SHADOW IN THE CLOUD

Set in 1943, SHADOW IN THE CLOUD stars Chloe Grace Moretz as Maude Garrett, a mechanic and female pilot in the RAF. She nearly misses a flight leaving from New Zealand to Samoa with orders and a top secret package to be delivered upon landing. Coming aboard at the last minute, there's nowhere to store her, save for the gunner position underneath the plane that's made up entirely of glass and steel. Much of the first act is shot from within this tight bubble, terrifying any audience members who are either claustrophobic, have a fear of flying, or both. While underneath, Garret soon sees a gremlin lurking about on the wing and while unsuccessfully trying to convince her crew members of its presence, the gremlin begins to disable to plane, forcing it down. Honestly, I enjoyed this film way more than I thought I was going to. I enjoy Chloe's work as an actress, but she's also on my list of actors who, no matter what film I see them in, I know it's either going to be average or I'm not going to like it at all. This one actually surprised me and was probably my favorite movie of hers to date. The first half of the film starts out as a suspense/horror film while we're introduced to Garrett, the crew, and the gremlin. However, about halfway through it transitions (and quite well I might add) to an action film. In dealing with the subject matter, yes, some suspension of disbelief is required on the audience's part; but if you can get past that, and one cringe worthy action spot shortly after the transition, it's a fun ride. The film doesn't take itself too serious and it's nice to see Chloe breakout into other genres as well. Without credits the film comes in around 80 minutes so it's short, sweet, and to the point. 6/10