Written by: Kevin Berge
In space, no one can hear you scream except everyone else with you in the shuttle though you probably already forgot they existed. (Image Courtesy of: thenerdmentality.com)
Quick Take: The Cloverfield Paradox shows how dangerous the anthology storytelling concept behind this franchise has become, pulling down an already poorly executed film with unnecessary and drama-draining exposition. It fails as an Alien-esque thriller, a Cloverfield film, and a dramatic experience.
***This is a spoiler-free review of the movie that will only discuss story details in its set up. Those wanting to go into the movie completely blind should watch it first, but this will not spoil any major details beyond the first 15 minutes.***
I love anthology storytelling when done right. In a time where sequels are rampant, few series take the anthology route and explore different aspects of the same universe. Fewer still do it well, but it can be masterful when done right. Ultimately, a well-executed world always has more stories to tell than just a few characters.
That is likely why I latched onto the Cloverfield movies. The first was a solid movie, but it was the second that pulled me in. It was only after this third movie that I truly realized that Cloverfield has completely failed with its anthology storytelling.
12 Cloverfield Lane was a great contained thriller with a fantastic cast, and its only flaw was a final act that had nothing to do with the rest of the story but tied into the franchise. The Cloverfield Paradox may not have been a good science fiction thriller on its own, but it is made worse by sloppily adding in Cloverfield ties.
At its core, The Cloverfield Paradox is just a science fiction thriller inside a contained shuttle, basically Alien without the xenomorph. The movie replaces the monster threat with reality warping nonsense, set up a few minutes into the film by unnecessary boring exposition disguised as news.
It is clear that these are a part of the additions to the movie by J.J. Abrams to tie it in because they are completely unnecessary unless people are confused about why all of this leads to Cloverfield monsters. It really shouldn't lead to monsters, but there's a lot in this movie that shouldn't lead to what it does.
The plot of this film doesn't matter because the whole point is just to play slow insidious killer with the crew. Most of the group are meant to die, and their death make so little sense with no explanation beyond we're in a melding reality where anything can happen.
I love anthology storytelling when done right. In a time where sequels are rampant, few series take the anthology route and explore different aspects of the same universe. Fewer still do it well, but it can be masterful when done right. Ultimately, a well-executed world always has more stories to tell than just a few characters.
That is likely why I latched onto the Cloverfield movies. The first was a solid movie, but it was the second that pulled me in. It was only after this third movie that I truly realized that Cloverfield has completely failed with its anthology storytelling.
12 Cloverfield Lane was a great contained thriller with a fantastic cast, and its only flaw was a final act that had nothing to do with the rest of the story but tied into the franchise. The Cloverfield Paradox may not have been a good science fiction thriller on its own, but it is made worse by sloppily adding in Cloverfield ties.
At its core, The Cloverfield Paradox is just a science fiction thriller inside a contained shuttle, basically Alien without the xenomorph. The movie replaces the monster threat with reality warping nonsense, set up a few minutes into the film by unnecessary boring exposition disguised as news.
It is clear that these are a part of the additions to the movie by J.J. Abrams to tie it in because they are completely unnecessary unless people are confused about why all of this leads to Cloverfield monsters. It really shouldn't lead to monsters, but there's a lot in this movie that shouldn't lead to what it does.
The plot of this film doesn't matter because the whole point is just to play slow insidious killer with the crew. Most of the group are meant to die, and their death make so little sense with no explanation beyond we're in a melding reality where anything can happen.
Meet the crew of the, what was the name of the ship? They're a great bunch especially that one guy and the woman who... yeah. (Image Courtesy of: vox.com)
I went into this movie hoping it could be something it was not, and it was worse than what I should have realistically expected it to be. It should not have been hard to tie this movie into the Cloverfield canon except that the movie was written to be one. Abrams just threw in the ties later.
Forgetting the connections, the movie itself is sloppy. It rushes through its story and never lets the audience connect to the characters. The only person that matters is Hamilton who is sort of the Ripley of this story. Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Belle) is quite good in the role and the only one who seems to be invested.
That's a shame because this is a talented cast. David Oyelowo (Selma) and Daniel Brühl (Rush) are too good to be bad, but they're so boring. The director Julius Onah (The Girl is in Trouble) seemed more preoccupied with the imagery than the characters especially highlighted by Elizabeth Debicki's (The Great Gatsby) one-note character.
It is easy to compare this movie unfavorably to its inspiration Alien, but the comparison is important in questioning why the movie is so bad. Beyond Hamilton, this movie has no structure, no characters with recognizable traits, or any remotely interesting concepts.
It is a shame because I wanted the idea of the Cloverfield franchise to work. If this was a better movie, many might still be excited for what was next, but it would still have been hampered by the poor pacing that plagues the film when it is taken apart by Abrams to tell a different story.
The writing is bad. The direction is terrible. The acting is almost universally singular and forgettable. For a film I was excited to see, I was especially disappointed in myself for even giving the movie the time to tell its complete story. I would not recommend any fans of the franchise to watch this movie, just read about what it means to the series.
Forgetting the connections, the movie itself is sloppy. It rushes through its story and never lets the audience connect to the characters. The only person that matters is Hamilton who is sort of the Ripley of this story. Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Belle) is quite good in the role and the only one who seems to be invested.
That's a shame because this is a talented cast. David Oyelowo (Selma) and Daniel Brühl (Rush) are too good to be bad, but they're so boring. The director Julius Onah (The Girl is in Trouble) seemed more preoccupied with the imagery than the characters especially highlighted by Elizabeth Debicki's (The Great Gatsby) one-note character.
It is easy to compare this movie unfavorably to its inspiration Alien, but the comparison is important in questioning why the movie is so bad. Beyond Hamilton, this movie has no structure, no characters with recognizable traits, or any remotely interesting concepts.
It is a shame because I wanted the idea of the Cloverfield franchise to work. If this was a better movie, many might still be excited for what was next, but it would still have been hampered by the poor pacing that plagues the film when it is taken apart by Abrams to tell a different story.
The writing is bad. The direction is terrible. The acting is almost universally singular and forgettable. For a film I was excited to see, I was especially disappointed in myself for even giving the movie the time to tell its complete story. I would not recommend any fans of the franchise to watch this movie, just read about what it means to the series.
