The Cloverfield Paradox (Review)

   I can still remember sitting in a theater and watching the first mysterious trailer that dropped out of nowhere for the first Cloverfield movie 10 years ago. Up until the film's release, no one knew what to make of the secret project that had been brewing from J.J. Abrams and his Bad Robot production company, with a wide variety of theories ranging from Godzilla to Voltron that would all prove to be grossly inaccurate. But details remained tight-lipped all the way to its premiere, and the factor of knowing virtually nothing about the movie only served the overall experience of watching it on a big screen, making it far more exciting and engrossing than it had any right to be. However, if people hadn't known what to make of the film's trailers, that feeling was only 10x more amplified after seeing the actual movie itself, which was like The Blair Witch Project with monsters. Those who had been expecting Godzilla or Voltron, or any reference to a well-known property for that matter, were disappointed, and the ones who did enjoy it weren't sure if this was only the first to come in a brand new series or franchise.
   Rumors of a sequel teased the internet for years, but it would be about seven more years before the Cloverfield name was thrown into the spotlight again. Abrams and Bad Robot had been working on a "contained" thriller that was code-named Valencia, and the film was finally slapped with the title, 10 Cloverfield Lane, when Abrams noticed similar elements that made it feel like a "spiritual successor" to the found-footage monster flick. Those elements are clearly recognizable if you've seen the movie, and with a character-driven story that's as psychological and it is human, 10 Cloverifield Lane is a noteworthy step up from the first Cloverfield in 2008. But what's more, the film transcended the scope and idea of the first installment, and in doing so, created an actual franchise- although, probably not the one that Abrams had originally intended. Instead of picking up directly after the events of the first Cloverfield, the films have become a kind of anthology of loosely connected sci-fi stories that feels like Abrams' personal spin on The Twilight Zone. The most recent addition to the series, The Cloverfield Paradox- which serves as a prequel to the first two films- only confirms that idea by providing a backstory and answering questions that had been left up to theory until that point, while also giving us a better idea of where the franchise could go.
   Set aboard a space station, the film focuses on a group of scientists who are conducting experiments with a particle accelerator, hoping to harness untapped energy resources. Clearly, it's the set-up for something that could only prove to be disastrous, and sure enough, it does. One of the experiments manages to tear a hole through time and space, leaving their reality exposed to other realities and dimensions, while transporting the space station and those on board to a completely different reality altogether. This would explain where the monsters and aliens of the last two installments came from, and with the involvement of alternate dimensions and realities, it leaves the future of the series open to all kinds of wild and endless possibilities. Hopefully, those movies will be far better than this one.
   The Cloverfield Paradox is directed by Julius Onah and written by Oren Uziel. Each of the Cloverfield movies have been written and directed by different people, and this will be the same for any future installments as well. The goal of doing this is that each film will have a unique feel and vision, so the franchise stays fresh and interesting. Unfortunately, that strategy hits a rough pothole with Onah's feature, which had so much more going for it, but ultimately proves to be the most disappointing entry in the series so far. With a list of credits that's mostly all short films, except for one other feature film- the poorly received, The Girl in Trouble- its difficult to see why Abrams hired Onah for the project. His direction is lifeless and execution poorly realized, and it makes the movie feel like a drawn-out pilot in a television series that could get better in future episodes. Thanks to screenwriter Oren Uziel (22 Jump Street) the story is treated to a few brilliant set pieces that are wildly weird and fun, but they're never enough to save the rest of the script from its own banality and ridiculousness. We're told how dangerous these experiments can be, which is why the crew is conducting them in space, and yet it's never explained why they're taking place just above the Earth's atmosphere. Was the moon or Mars just too far? And the more the film tries to explain the scientific aspects that drive the story, the more boring and preposterous it becomes. Perhaps if the movie had focused more on creating a cerebral experience and making the weirder elements the star of the show, this would've been entertaining as hell. But the only star of the show is actually the cast, which includes an ensemble of talent that is known for delivering strong work in smaller, more indie-streamed films. Chris O'Dowd (Bridesmaids) provides some well-timed comedic relief, and David Oyelowo (Selma) and Daniel Brühl (Rush) are reliably solid as the commander and lead scientist on the mission. However, it's the ladies that really make this film interesting and keep us invested, with Gugu Mbatha-Raw delivering a compelling lead turn as the crew's engineer and Elizabeth Debicki in a menacing and scene-stealing performance as the crew's unexpected "guest." I'm saddened that these actors weren't given a more reliable vehicle to showcase their talent, but encouraged by the fact that at least Mbatha-Raw and Debicki both have some very exciting projects coming out this year that will hopefully be much more deserving of what they have to offer.
Grade: C-