Reviewing "Shadow In The Cloud": A glorious action horror B-movie with an A-movie budget

Shadow In The Cloud is an action horror film set largely on a large plane on a resupply mission who picks up an extra passenger, Maude, right before takeoff. Maude is carrying a confidential package, and the rest of the crew, all men, are suspicious of her, and more than a little contemptuous of her status as a female pilot. The film stars Chloe Grace Moretz as Maude Garrett and Taylor John Smith as Walter Quaid, the only crew member nice to Maude. Unfortunately, the plane has more than a few issues, including a particularly dangerous stowaway...

The acting is good. Make no mistake, this is Chloe Grace Moretz's movie. She is the audience's eyes through which we see the increasingly high-stakes events of the film, and she is a very capable and sympathetic character. This film centers completely on her and her experiences on the plane. Uniquely, if she isn't around to witness an event directly, she can only imagine it and we the audience gets to see brief flashes of what she thinks is occurring elsewhere, which may or may not be accurate to what actually happened. As mentioned, the film's plot gets more frantic and crazy as it goes on, but Moretz's performance keeps everything grounded and believable in a weird way, as she deals with sexist crew members and the malicious stowaway. The best parts of the film are during the quieter moments, when the camera is focused on Moretz's face and multiple expressions quickly flash across her face as she grapples with pressure, insults, and mounting pressure. The scenes where she has to struggle for survival on her own are also very enjoyable.

Secondly, the cinematography and the action. The film is very well-shot, and the action sequences are very well-made, providing white-knuckle tension and thrills. There are a few upside-down shots that are I thought were particularly well done. Of course, some aspects do stretch your suspension of disbelief a bit more than usual and come off as over-the-top, but at that point I was completely invested in the story and I was just willing to accept the ridiculousness of it all. The action sequences made this feel like an 80s B-movie but with the production values of a blockbuster.

Last but not least, the minimalism. This aspect was very appealing to me for some reason. I liked the fact that there were only a few characters interacting and with the movie largely being set on a plane in flight, it helps keep up the tension, making everything feel simple yet effective. It captures that claustrophobic feel of being in a flying plane, trapped in a dangerous situation, putting us in the same headspace as Moretz's character.

All in all, Shadow In The Cloud is a solid and tense action-horror film that, while seeming silly at times, features a great leading performance from Chloe Grace Moretz, a simple yet effective story, a nicely claustrophobic setting, and a lot of tense sequences, making this a very enjoyable watch.

Score: 8/10