MOVIE REPORT CARD: THE CLOVERFIELD PARADOX

DATE: 2/4/18
TITLE: THE CLOVERFIELD PARADOX
DIRECTOR: JULIUS ONAH
STARRING: GUGU MBATHA-RAW, DAVID OYELOWO, DANIEL BRUHL, CHRIS O'DOWD, JOHN ORTIZ, ZIYI ZHANG, ELIZABETH DEBICKI, ROGER DAVIES

GRADES

ACTING: 85
DIRECTING: 75
SCREENPLAY: 65
EDITING: 80
CINEMATOGRAPHY: 85
SOUNDTRACK: 70

​FINAL: 77/C+

COMMENTS

As we all know, the Cloverfield franchise is no stranger to marketing gimmicks. The original flick, made use of a surprising viral campaign. One that was spoofed by the very TV station I work for no-less. 10 Cloverfield Lane, aired its first trailer a mere 2 months before the film's release. And nobody knew it was even coming. The Cloverfield Paradox followed suit. Although its path, was a bit trickier. Late last week, Netflix acquired the film from Paramount. In a gutsy move, Netflix aired the first trailer during the Super Bowl, then dropped the entire film after the game. While Netflix did something quite unprecedented, the film itself isn't up to that hype. The Cloverfield Paradox, suffers heavily from The J.J. Abrams Syndrome. The film has lots of big, grand ideas, with the promise of some big reveals. However, it never delivers on much of what it sets out to do. Like the original Cloverfield, it teases the audience quite heavily, but never truly fulfills the promises it sets up. What we are left with, is a generic, lost in space, Science Fiction film, filled with scientific gobbledygook to muddle the plot. The Cloverfield Paradox isn't bad, it's just bland. The flick has really solid performances from the cast, and they hold the film together. It's also really predictable, which is a shame. We know where this is going from the moment the film starts. It doesn't even do The J.J. Abrams Syndrome correctly. That being said, there are still elements which keep you engaged throughout. In the end, The Cloverfield Paradox is just another generic Sci-Fi film on Netflix. Which is a shame. Just watch 10 Cloverfield Lane instead.