The Cloverfield Paradox (2018) - Written Review

Quite why its taken me so long to write this review is beyond me, but I thought it might be an idea to throw this out there - I actually quite enjoyed 'The Cloverfield Paradox', and highly recommend watching it...albeit with certain expectations.

For the record, I can't remember much from 2008's 'Cloverfield', other than it took ages to really get going, and once it did was an intense thrill-ride looking at a monster attack from the ground level. Whether or not the film was actually any good, I can't really remember, but I did check out the follow-up from 2016, '10 Cloverfield Lane', which too was a very intense psychological thriller...right up until the ending, which I shan't spoil, but...yeah...

'The Cloverfield Paradox' has been in the works for years, but seems to have taken a very long time to actually come out. Stories of hasty rewrites, re-shoots, pick-ups and drastically increasing budget suggests that its come a very long (and turbulent) way since simply being a $5 million standalone film titled 'God Particle'. It's strange production history seems to be the main reason this film has ended up as a convoluted mess, much akin to 'Prometheus', but unlike 'Prometheus', I actually thoroughly enjoyed this film for what it is: a dumb, messy sci-fi flick. No more, no less.

Throughout its relatively short running time, 'The Cloverfield Paradox' throws in so many various unconnected ideas, concepts and story beats that by the end of it all, nothing has actually been resolved properly. I can imagine that somewhere along the line it wasn't quite as insanely random as it is, but its this element of the film that I found most enjoyable - I never had any idea of what would happen next. There's some truly horrific imagery thrown in alongside comic horror gold, resulting in a tonally uneven film that seems almost intent on confusing you as much as possible. By the time the credits roll, I imagine some people - who have been taking the movie far too seriously - will be absolutely fuming at the bizarre nature of the plot, but personally - as someone who couldn't take the movie too seriously to begin with - its ludicrous nature made it all the more fun. The best way to watch 'The Cloverfield Paradox' is with a few beers and some mates, and to just have a laugh with it.

What's surprising though is that, somewhere along the line, Paramount and JJ Abrams were clearly onto something with 'The Cloverfield Paradox'. There's an interesting premise in there, with a strong cast and fairly strong (if cliched) characters to back it up, not to mention some stellar production values. Perhaps it doesn't look quite $40 million, but the sets, visual effects, costumes and make-up are all pretty darn good, even if the Earth-based stuff looks a bit cheap and tacky. In fact, the Earth-based stuff is the worst the film has to offer. It frequently kills the pacing and structure of the film, and results in this bizarre sub-plot that ends as ambiguously as it begins.

Oh, and Bear McCreary's score is great. Proper big, bombastic, kinda cheesy orchestral soundtrack. Awesome work from a fantastic composer.

'The Cloverfield Paradox' is probably a terrible film, but I can't find it in my heart to call it that. I had so much fun watching its B-movie antics and sci-fi schlock that I never really found myself particularly bored. I'd recommend watching the movie without anything being spoiled for you, just so you have the surprise of all of the crazy and random events which unfold, but regardless its pretty entertaining...it's just not really all that good.