Review: ‘10 Cloverfield Lane’ Starring John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, And John Gallagher Jr.

Producer and director J.J. Abrams is a cinematic showman, and nothing makes for a better show than a teasing mystery, followed by a big, surprising reveal. And the filmmaker has a made a career (and even given a TED talk) about his “mystery box” approach to storytelling. However, the gambit hasn’t always worked. “Star Trek Into Darkness” in particular saw fans complaining that the secrecy around the villain Khan was largely unnecessary (with Abrams admitting the marketing didn’t work, and that there were too many nods to “Star Trek II: Wrath Of Khan”). And while his involvement in “Lost” didn’t go beyond the first season, Abrams is credited with coming up with concept of the island being a character in the series, with the show then left forever struggling to resolve the basic questions it raised. However, when the mix turns out right, Abrams' style can be affecting (“Super 8”) and hugely successful, and in that latter category is 2008’s “Cloverfield.” Produced by Abrams and directed...