Ever since 2008’s Cloverfield’s release, fans have been clamoring for answers about J.J. Abrams’ monster movie. Where did the creature come from? What were those mysterious radio transmissions? Why has it taken nearly ten years to get answers?
The sudden release of The Cloverfield Paradox is a pleasant surprise for a number of reasons. We didn’t expect to get this film now and it does provide some explicit connections to both Cloverfield and the criminally underrated 10 Cloverfield Lane. Fans of the films will be pleased to know that there are actual answers in Abrams’ latest mystery box.
The actual film is a bit of a mixed bag though. The Cloverfield Paradox doesn’t break any new science fiction ground, providing stereotypical characters, creepy but recognizable scares, and the all too familiar multiverse plot line. Yet the film wears the worn science fiction story well, entertaining just enough to make it worth a watch. It’s complete dedication to its story and a good performance from lead Gugu Mbatha-Raw stand out…even if you forget the film later on.
A Familiar Paradox
In the year 2028, Earth is in a global energy crisis. The world powers are at each other’s throats, but allow an international crew to man the Cloverfield Station in orbit around Earth as they test the Shepard particle accelerator. The device will provide an endless amount of energy, but has the possible side effect of opening rifts to other dimensions. After several failed tries, the crew manages to successfully start up the Shepard…only to find themselves lost in space with the Earth nowhere in sight. The crew scrambles to find answers even as they discover shifting realities on the station.
There is a lot to take in with the opening moments of The Cloverfield Paradox. Multiple dimensions, infinite energy, escalating tensions between nations…we are thrown right into the midst of it. And quite honestly, some of the ideas expressed in the film are a little silly. The screenplay by Oren Uziel takes this material and uses a completely serious approach. Yes, the comic relief takes some fun shots at the plot (More on that character later), but the complete dedication to giving us a serious story about multiple dimensions is both required and admirable. If the filmmakers don’t take it seriously, how can we?
The film creates a creepy atmosphere as well. There are some truly disturbing moments of body horror involving missing limbs, eyes and people materializing in the middle of the station’s circuitry. They are also spread out well throughout the film and never become gratuitous. However, the scares aren’t that inventive (Save the Person in Circuitry scene) and the visual effects are somewhat hit or miss.
The film does its best when it concentrates on Mbatha-Raw’s Ava Hamilton. She is given the deepest backstory, a deeply personal tragedy driving her into space. She provides most of the emotion in the film and Mbatha-Raw’s performance is very strong. The scene in the picture above…devoid of monsters, body horror, or talk of multiple dimensions…is one of the more powerful in the film. The quiet performance, the simple shot, and Bear McCreary’s score come together one of the few times in the film.
That said, everything about the plot is very familiar. Is it well done? In general, yes. But The Cloverfield Paradox doesn’t offer anything new to the idea of multiple dimensions. It asks some interesting questions, but never really answers them. Fans of the Cloverfield universe will appreciate the answers to the big questions regarding the franchise, but those expecting anything more will be disappointed.
Multiple Universes…Multi-faceted Characters, Not So Much
While Mbatha-Raw is great, the rest of the cast is sorely underused. For one thing, we have met these characters before. Chris O’Dowd is the sarcastic engineer Mundy, ever ready with a fresh barb for even the most disturbing event. Daniel Bruhl is the dogged scientist Schmidt who rubs people the wrong way. John Ortiz is the religious doctor named Monk (Seriously?) who literally disappears to the point that we forget he’s there. None of them are bad, but we have seen this characters before.
There are some nice touches…this is an international crew, so many speak their native languages. Most notable is Zhang Ziyi’s Tam, whose dialogue is almost completely in Mandarin. And all the characters speak the language to her. It’s a nice touch…why would a native Mandarin speaker randomly speak English? It gives the film a sense of authenticity.
The worst offense is how the film completely wastes the great David Oyelowo as the mission’s commander Kiel. Oyelowo does the best he can, but the character never registers. He is a stoic commander who hides his emotions behind a noble, but bland exterior. We have seen this type of character several times before in other science fiction movies. Why even cast an actor of this caliber in a throwaway role?
It doesn’t help when The Cloverfield Paradox takes the focus away from the station and heads to Earth. Whenever we follow Michael (Roger Davies), Ava’s husband, the film seems to lose focus. His plotline never feels completely connected because the film works best whenever it treats Earth as a far off goal that is just out of the reach of its main characters.
When the film ends, we see why the film spent so much time with Michael. In a surprising move, we get a pretty explicit explanation (At least by any Abrams produced project’s standard) for the events of Cloverfield. Those scenes with Michael hint to the satisfying connection to that film that comes at the conclusion. It’s fun in many ways, though some may question how on the nose it is.
The Danger of Expectations
Doing a quick search of the internet reveals the general unpopularity of The Cloverfield Paradox. Its unique release was praised, but the actual film has been dismissed as terrible and cliched. The criticisms are valid…the film doesn’t do anything innovative and tells an all too familiar story. It is entertaining on its own though.
I believe much of the criticism comes from having the Cloverfield name attached. Would The Cloverfield Paradox get the same criticism if it was a stand alone film? Reading up on it, we discover that it originally didn’t have any connection to the franchise. Because it did end up connected, it has high expectations.
On its own, The Cloverfield Paradox is decent distraction that entertains just enough to be fun. Just don’t expect anything more.
SCORE: 6.5 OUT OF 10