Imagine a double feature. Imagine taking the powerful, claustrophobic WWII drama "Das Boot" (1981) and immediately following it with "Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus" (2009). Afterwards you can bet the cleaning crews will be scraping rancid vegetables off the movie screen all night. And, from the look of most reviews on imdb, that's how many viewers reacted to this flick.
"Shadow in the Cloud" is really 2 different movies, and if you plan on riding it all the way through without a dumpster full of rotten produce, you have to realize when it shifts. The first act is a powerful, minimalist drama which is really along the lines of "Das Boot" (a tense drama set entirely in a dark, cramped submarine). The entire first part of "Shadow" is just Chloë Grace Moretz stuck in a cramped 5ft square ball turret on the belly of a B-17 Flying Fortress. The camera remains exclusively on her as she delivers a fantastic performance that could've easily been a 1 act play.
But be prepared. Abruptly, the entire film shifts to an action packed popcorn flick. If you can swallow this, you'll have a wild ride all the way to the end. But if you continue expecting this film to be a heavy, realistic drama, you will certainly be as irritated as if a German U-Boat were to suddenly fly up into the sky and get eaten by a prehistoric shark. (For the record, I consider both "Das Boot" & "Mega Shark" to be masterpieces of cinematic genius.)
You may have noticed that I haven't said a word about the plot. That's deliberate. I was told to go into this film blindly, which I did, and maybe that's the key to swallowing all the twists, turns, and violations of the laws of physics that happen. I mean, hey, if we can accept that a dude can dress up as a bat with a Home Depot tool belt and save the world multiple times, why can't we have fun with a wildly inventive thriller set on a WWII airplane?
