What is that SHADOW IN THE CLOUD (2020- USA - Horror/Action/Drama), and does it have fangs?

 

Officer Maude Garret boards a B-17 Flying Fortress with a mysterious package, important to the WWII effort, and the defeat of the Japanese. Cajoled and harassed by the male crew, she is stuck for the ride across the Pacific Theater in the ball turret beneath the plane.
Soon, they are fielding an attack from an enemy aircraft, which Officer Garret manages to shoot down, gaining a little respect from the crew. But then something else shows up. A flying bat-like creature, full of malevolence, is dismantling the plane, but not everyone on board is choosing to believe the reality of the situation fast enough.
And that package Officer Garret (or is she?) has brought on board is nothing anyone expected.

SHADOW IN THE CLOUD gets so insanely unreal in it's action, that one can only choose to go along for the ride. Moretz's character winds up literally free climbing the outside of the B-17 as it careens around in an air battle. She also goes "mano y mano" with a razor fanged monster, and shows it some good American boxing technique while she is at it. It goes on and on. There is also an almost soap-opera like sub-plot injected into things halfway through that makes the secretive information package that much more important, in the films attempt to raise the stakes.

Directed by Roseanne Liang, known up to know for television and short films with a comedic/romantic bent, and co-written by the now ostracized Max Landis, and Liang herself, SHADOW IN THE CLOUD undermines itself more than once, sadly. There is a wonky character introduction sequence that made me wonder if this one of the recent "COVID-19" movies where all the actors are kept apart, and then again, that plot shift regarding the mysterious package. What could have been a classic WWII fighter pilots against monsters flick is weighed down by a ham fisted injection of social commentary, and it pretty much stops the momentum dead in it's tracks for a bit.

That said, SHADOW IN THE CLOUD is still a decent pick for Monster Movie Night, and would make an okay double feature with something like the also pretty-good-but-not-great OVERLORD from a couple years ago. I love me some WWII horror, so I enjoyed both. Just don't go in expecting a whole lot.

- 6/10