where you think they could go next with different story ideas!