The Cloverfield Paradox — Film Review
#itsallconnected?
Well, we weren’t expecting that….
Much to everyone’s surprise, Netflix and Paramount Pictures released the third instalment of the mysterious ‘Cloverfield’ franchise just hours after the first teaser premiered during the Sunday night’s Super Bowl sports game (is that what it’s called?).
I’ve been a fan of the franchise for a while now, particularly 2016’s surprise release 10 Cloverfield Lane. Once it became clear that these films were in fact connected (in tone or theme at least) they immediately became more interesting. Like a cinematic Twilight Zone or, to use a more modern reference, Black Mirror, the release of Cloverfield Lane opened up new possibilities for an anthology sci-fi series, with each entry free to explore wildly different tones and subject matter.
To a certain extent, The Cloverfield Paradox delivers on this promise. Set primarily aboard a high-tech space station orbiting the Earth, the latest entry to the expanding ‘Cloververse’ follows an international team of astronauts as they attempt to ‘fire’ the large particle accelerator attached to their orbital laboratory.
After a very heavy-handed set up featuring a scientist warning of the dangers of the particle accelerator experiment (‘ripping open the membrane of space-time, smashing together multiple dimensions, shattering reality’), things inevitably go wrong.
After the first apparently successful firing of the accelerator, the crew of the space station find themselves ripping open a hole in space-time, causing the Earth to seemingly disappear. From that point on things just more insane/silly/cool depending on your point of view. For me, it’s probably a combination of all three.
In some instances, The Cloverfield Paradox touches on the idea of multi-dimensional travel in interesting ways. What if a life-changing tragedy had never happened? What if certain crew members had ulterior motives in different versions of reality?
While any one of these ideas could have formed the basis of an interesting sci-fi story, the need to fit into an established universe robs The Cloverfield Paradox of its soul and what we’re left with is a rushed and convoluted mess.
Originally titled The God Particle, the film has been in development for a long time with rumours circling around its potential inclusion in the ‘Cloververse’ for well over a year.
From the final product, it is clear that The God Particle was never intended to be The Cloverfield Paradox. An earth-based subplot featuring the husband of our protagonist feels very tacked on, as does the film’s audacious final shot. One thing’s for sure; there were definitely some re-shoots.
Interestingly a similar situation occurred with 10 Cloverfield Lane. Originally titled The Cellar, that film was intended to be a taught claustrophobic thriller set in a fallout shelter before it too was converted into a ‘Cloverfield’ movie. Where Lane succeeded in keeping its original concept intact though, Paradox sadly fails.
The concepts or situations associated with creating a ‘paradox’ are never fully explored here as the film divulges into standard “we have to get home” space movie cliches: tragic deaths viewed through the window of an airlock, noble sacrifices, ‘impossible’ choices and, of course, an oxygen supply that can be measured in minutes.
In so many ways The Cloverfield Paradox is a wasted opportunity. The cast boasts some truly amazing actors who all do their best with what they’re given. Gugu Mbatha-Raw is outstanding as the films’ lead despite the fact her character can only develop through poorly delivered exposition. Likewise, Chris O’Dowd is great, but his story/character ends up becoming one of the most laughable and outright silly elements of the film. David Oyelowo, Daniel Brühl and Elizabeth Debicki are all equally brilliant despite the often overly familiar roles they are left to play. The cast all deserve better than this and so do we.
The Cloverfield Paradox does not work as a standalone sci-fi movie and it does not work as a ‘Cloverfield’ movie. If it had committed fully to either of these ideas we could have ended up with something interesting. Sadly I get the feeling that studio meddling may be to blame.
Paramount has another upcoming sci-fi film which may offer some insight into what happened here. Alex Garland’s Annihilation starring Natalie Portman, is reportedly getting an international Netflix release rather than a full theatrical run later this year. The rumours are this reduced commitment from Paramount is a direct result of the film being deemed “too intellectual” and “too complicated” by certain studio producers. Could the same thing have happened to The God Particle forcing it to mutate into The Cloverfield Paradox?. Now that is an interesting mystery….
