10 Cloverfield Lane

In 2008, the JJ Abrams produced Cloverfield was marketed through a secretive and intriguing campaign, centred around Abrams' alluring 'mystery box'. When Cloverfield was revealed however, it proved to be a lacklustre monster movie employing the 'found footage' gimmick — it has aged badly. Mere months ago, the 'mystery box' for 10 Cloverfield Lane appeared, piquing audience curiosity again.

The non-spoiler run-down for this spiritual successor to Cloverfield is simple enough: following an accident woman (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) confined in an underground bunker with two men (John Goodman, John Gallagher Jr) during a mysterious world crisis — and it makes exhilarating cinema.

Shot traditionally (there'll be no reports of car sickness-style nausea this time around) with a focus on classic storytelling, it's a film with an engagingly intimate group of characters, thrilling situations and fine exploration of the tagline: 'Monsters come in many forms'. It's excellently executed, with a refreshing an twisty script, an atmospheric Bear McCreary score and directed confidently and with solid attention to detail, tension and tone by Dan Trachtenberg in his feature debut (after making a great fan short about the game Portal).

The casting is exceptional, with Mary Elizabeth Winstead giving strength, ingenuity and humanity to her protagonist. John Gallagher Jr plays a solid dramatic/comedic support and the great John Goodman creates an amazingly intense, layered character that will keep you guessing.

10 Cloverfield Lane truly steps beyond its clever marketing scheme to stand as a genuinely entertaining cinematic experience.