10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) has quite possible the worst film ending of the 21st century thus far.
In the film Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s character Michelle is kidnapped by John Goodman’s seemingly insane Howard. She, along with friendly but a low IQ young man called Emmett, are kept in Howard’s underground bunker as he believes that the world is under attack by either the Russians or aliens, everyone is dead and the air outside is poisoned.
As she becomes fearful of Howard’s ever increasing paranoia and aggression she attempts to escape. What she witnesses outside in her first attempt makes her question if what he has been telling her is actually true.
The movie is coated in deep suspense accentuated with great performances by the cast, particularly Goodman who undergoes a sinister change of persona without coming across over the top at any point in the film.
As a viewer I felt the state of constant confusion and increasing fear that the protagonist felt.
Is this man insane?
How could what he’s saying be true?
Maybe I’m going insane as well?
The final 15 minutes of the film answers all these questions. It answers these questions as if an average High School student was given the task to write the screenplay’s ending.
It is the dumbest most far fetched denouement to what could’ve been a great film. I won’t spoil it for you but the film starts of as a gripping thriller but then suddenly decides at the end to become some kind of action sci-fi flick in the vein of Aliens (1986).
It’s almost like if the end of Silence of the Lambs had Jodie Foster’s character being ambushed by Hannibal Lecter in her home, surprises him with her kung fu moves, knocking him out and then hauling his ass back to prison.
It’s that dumb.
Watch it for yourself and see.