“10 Cloverfield Lane” is one of the most surprising movies I’ve ever seen. It’s surprising because I absolutely despised the original “Cloverfield” and this film was said to be set in the same universe as that mess but really, that’s just misleading. “10 Cloverfield Lane” has about as much to do with the original “Cloverfield” as any other movie.

In “10 Cloverfield Lane”, Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead “Die Hard 4.0”) is in a car accident. She awakens inside a bunker with Howard (John Goodman “The Big Lebowski”, “The Flintstones”) and she’s told that there has been some kind of attack and it isn’t safe to go outside because the air is toxic. Michelle isn’t too convinced and also with them is Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.), who also isn’t sure if everything Howard has told them is true.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead does a really good job as Michelle. The character has a real logical approach to this situation as she’s never really given the full facts and every revelation forces her to completely rethink everything. John Goodman is excellent as Howard. John Gallagher Jr. is okay as Emmett. Some of the interactions between the characters are truly intense and are handled rather well. The occasional bit of dialog doesn’t work but for the most part, everything is fine.

I will not spoil the movie but I will say that the I have mixed feelings about the ending. I think for the majority of the movie, this is a creative and engaging thriller that does a heck of a lot with very limited amount of space and a small cast. I must reiterate that this movie really has next to nothing to do with “Cloverfield” because it’s not a found footage movie, none of the characters are the same or anything like that and I think was a mistake to try to link the movies at all.