Movie Review: The Cloverfield Paradox (2018) *A Paradoxical Slog*

In an era where movies are heralded and marketed years in advance, the Cloverfield franchise is an outlier as the films tend to drop fully formed out of the blue with little to no warning.  However, even for this franchise, it was a surprise during Superbowl LII to learn that the third film in the franchise was done, was being released on Netflix, and would be ready for streaming as soon as the game was complete.  10 Cloverfield Lane was one of the best surprises in recent years, so I was hoping that, despite Netflix’s touch with movies, the sci-fi anthology franchise would continue its hot streak.  That….is unfortunately not what happens in The Cloverfield Paradox.

My Favorite Scene: Cloverfield (2008) “Headless Lady Liberty”

Cloverfield was a brilliant marketing campaign.  Much like it’s follow-up, 10 Cloverfield Lane, which opens Friday, Cloverfield appeared out of nowhere from the black hole of secrecy that JJ Abrams apparently owns a timeshare in.  The concept is great.  It’s basically experiencing a Godzilla attack from the standpoint of the tiny ant people running out of its way.  It uses the “found footage” style of filming, but the conceit is that the attack happened at a party where they were filming it so it largely works.

I say “largely” because it doesn’t quite get pulled off, but it’s still a lot of fun and I enjoyed it.  My favorite moment is at the beginning of the attack when the stakes are announced by Lady Liberty’s head bouncing down the street toward our group of survivors.  Statement made.  JJ Abrams produced it, Matt Reeves directed it and went on to do Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and writer Drew Goddard is the showrunner on Daredevil.  10 Cloverfield Lane looks like a completely different film and Abrams has already said we won’t see the monster, but I’m intrigued to visit this world again.