Mysterious Moments In The 10 Cloverfield Lane Trailer
Looks like J.J. Abrams' work on the biggest movie of all time, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, was a mere diversion. Indeed, a new trailer for the movie 10 Cloverfield Lane, produced by Abrams and his Bad Robot production company, dropped in January 2016, and it's blowing people's minds. That's probably because, according to Collider, the movie was simply known as Valencia prior to the trailer's release. Now that we know the real name of the Dan Trachtenberg-directed movie, fans everywhere are speculating about the new movie and how it might be related to the original Cloverfield. As you may recall, that was Bad Robot's found-footage monster movie from 2008, which left tons of unanswered questions by the time the screen went to black. Abrams has since been quoted in a statement that it's a "blood relative of Cloverfield." Now that we've caught a glimpse of 10 Cloverfield Lane, we've got even more questions. Here are some of the most mysterious bits and pieces we saw in the preview...and our attempts to maybe explain what the heck they all mean.
What's the relationship here?
The trailer opens with what looks like a family playing the game of Life in the living room. By the end of the trailer, we've got more than an inkling that the peaceful family fun from the beginning wasn't all that it seemed. So who are the characters played by John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and John Gallagher Jr.? Winstead let some clues slip to Collider in March 2015, saying, "my character wakes up in a cellar and I'm being kept down there by John Goodman. He tells me that basically the world is over outside because there's been a nuclear fall-out." As of this writing, the movie's IMDb page lacks character names for the three stars, but it seems pretty clear that Goodman isn't dear old dad this time around. He's probably not even Fred Flintstone. Probably.
What happened to that dude's arm?
Throughout the trailer, Gallagher's character has his arm in a sling. That's one of the few consistent injuries we see during the preview, though at some points Winstead and Goodman's characters each seem to suffer from a busted leg and a cut on the forehead, respectively. Obviously there's something important going on with beardo's arm. Did he get injured in the bunker? Or outside with...well, whatever it is that's out there?
What's shaking, guys?
We know that Winstead's character has been told about "nuclear fall-out." We also know that this movie is somehow related to Cloverfield, which ended with something called the "Hammer Down protocol," which consisted of planes dropping all kinds of bombs on the mysterious tentacle monster-thing. So what's shaking the bunker in this trailer? Did the Hammer Down protocol not get the job done, and there are monsters still out there screwing around? Or is this the effect of yet more bombs? Either way, no one seems particularly jazzed about what's happening on the surface. Well, the fish in the aquarium there don't seem too perturbed, but maybe they're just crappy actors.
Who's handcuffed to that pipe, and why?
You know what's creepy? Seeing a handcuff attached to a pipe...and not seeing who or what is on the other end. Other scenes in the trailer seem to indicate that it's Winstead's character who's attached to the pipe, since she later appears in a similar-looking room and she's definitely being held against her will in the bunker. But the fact that the trailer neglects to show who's on the other end sure does seem suspicious...
That's an eventful vent
What's Winstead's character doing in the vent? Is she looking for alternate routes to escape the bunker? Is she going to find John McClane in there? She did play Lucy McClane in Live Free or Die Hard, so, you know, that's a thing. Or something.
"I said pass the peas!"
As the trailer picks up steam and reveals the conflict between Goodman and his apparent captives, we catch a scene of a dinner gone awry. The two younger characters smile and laugh, until the meal's calm is disrupted by Goodman's character smashing the table with his fist. It definitely makes the guy seem pretty unhinged, at least based on what little we know of the project and what we can parse from the rest of the trailer. This is where we start to suspect Goodman's intentions. Is he keeping them in the bunker for their own good? Or is something far more sinister at play? Or is he just mad that he burnt the beans?
When is this taking place, anyway?
Okay, stick with us here. Cloverfield, which came out in January 2008, actually takes place in May 2009. At that point in time, Apple's flagship device was the iPhone 3G, which had been released in the summer of 2008. This new movie, a "blood relative" of the one from 2008, seems to show Winstead's character holding what looks like an iPhone 6, a much more modern device. So does this movie take place around the same time period as Cloverfield—nearly a decade ago? Or is this happening in the here and now? Or is the fact that "Cloverfield" is in the title a total misdirect? Oh, and let's also not overlook the fact that Winstead's character has a messed up leg and a cut on her face in this scene. Those seem like important details, too. But seriously people, we need to focus on that phone.
What's in that barrel?
Something's in that barrel. Something bad. It's bad enough that Goodman's character feels the need to wear thick, protective gloves. And his two captives seem none-too-happy about...anything. There also appears to be a warning on the side of the container, which may or may not be somehow related to the bit in the trailer that shows a lamp, surrounded by liquid, catching fire. However, there's one thing we can definitely assume is not in the barrel: ketchup. Because that'd just be silly. Who'd look that worried about a barrel full of ketchup? Nobody, that's who.
Why is she whittling that wooden pickle?
We can tell from the nail polish in the image that Winstead is getting her whittle on. And she's making that most festive of holiday gifts: the wooden pickle. See? Not all of 10 Cloverfield Lane is going to be a trip through Bummertown! Or, uh, maybe she's making something to stab John Goodman with. Even chances on either one being right, really.
What does she see on the other side of the door?
At the very end of the trailer, we finally see Winstead's character escape the clutches of her captor. She runs up some stairs, and is about to open the door to the outside world. And then, before she opens it, she takes a look outside. What does she see? We don't know. And we won't know until 10 Cloverfield Lane hits theaters on March 11, 2016.