The Cloverfield Paradox (Julius Onah)

[Henry Gale]

IMD-- Aah who cares? This is unprecedented. Let's gooooooooo!!

http://www.joblo.com/newsimages1/cloverfield-paradox-trailer-thumb.jpg

[Skitch]

It's up! Will be available after the game!!

[Dukefrukem]

Wow.

[Skitch]

This movie is 17 shades of fucked up.

[Ivan Drago]

It's also 17 shades of all over the place. I'd go into more detail but I need sleep.

[TGM]

It's also 17 shades of all over the place. I'd go into more detail but I need sleep.

It is, yet I still dug it I think?

Reminded me a lot of last year's Life, except, I dunno, I think I liked this one better?

[Henry Gale]

Yeah.. It's easily the worst of the three, and way more obviously a square peg of an unrelated movie having been re-engineered and patched up to fit into a Cloverfield-shaped hole than 10 Cloverfield Lane ever was (or generally ever opted to be), but there's maybe also half of a really good and cerebrally compelling movie in there? It's mostly in the first half, sadly, but there is a core of it that's generally interesting and engaging until it begins to fall back and lounge on low-rent B-movie cliches and confusingly rote character beats.

All I'll say is that it's surprisingly (and with Dan Mindel as DoP, beautifully!) shot on 35mm film, but I noticed pretty much everything that related to the husband character was definitely shot digitally, which in my mind, meant that he was probably all shot after the fact of initial production, which to me only fuels the idea that everything monster-related was tagged on much later, and story-wise, perhaps he too died in the fire in Ava's past in an earlier iteration of this. Also, the Donal Logue bit.... Yeesh. Even if what he's saying and implying is theoretically cool for the story and series at large, there's on-the-nose and then there's on-your-whole-face-jumping-up-and-down-yelling-"FORESHADOWING!" and then by the end you're not entirely sure why.

Anyway, I hope this is more of a misstep than a face-plant for the brand going forward, since if the next one really is intended to come soon, and it is truly the cool, rumoured premise, then I hope to see it as quickly as planned.

[Irish]

They might have rejiggered a few plot points here and there but I think the basic mold was in place a long, long time ago:

https://variety.com/2016/film/news/john-krasinski-jj-abrams-god-particle-1201750878/

Anyway, I'd like to point out that:

It's the Irish guy who comes up with a successful plan to save the ship. :D

[Dukefrukem]

I liked this the most out of the three so far.

[Skitch]

I liked this the most out of the three so far.

Yeah me too. I think I could rewatch this way more than the first two. I've got it at about a 7.5/10 at the moment. Not without issue or plothole, but cool entry into the Clover-verse.

[Dukefrukem]

Yeah me too. I think I could rewatch this way more than the first two.

Same. The first movie is hard to re-watch, though if it was filmed without the found footage, it would probably be the best.

[Ivan Drago]

Okay so basically everything in space tried to be a Spielbergian spectacle, a body horror film and a gonzo B-movie all at once but it's uneven in its direction, and the story was really convoluted. While the ensemble does well with what it's given, there's nothing to any of the characters, save for Mbatha-Raw's lead. I was honestly more invested in everything happening on Earth, which in my opinion should have been its own movie. The elements of horror that are there are cool; they're just put together in such a disappointing mess.

[megladon8]

Kind of in awe at how awful this was.

[Irish]

Okay so basically everything in space tried to be a Spielbergian spectacle, a body horror film and a gonzo B-movie all at once but it's uneven in its direction, and the story was really convoluted. While the ensemble does well with what it's given, there's nothing to any of the characters, save for Mbatha-Raw's lead. I was honestly more invested in everything happening on Earth, which in my opinion should have been its own movie. The elements of horror that are there are cool; they're just put together in such a disappointing mess.

I agree with almost all of this---except the Earthbound storyline didn't grab me the same way it did you. It almost seemed like they included it so the husband could shout some key franchise-building lines at the very end. Before that, it undercut the tension. It woulda been more fun if they had left the audience wondering what the hell happened to Earth Prime for awhile longer.

[TGM]

It almost seemed like they included it so the husband could shout some key franchise-building lines at the very end. Before that, it undercut the tension. It woulda been more fun if they had left the audience wondering what the hell happened to Earth Prime for awhile longer.

I was thinking that as well the first time we returned to that storyline. I'm a bit torn though, in that I both ultimately liked the inclusion of that storyline, yet a part of me thinks the movie would quite possibly work even better had it been entirely omitted.

[TGM]

Anyways, the movie is sitting decently with me so far. I think my biggest gripe is in how random a lot of the horror stuff on the ship comes across, with little in the way of rules or logic behind it, though I'm curious if it won't all work better on a rewatch, as parts of it start to sit better with me as I sorta piece the whole thing together in my head. That said, there's a part of me that does wonder if it's even supposed to piece together at all, or if the movie really wasn't just as all over the place as it appeared upon initial viewing. :p

[Irish]

I think my biggest gripe is in how random a lot of the horror stuff on the ship comes across, with little in the way of rules or logic behind it, though I'm curious if it won't all work better on a rewatch, as parts of it start to sit better with me as I sorta piece the whole thing together in my head.

Gotta say I loved the body horror stuff. The Russian playing with his eyeball in front of the mirror. The Irishman getting his arm stuck in the wall. All of that was terrific.

But yeah, I agree that it very quickly starts to feel like a cheat, because those moments have an annoying dream-logic that's counter to the heavy plotting in the rest of the movie. Eg: The disembodied arm writing out a major clue was fun ("Quick! Somebody get it a pen!") but also a bit much.

[Skitch]

I feel like maybe you all hold the first two in a higher regard than me.

