Following the American Superbowl, the world was treated to a new Cloverfield film. If you haven't watched it yet, I'm gonna keep this review spoiler-free to begin with and then get into some more spoiler-ish stuff later on, but if you haven't seen it yet, I recommend you go watch it first before reading any further. You can check out the official trailer above, and it's available to stream right now on Netflix. The film was based on a spec script simply called God Particle, written by Oren Uziel. This original script contains the core story, but obviously lacks any of the Cloverfield connections.
Following it's sudden release, the media was jam-packed with negative reviews and critical reports. After watching the film, I just can't understand why. Maybe if you're expecting a stand-alone space sci-fi thriller, you might be a bit disappointed. The thing is, this is a Cloverfield movie and so, there's a lot more going on here than first meets the eye. Cloverfield films are always linked to a intricate and carefully planned Alternate Reality Game (ARG). I'll plan on doing a separate post all about these ARGs at a later point. As a big Cloverfield fan since the beginning, I thoroughly loved how this film both answered some long-standing questions, but also brought up many, many more that beg to be answered.
The Cloverfield Paradox is set on an experimental space station called Cloverfield Station, and involves an international team switching on the new Shepard Particle Accelerator, which would provide Earth with infinite energy. Early on we learn that there are many Conspiracy Theorists who fear that it will create the "Cloverfield Paradox", opening portals to parallel universes, causing chaos and unleashing unknown horrors onto the Earth. The similarities to the fear surrounding the CERN Particle Accelerator being switched on for the first time and causing a Black hole to form, swallowing the Earth into it are hard to miss here.
WARNING! Spoilers beyond this point.
Still here? Good, well hopefully you've watched the movie too by this point. So the big thing with this Cloverfield movie, is that it seems to explain why the earth is being attacked by both giant Kaiju-style monsters and gassy biomechanical aliens. The Shepard Particle Accelerator did exactly what Mark Stambler (fun fact: John Goodman's character in 10 Cloverfield Lane was called Howard Stambler, coincidence? Of course not) said it would at the beginning of the movie, it ripped a hole in the fabric of time-space, subjecting the Earth to the chaos he predicted. The thing is though, it's not just their Earth, but potentially many parallel Earths that are now plagued by Clover and his friends. This, I believe, is the thread that connects all three films so far. They are not the same Earth, but parallel versions of Earth all sufferering as a result of the Cloverfield Station's experiment, possibly started and caused by the mysterious Japanese company Tagruato. That would make Cloverfield the thread the connects these parallel dimensions, whether it's at 10 Cloverfield Lane, or on-board the Cloverfield Station.
There are still many more questions yet to be answered, but I for one feel satisfied that we have a cohesive movie universe here, one with near infinite possibilities for story telling. The next movie to come out, currently called Cloverfield: Overlord, has already finished filming with it set to release next year. It's going to be a WWII thriller involving American paratroopers dropped behind enemy lines, who find themselves going against supernatural forces thanks to a Nazi experiment. There are also rumours that a fifth Cloverfield movie is in the works, possibly starring Daisy Ridley, so stay tuned for more news on those as and when we get it.
So what were your thoughts on this new Cloverfield addition? Did you enjoy it, or do you agree with the critics and feel it fell a bit short? Let me know in the comments down below, I like to hear you guys thoughts on these kinda things. As always, make sure to follow me for the latest Pop Culture and Cryptocurrency news and updates. Peace!
Update: I realised I never actually gave the movie a score, so... personally, I'd give The Cloverfield Paradox a solid 7/10, not my favourite installment but certainly a good one.