September is National Preparedness Month, so to bring awareness to you all about being prepared for unexpected situations, I decided to go to the extremes. 10 Cloverfield Lane is a movie about a trio locked in a bunker underground. The man who built the bunker, John Goodman, seems like a crazy guy who just kidnapped two people and locked them underground with him. He spouts off that there's something wrong with topside and they have to stay underground to stay safe. They think he's completely psycho, so they try to break out. I know they get out in the end and find out he was right. He wasn't crazy and his little bunker was not a psychotic creation of a troubled mind. It's funny how we can always see the doomsday-ers and think they're crazy for building bunkers and stocking supplies, but the truth is, we never know how bad things could get and when they'll go bad. I grew up with the stories of my ancestors and this unspoken knowledge of saving up for a rainy day. I also had family in the mountains of Virginia who always had a back-up storage room filled with supplies for when it snowed because they could get snowed in for a few weeks because they're road wasn't on the city plan of plowing. Considering there were four or five houses on that mountain that were our family's, I can understand. Being prepared for bad times was just our family's way of dealing with the unexpected in life. I inherited that mindset and now I like to keep a supply of food items in my basement storage area. Mainly pastas because they won't go bad, but a few other things, too. This movie may go to an extreme, but sometimes we need extreme examples to show us that preparing for something smaller is actually a good idea. Sure, the likelihood of an alien invasion or a zombie apocalypse is nearly nil, but the food shortages we were having during the shut down is something more realistic that proved having those stores in my basement were a good idea. It's only a shame I didn't plan better for toilet paper. We ran out after the first month and I was worried I wouldn't find more in time. Buying bulk from BJs seems like such a good idea now. Aside from what I've already mentioned, I don't know much else about this movie, so how about I watch it and find out the rest?
There is something so intense/cathartic about repairing the damage you've done to your supposed attacker.
Music sounds like the video game Last of Us
Emmett begged to be let inside
I enjoyed this movie. I thought the lead character, Michelle, was acting stupid a few times, but overall it was entertaining. It flip flops a bit between being tense and calm. Michelle is brought into the bunker after an accident, so it would seem that she's been kidnapped and locked in a cell by a sick man. She has no idea what's going to happen, so she starts concocting plans for an escape. These are the types of things that she does that irk my nerves. I know it would suck to be kidnapped and locked in a cell, but she doesn't even ask enough questions to get a more clear picture of what he wants and what he expects of her. She just jumps to making a fire in an air vent, tries to escape and doesn't quite get it right. Seriously? I can understand wanting to get free, but that is a serious risk that doesn't have a high probability of being effective. She's injured and needs to heal. How much can she really do in the beginning? She should have weighed her options a little better and assessed the situation. I'm an over-analytical kind of person, so I think of a lot of variables when it comes to planning something and I can't understand how some people are so driven to action that they don't think through the next step. Just because you have figured out a way to get his attention and you have a chance to make a break for it doesn't mean you'll be able to find the exit or have the keys to get out. She's lucky he wasn't a serial killer because her thoughtless attempt at escape could have been the last thing she'd done.
As for Howard, he's a complicated man who probably worked in projects for the government for too long and left him paranoid about the world around him. I'm not even going to say he was wrong or deluded. Sometimes, when you know just how deep the rabbit hole goes, you know just how much rope you'll need to climb out of it if you fall in. He prepared that bunker for some eventuality. He stocked it with food and supplies and figured out a way for fresh water and air circulation to run through the unit. He was prepared for the possibility of being stuck in there for a year or more. Many people would call him crazy, but we don't truly know what the next day will bring. We just had a tornado in Maryland two weeks ago and that was the third in a year. I bet the people in the tornado's path wish they had an underground bunker to escape to instead of facing it from their homes or work. The truth is, we just don't know what can happen. We like to think we're safe in our worlds because we expect things to stay predictable, but life is far from predictable. It's always changing and doing unexpected things, so it's best to have a plan in place for the unexpected. It makes it easier to know what to do in the case that it actually does occur. Howard is definitely on the overzealous side of preparations, but it really paid off in this situation. John Goodman does well with this character. Reminds me a little of Walter in The Big Lebowski in that militaristic sense and the paranoia from seeing too many things during his time in the military. Howard is, at least, a little more stable than Walter's erratic aggression. He can be triggered, but not over little things like a foul in a bowling game.
Michelle does trigger him, though, with some flirting towards Emmett in one scene, and that was stupid on her part because it was another ill thought out plan. So you got him pissed and close enough to steal his keys, but really, what's the plan after that? She is one of my least favorite characters in a movie because she's constantly putting everyone else at risk without assessing the situation. The fire in the vent could have been a catastrophe in that enclosed environment. Opening the door could have risked everyone's health, but she did it anyway. Even making the bio-suit, which was by far the least risky decision, still had it's consequences. Emmett was a simple guy from a small town who never went anywhere or had any great ambitions for much. He helped Howard build the doomsday bunker, so he knew it was a safe place to go when the attack happened. He didn't deserve what Howard did to him in the end and I can say I was just as shocked as Michelle was. Completely stunned and barely able to take in what was happening afterwards kind of shocked. He was a good guy that didn't deserve what he got. Can't say I think he'd have survived outside of the bunker once it was discovered that aliens were behind the attack, but that's beside the point. He could have stayed in the bunker if Michelle hadn't set it to explode. But all of that deliberation is moot because she did set it to combust, even if unintentionally, and the whole place was destroyed. What a waste...
There were a lot of things I liked about this movie, like the tension created, the survival mentality and skills and the depth of Howard's character. I can't say I think there was much depth to Michelle's character, though she did show some guts and resolve throughout the film. Emmett's character was simple, so not deeply fleshed out, but he was wholesome and I liked his calm simplicity. The story seemed to flow well, but it had it's holes. It leaves you with questions about some things, which is more like life, but frustrating in a movie. I do want to watch the other two movies in this series, but that can wait a while. I was entertained, but not blown away with this one. I don't know if I'd watch it again, but there are scenes that will be playing in my head for a while after watching it.
For my next movie, I'll be watching The Heathers to coincide with Suicide Prevention Month and Week. I know it's not exactly in line with the theme, but it's fitting enough. I'll explain more with my next post. It's available to watch for free on Amazon Prime and Hulu, if you want to watch it with me. Stay tuned for next time!
For more movie love, check out my other blog, "You're Watching That Again?!"
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