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In what may just go down as the cleverest marketing ploy in entertainment history, Netflix brought out an unnecessary Hail Mary during the big game. Releasing their trailer and subsequent premiere of the next piece in the Cloverfield puzzle, The Cloverfield Paradox, Netflix managed to grab the attention of a (sports?) nation divided. As it turned out, the two plus hours waiting in anticipation for the streaming service to come through on their tease was monumentally more exciting than the movie itself.
Coming right out of the gate, we were privy to an off-brand Alien/Solaris plot. Set directly in the near future, we see a society in turmoil. Resources are running low, the world is restless, and the only way to keep mankind from destroying itself is to take extreme measures. Of course, as movie history has taught us, this means an important space mission. The premise may seem a little out there, but if we connect the first two films it makes sense. These creatures had to come from somewhere, perhaps it was from the far reaches of space? To space we go!
We’re quickly introduced to our lead protagonist, Ava Hamilton (Gugu Mbatha-Raw). She has a loved one waiting for her back on Earth, and right after her sad eyes tell us there’s something missing in her life, she mentions missing “them”. Them of course turns out to be her children, who we have no idea what happened to until her dramatic reveal later on when the plot needs a little nudge. Hamilton, along with her merry crew of international misfits, are on a quest to crack a particle accelerator and subsequently save the world.
After failed attempts, the threat of another World War on the horizon, and a waning fuel supply for the accelerator, tensions begin to rise. As dissent makes the rounds, we soon learn about the titular “Cloverfield Paradox” a theory popularized back on Earth. While clean energy is obviously needed, reports of a literal tear in space act as the ultimate unwanted after affect. This casual drop is a reminder that we still don’t have the full story on the Cloverfield creatures; they haven’t made it to Earth yet, is the particle accelerator the catalyst of the whole mess? Are we getting a tear in space? Or probing where earthlings should never probe?
What follows is a few exciting moments, turns, half twists, and mostly filler. The mysterious appearance of a figure onboard, and a very John Hurt like moment harken back to the sci-fi films of yore, but they don’t do anything new, or special. Peril in space is basically expected for anyone who dares venture out of our atmosphere. If the lack of originality doesn’t get you, then perhaps the slightly off, CGI space scenes will grab at you, or the impossibly placed humor meant to diffuse situations.
Perhaps it was the whole (only?) two hours of knowing of this movies existence, or maybe it was the cautiously knowing, years of waiting for the next key, but The Cloverfield Paradox severely falls flat. The only consolation are the few scenes that take place back on Earth. Civil unrest turns to destruction as shit hits the fan up in space, and we’re keyed into what could possibly be the moment where it all began. While the eventual payoff leaves viewers giddy, it is not for the story they have just witnessed, but rather for what they know is to come.
At this point, streaming services have completely saturated what’s already a cutthroat market. While we can applaud Netflix for their courageous undertaking and whip-smart marketing ploy, we must also question the availability of the next hot thing. There’s a reason supply and demand are in place in our economy. Perhaps they couldn’t stand the thought of peddling a movie dictating the problems with society in full view with the very practices that make it problematic. Or, maybe they ran out of budget. Either way, there was mark that was missed, and it was off by a huge margin. Here’s hoping the next installment at least satiates our hunger for the groundbreaking, viral sci-fi franchise.
The Cloverfield Paradox is now available to stream on Netflix.
