Shadow in the Cloud (2021)

Shadow in the Cloud (2021)

Taglines: Every mission has its demons.

Shadow in the Cloud Movie Storyline. In the throes of World War II, Captain Maude Garrett (Chloe Grace Moretz) 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.

Shadow in the Cloud is a 2020 action horror film directed by Roseanne Liang, from a screenplay by Liang and Max Landis,[4] starring Chloë Grace Moretz, Taylor John Smith, Nick Robinson, Beulah Koale and Callan Mulvey. It follows a female flight officer on a top-secret mission during the Second World War on a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress while encountering an evil gremlin on board.

Shadow in the Cloud had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 12, 2020. Shortly after, Vertical Entertainment and Redbox Entertainment acquired distribution rights to the film. Shadow in the Cloud was released in the United States on January 1, 2021, although the release was limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Shadow in the Cloud (2021) - Chloe Grace Moretzz
Shadow in the Cloud (2021) – Chloe Grace Moretzz

About the Story

In August 1943, Pilot Officer Maude Garrett, a female flight officer, is assigned to travel with a top secret package from Auckland, New Zealand, to Samoa. When she arrives at the airbase, she sees a ground crew ramp worker disappear before her eyes—just before suddenly finding herself standing right in front of her transport, a B-17 bomber called The Fool’s Errand. The bomber’s crew gives her a mostly derisive welcome and she is quartered in the Sperry Ball turret for the takeoff. With no room left for her document valise, she reluctantly allows the only crew member friendly to her, Staff Sergeant Walter Quaid, to store it.

While stuck in the turret, Maude sees some sort of creature clinging to the underside of the bomber’s wing. She reports it, but most of the crew—except Private Beckell, who sees it too—dismisses her. When she is allowed to leave the turret, the hatch malfunctions, trapping her inside. When she reacts indignantly to the crew’s comments about her situation, they abandon their attempts to open the hatch and the comm is cut off.

After seeing a Japanese fighter appearing and disappearing close to the bomber, she is abruptly attacked by the creature, a gremlin; she fights it off but ends up injured. When the crew contacts her again to ask what happened, a radio message comes in telling them that a Maude Garrett doesn’t exist and is not registered for the flight. When they intend to take her out for questioning, Maude deliberately jams the turret’s gears and prepares to defend herself when the Japanese aircraft reappears and attacks. Taking control of the turret, she shoots it down, winning the crew’s grudging respect.

While continuing to talk with the crew, Maude admits she is actually married and boarded the bomber under her maiden name, but refuses to reveal her mission, citing its secrecy. Then she sees the gremlin again as it continues to sabotage the bomber. Eventually Private Dorn sights it too, but the others disregard him.

Suspecting Maude’s assignment is the cause of their misfortunes, Reeves gives the order to open the bag, which contains a baby—Maude’s and Quaid’s extramarital child. Forced to confess, Maude explains that she was severely mistreated by her husband; she has an affair with Quaid and inadvertently got pregnant. Someone betrayed her to her husband, who came to the base. Deciding not to tell Quaid, Maude faked her assignment to get away from her husband, who she says would have killed her in his rage.

Shadow in the Cloud Movie Poster (2021)

Shadow in the Cloud (2021)

Directed by: Roseanne Liang
Starring: Chloë Grace Moretz, Taylor John Smith, Walter Quaid, Beulah Koale, Nick Robinson, Callan Mulvey, Benedict Wall, Joe Witkowski, Byron Coll, Asher Bridle, Joshua Marchant
Screenplay by: Max Landis, Roseanne Liang
Production Design by: Gary Mackay
Cinematography by: Kit Fraser
Film Editing by: Tom Eagles
Costume Design by: Kristin Seth
Set Decoration by: Tane Jarrett
Art Direction by: Mark Stephen
Music by: Mahuia Bridgman-Cooper
MPAA Rating: R for language throughout, sexual references and violence.
Distributed by: Vertical Entertainment (United States)
Release Date: September 12, 2020 (TIFF), January 1, 2021 (United States)

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