I really didn't give 10 Cloverfield much of a chance at being particularly good. Just based on the premise alone (and avoiding spoilers), it really didn't excite me at all and the fact that it was being tied directly to Cloverfield left me scratching my head. On the surface it just reeked of desperation of a movie trying to piggyback off another flick that had the fortune of actually being good. Well, I can honestly say that 10 Cloverfield exceeded my low expectations and beyond. Simply put, this is a solid Thriller. The suspense was paced perfectly and this is where it was the trickiest given that the bulk of the movie is just 3 people in a bunker. They have to carry the weight of the film on their shoulders and if the pacing is off, the entire movie collapses. Even better than the pacing was the ability to keep me off balance. Sure, I knew what was going to happen and who would be the bad guy....but they threw enough curve balls to keep me guessing right up to the reveal. The performances by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman and John Gallagher, Jr. was more than enough to recommend this. But it's the escape and what comes next that proved to be the icing on the cake. I actually look at the final 15 minutes as a bonus because I was expecting the movie to just end once she got out the door given the fact that Cloverfield itself just.....ended. Not a bad opening shot for Dan Trachtenberg, working on a Big Hollywood flick.