[Dukefrukem]

Gotta say I loved the body horror stuff. The Russian playing with his eyeball in front of the mirror. The Irishman getting his arm stuck in the wall. All of that was terrific.

But yeah, I agree that it very quickly starts to feel like a cheat, because those moments have an annoying dream-logic that's counter to the heavy plotting in the rest of the movie. Eg: The disembodied arm writing out a major clue was fun ("Quick! Somebody get it a pen!") but also a bit much.

The Russian talking to himself in the other dimension was wonderful.

[TGM]

I feel like maybe you all hold the first two in a higher regard than me.

Probably. I love the first movie, I thought the second one was great outside of the super forced Cloverfield tie-in stuff (I hate that it's titled Cloverfield, and feel that almost takes away from the movie. And everything that happens with the aliens is garbage. Fantastic prior to that, though). This is probably the most all around mixed bag of the three, though I still enjoyed it well enough. Just could've perhaps been a bit tighter I feel.

[megladon8]

Feel like I watched a different movie than you guys.

This was so very bad.

No characyers, no tensions, ATROCIOUS dialogue. Awful awful awful.

[Dukefrukem]

I liked the characters actually. Plenty of tension. Fine dialog.

If anything, I was going to nitpick that REAL astronauts are mentally tough enough, to not bicker over things, and use logic in life/death situations.

[Ezee E]

This did not melt Film Twitter like Ava said it would.

[megladon8]

There weren’t characters. There were actors saying exposition. Loved the stereotypes too. Russian guy who didn’t trust Germans. German mad scientist. Religious Latino guy (named “Monk”, no less).

No tension. Unable to string the “story” together in a meaningful or coherent way.

This was true DTV garbage.

Bravo to Netflix for duping the world.

[Skitch]

Unable to string the “story” together in a meaningful or coherent way.
See also, Cloverfield & 10 Cloverfield Lane.

[Dukefrukem]

There were characters. There were actors saying dialog. Loved the rifts between counties while chaos resumed on Earth.

Tension. Strung the “story” together in a meaningful or coherent way.

This was a fun film.

Thank you Netflix.

[Skitch]

The earth embroiled in war is surely going to play into the WWII entry coming in October, I assume.

[Irish]

Apparently, "Cloverfield" and "The Cloverfield Paradox" are perfectly synced:




...the Shepard opens up the dimension-hopping rift at 18 minutes, 20 seconds into The Cloverfield Paradox, which is exactly the same point in time that the monster begins his destruction in Cloverfield!

Explained by Reddit’s CamCam3947:

- 18:20 in Paradox is when they run the Shepard and it causes the incident transporting them through dimensions
- 18:20 in Cloverfield is when the first noises are heard and the lights go out at Rob’s party.

Yes, if you sync up Cloverfield and The Cloverfield Paradox, the movies interact with one another, highlighting that one film’s events directly cause the other’s!



https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3481843/something-pretty-crazy-happens-sync-cloverfield-cloverfield-paradox/

[TGM]

That's actually really cool. o.O

[megladon8]

It’s such a lazy way to write in the “anything could happen!!” idea.

This movie seriously ruined the franchise for me. Don’t give a shit about 4 at the moment.

[megladon8]

Our next movie is a planet overrun by unicorns! Cause that was a dimension that was affected by the third movie!

Oh wait but in this movie everything is undone and all is back to status quo...it’s one of the side effects from the third movie!

Uh oh now we live in a world where everyone runs on batteries and has a pet dragon. Because THIRD MOVIE.

[TGM]

I do kinda wish it had addressed the second movie more, seeing as it was a different kind of alien that attacked in that one. But they only showed the monster from the first movie. Maybe had they shown a couple of different designs, or maybe even shown a different creature attacking on the alternate Earth or something. But movie 2 still feels pretty disconnected, even with the explanation given in this one.

[megladon8]

No it was another dimension that was affected! In THAT dimension, it was aliens!

See how incredibly SMART this is? It writes itself!

The next movie could literally be Lord of the Rings 4: Cloverfield. It was just another dimension affected by the third movie!

So clever.

[Dukefrukem]

I dont deny that they didn't have a plan going into this "franchise" but I'm fine with them making it up as they go along. I don't expect there to be any kind of satisfying conclusion that fixes everything. Not everything needs to be the MCU.

[Skitch]

Yeah, and the first two didn't make any cohesive sense either, so why should this one?

[TGM]

What didn't make sense in the first two?

[Skitch]

I mean related to each other. The first one is a monster from the sea, the second is an alien invasion. If we're gonna make the leap that these are connected in some way the movies never tell us, then its not much different than making the leaps that Paradox does with time and space. Lazy writing? Sure! But I don't see it as much different quality than the first two at all.

Keep in mind that while I think this is my favorite of the three, that's roughly a 6/10, 6/10, 6.5/10. Not great movies by a stretch.

[megladon8]

Yeah, and the first two didn't make any cohesive sense either, so why should this one?

It doesn’t make any cohesive sense with itself.

It’s some of the worst storytelling I’ve seen in years.

That it involves actual A list Hollywood talent is mind boggling.

[Dukefrukem]

Meg is turning into DD with the hyperbole. If THATs the worst storytelling you've seen in years, you're picking some winners lately.

[megladon8]

No, it’s just a garbage fire of a movie.

[Irish]

Meg, have you seen "Bright"?

[megladon8]

Meg, have you seen "Bright"?

Nope and I don’t want to.

Max Landis is one of the most insufferable people in the industry today.

[TGM]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTVF8zFIyyQ

[Dukefrukem]

Heh. This movie was probably called "The Shepard" before it was dumped on Netflix.