Film Review: "Shadow in the Cloud" (2020).

"Every mission has its demons" in Shadow in the Cloud. This action horror film directed by Roseanne Liang and written by Liang and Max Landis. In the throes of World War II, Captain Maude Garrett joins the all-male crew of a B-17 bomber with a top-secret package. Caught off guard by the presence of a woman on a military flight, the crew tests Maude's every move. Just as her quick wit is winning them over, strange happenings and holes in her backstory incite paranoia surrounding her true mission. But this crew has more to fear - lurking in the shadows, something sinister is tearing at the heart of the plane. Trapped between an oncoming air ambush and an evil lurking within, Maude must push beyond her limits to save the hapless crew and protect her mysterious cargo.

In January 2019, it was announced that Chloë Grace Moretz would star in the film, with Liang as director and penned by Landis and Liang. According to Moretz, Landis' original script was heavily rewritten during pre-production, and before filming began, by Liang, due to sexual harassment allegations made against Landis at the time. Landis was removed as a producer and was completely distanced from the production. However, due to Writers Guild of America rules, Landis receives credit for the script. After watching the film, Landis claims that about 90-95% of the script is still his. By June, Taylor John Smith, Beulah Koale, Nick Robinson, Callan Mulvey and Benedict Wall rounded out the cast. At the same time, principal photography commenced and took place in Auckland, New Zealand.

The film stars Moretz, Smith, Koale, Robinson, Mulvey and Wall. The cast made the choice to treat this script as award-worthy material instead of the action thriller genre flick it is, and the performances are gorgeously over-the-top.

Even with an interesting premise, the film never fully capitalizes on its potential and we're left with nothing more than a decent flick. Even through its narrow plot and lack of inventiveness, the film still manages to be just entertaining and striking enough to stand on its own as a showy, harsh action romp. Expect no surprises, though. The film may not be perfect. It may be "just" one more blockbuster whose only vocation is to offer over eight minutes of pure and hard enjoyment. The film may be spare parts from different genres, but it manages to feel fresh and fun - well, at least as fun as it can get in a film with a seriously gritty edge. Somewhere amidst a jumble of fast images and unscripted shouts, I couldn't help but feel that this all would have been more effective in a movie that played the material with a more straightforward approach. The film has issues and does get mired in some narrative and pacing issues, but overall this is a film that is far more fun and enjoyable than half of the movies released in theaters in 2020. That alone makes it a success.

Simon says Shadow in the Cloud receives: