7) 10 Cloverfield Lane
It arrived when we least expected it – sneaking in while nobody was paying attention. But, after a brief publicity campaign featuring weirdly toned trailers and strange websites, 10 Cloverfield Lane arrived in theaters and staked its claim as one of the best, most astonishing films of 2016.
The feature-length directorial debut of Dan Trachtenberg was acquired, in script form, by J.J. Abrams and was slightly altered to form part of what the producer hopes will become a ‘Cloverfield Universe’ – spun off from the phenomenally successful Cloverfield movie of 2008. But, 10 Cloverfield Lane – at this point – has nothing to do with Cloverfield, other than the use of that word. It’s entirely its own, deeply disturbing thing.
There’s no point at which 10 Cloverfield Lane ever becomes predictable (and it easily could have), as it builds its claustrophobia and sense of intense panic. The constantly shifting conclusions we reach, along with Michelle as each new piece of information is revealed, serves to keep us unnerved and off-kilter – never knowing what might happen next, and never quite knowing which character to root for. Until the third act, that is – because by the time the end comes, we’re fully accepting of whatever the remainder of the ride holds.
That is, without a doubt, storytelling at its finest.