'10 Cloverfield Lane' lets tension steadily mount

J.J. Abrams must have either Secret Service-level security on his film sets or a ton of blackmail photos of people with whom he works. Not only was he able to keep a tight lid on the majority of the “Star Wars” reboot “The Force Awakens” despite intense scrutiny from virtually every direction, but he was able to slip a film into theaters that was unknown to even the most knowledgeable film press.

The fact that it also carries the name of a popular alien invasion film from 2008 was an added level of attention. “10 Cloverfield Lane” was not even a dot on fans' cinematic GPS until a couple months ago, when it was revealed that the film was wrapped and ready for release.

And while there are tangential ties to 2008’s “Cloverfield,” the film “10 Cloverfield Lane” is an altogether different beast. Abrams served as producer, so first-time director Dan Trachtenberg relies little on the handheld camera antics that marked its predecessor, and he takes a more intimate approach to the tension.

We first meet Michelle (played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead) in the midst of a breakup with her boyfriend, and she takes to the road to move on with her life (in a nice nod to “Psycho”). Her plans are interrupted when a car accident lands her in strange room, hooked to an IV as well as chained up like a participant in a “Saw” game.

It turns out she is in the underground bunker of Howard (played by John Goodman), a mirthless conspiracy kook who tells her he saved her life and that the world outside has been scorched by an alien attack, which rendered the air unbreathable. They are joined by Emmett (played by John Gallagher Jr.), Howard’s hayseed neighbor who believes every word he is fed by the paranoid bunker-dweller.

Michelle is determined to find out for herself, and she immediately attempts to make it to the outside world on her own. At one point, she makes her way to the bunker’s door, peers out and sees….

Please! You think I’m going to ruin the expertly crafted turns writers John Campbell, Matthew Stuecken and Damien Chazelle have in store for you? No way, as they are some of the best aspects of the riveting tension constructed in “10 Cloverfield Lane.” For the majority of the film, we are as uninformed as Michelle, not entirely sure where we should place our allegiance, and trying to fill in the gaps of logic in the stories we are fed.

A large party of “Cloverfield’s” effectiveness is due to Goodman as the dubious cellar dweller Howard. The fact that he has put so much of his personal time and effort in a dwelling that actually hinged on an apocalyptic scenario is enough to give pause, but his wavering personality that swings from paternal to dictatorial is frightening in such close quarters.

And just when we think we have things figured out, the writers press their thumbs on the scales, making us doubt our best instincts. Throughout, director Trachtenberg proves he knows what he is doing, and demonstrates why producer Abrams allowed him to take the wheel. From left-field bits of humor to mounting tension to making the most of the cramped setting in which they all find themselves, Trachtenberg gets it all right.

There is a genetic connection to “Cloverfield,” but there’s so much more to it that time spent searching for those DNA strands could be better used in repeat viewings, which “10 Cloverfield Lane” will certainly withstand.