Review: "Cloverfield Paradox" An Interesting, But Disappointing, Addition to Anthology Series

So, there's been a lot of buzz about Cloverfield Paradox's marketing strategy. Make the movie in secret, then show an ad for it during the Super Bowl, then release it right after. It's becoming the norm for this franchise to go as secretive as possible, with Cloverfield having an incredible viral marketing campaign while 10 Cloverfield Lane was announced two months before release. It's daring and oftentimes brilliant in the age of trailers for trailers that this franchise is choosing to go guerilla with it, emerging from the shadows only when absolutely necessary. 

Of course, all the cool tricks in the world won't contribute to much if the film itself isn't very good, and that's where Cloverfield Paradox really struggles. 

Without spoiling too much, Paradox focuses on the crew of the Cloverfield Station, who are testing the Shepard particle accelerator aboard the ship in hopes of ending an energy crisis that has left the planet on the brink. After a year and a half of testing, it apparently works, but it becomes apparent very quickly that something is very wrong, both on the ship and back on Earth. 

The film's major problem is that it feels both overstuffed and underwritten. It's plot is largely paint-by-numbers "doomed space expedition" fare, specifically reminding me of a mash-up of Interstellar and Event Horizon, which would be fine were it not for how largely paper-thin the characters are. The cast themselves are great, with particular stand-outs in the form of Chris O'Dowd and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, but beyond Raw's Hamilton (who functions as the film's protagonist), none of them ever really develop beyond archetypes, making it hard to care for their struggles. The dialogue doesn't help, often coming off as clunky or overexpository without ever feeling real. 

Perhaps the film's entire issue is a lack of a real identity. The direction, dialogue, and plot all feel like something I've seen a million times before, with very little in the way of surprises outside of the ways in which the ship messes with the crew (with a scene involving a severed arm in particular standing out) and the film's spectacular final scene, which is shocking and entertaining in a way that I wish the rest of the film had been. It all just clips along at a fine pace up until the credits rolled, at which point I said, "Well that was ok." and clicked out. 

In an era where there's simply too much content to devour, perhaps the worst reaction of all is a shrug. Is it terrible? No, but is it the gamechanger Netflix sorely needs to prove themselves as a realistic option for blockbusters? Sadly, no. Does this mean they should stop, or that the Cloverfield franchise is dead? Of course not, especially given that Paradox sets up the idea of Overlord, the forth installment that is rumored to come out later this year. I just wish that this film had tried a little harder to be something new.