The Cloverfield Paradox: Because every horror franchise has to go to space at some point.
Releasing on Netflix, The Cloverfield Paradox is the third entry in this decade-long running series. Coming out the same night the first trailer aired, this movie promised to answer how all of the movies connected. It does do this, if you pay attention, because nothing can be clear in the franchise. This does add to the fun of this series, but what about what matters most, namely the quality of the overall movie. On that front, Paradox is an acceptable movie, that has its shares of flaws.
The plot, concerning astronauts attempting to use a particle accelerator to create limitless energy. Of course, something goes horribly wrong, and the astronauts find themselves lost. Going further into the plot would give away some of the fun twists that do make the plot interesting. However, it does have to be said that the plot really doesn't make much sense under scrutiny. It feels like so much is set up to just be explained away with the term Paradox. Also turns for some of the characters that are supposed to be shocking, really aren't especially when a person turns out evil, but they've been acting really weird for most of the movie.
There is also a side plot back on Earth, where a husband of one of the astronauts deals with the space station disappearing, and a random massive attack on the planet. I loved this section a lot, because it was very reminiscent of the original Cloverfield. Where what is attacking isn't clearly known for awhile, and to the characters, it doesn't matter much, because survival is what matters most. More of this plot would've been nice, especially when the space plot got a bit out of hand.
It does have to be noted that this movie had its Cloverfield connections added into the script very late on, and it is very obvious. Like stated before, it does answer how all three movies connect, but it is done in such a thrown together way that it really doesn't have the much of an impact. Honestly, the answer doesn't seem much to be much more than answering how to keep making more anthology films in the Cloverfield universe.
Despite its faults, this is still a fun movie. Performances are solid enough, and the movie can be tense at times, with a good amount of funny movies. Characters earn empathy, and even their villains have solid motives. It is still a good way to pass the time, it just isn't anywhere as good as the two previous films in the series. Still, being on Netflix, this is an entertaining way to spend a night. Fans of the series will also enjoy scouring for easter eggs hidden within, and boy, are there a lot of them. It will certainly be interesting to see where the series goes from here, and we won't have to wait long, as the fourth film is already filmed, so it won't be long to see where this goes next.
2.5/5
