I promise you will never think about the classic song, ‘I Think We’re Alone Now,’ the same way again after watching the surprise trailer for Paramount and Bad Robot’s 10 Cloverfield Lane.
What exactly is 10 Cloverfield Lane? Is it Cloverfield 2? Sort of, but no one outside the inner circle knows precisely the thematic connection. Executive producer J.J. Abrams has already described it as a “blood relative” of the original Cloverfield sans the shaky-cam shooting style. Whether that menacing monster appears in this new iteration is being kept under wraps.
Director Dan Trachtenberg shot this film starring John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and John Gallagher Jr. under obviously a different name to preserve its secrecy, though Trachtenberg was open on Twitter about working on a Bad Robot project. The studios and creative minds came up with the brilliant idea to keep the name and concept under wraps and unveil it literally less than two months before its theatrical release date on March 11, 2016.
What can we possibly take away from this somewhat cryptic trailer? For starters the film is taking up IMAX screens a few weeks before Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice drops so I expect it to have some monster action befitting the large-screen format. The trio of leads wouldn’t be in the shelter if a threat wasn’t outside, unless Goodman’s potentially fatherly character is pulling a ruse and everything is fine up on the service. I highly doubt writers Josh Campbell & Matthew Stuecken would pull the rug out in such an unsatisfying manner.
Though 10 Cloverfield Lane is a real street address, the number “10” could also be a way of saying we’ll see a whole bunch of monsters in this movie, even if they’re crammed into the final act. It’s a stretch, but sometimes Hollywood likes to make those corny play on words — or in this case numbers.
As for the song ‘I Think We’re Alone Now,’ it was originally recorded by Tommy James & The Shondells back in 1967. Roughly 20 years later pop star Tiffany covered it for a new generation.
And now Trachtenberg, Abrams and the trailer editing team bring back the original version in what should be an early contender for trailer of the year. The mood swing, perfect pacing, tension, acting; it’s all terrific,
Update: Here’s the first one-sheet for 10 Cloverfield Lane with the tagline, “Monsters Come in Many Forms.” Make of that what you will.
