The Cloverfield Paradox (2018)

written by Oren Juziel

from a story by Oren Juziel and Doug Jung

directed by Julius Onah

I have no excuse for sitting down to watch The Cloverfield Paradox, a film so mediocre I immediately wanted to forget I ever saw it. Serves me right. The first two features in the Cloverfield series have gone from cool concept with a bad execution (2008’s Cloverfield) to fun thriller with a stupid ending (2016’s 10 Cloverfield Lane). But since I’m a sci-fi junkie, I can’t help but continue to root for this loosely connected franchise involving a monster invasion of Earth (or something). The third time is not the charm, as a group of astronauts on a space station attempt to use a particle accelerator as a potential energy source, but instead find themselves opening a portal to a parallel universe.

This could work as a stand-alone The Twilight Zone or even Black Mirror episode, but as a movie there’s just not enough to prop it up. The Cloverfield Paradox started life as a stand-alone spec script named God Particle, and you can tell it’s been tinkered with by who knows how many people on its way to becoming part of the Cloverfied universe. The result? A nonsensical plot, paper-thin characters, tepid direction, and a bunch of weird shit that happens for no reason, including a sentient severed arm that writes a message for the crew. Please get me a whisky.

Rating: *½

Carlos I. Cuevas