By Max Rosenberg
Theme Editor
“The Cloverfield Paradox” keeps viewers nailed to the edge of their seats with terrifying suspense and emotional characters.
The third film of the Cloverfield franchise, “The Cloverfield Paradox” adds to the intrigue of the previous two films with an engaging plot, massive suspense and emotional acting. The movie both satisfies past curiosities about the franchise and creates new questions that make viewers want to see more.
Directed by Julius Onah and produced by J.J. Abrams’s Robot Productions, the film stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw. “The Cloverfield Paradox” explores a group of scientists aboard the Cloverfield Space Station with the goal of testing the Shepard Particle Accelerator, a machine that would effectively end a massive energy crisis on Earth.
When the machine malfunctions, it sends the scientists to a horrifying alternate dimension where everything they once knew is wrong and chances of returning are slim. The watchers soon discover that these scientists have brought to Earth the monster that caused destruction throughout the first Cloverfield film.
The plot of the film was quite intriguing given its difference from the previous two films in the franchise. “Cloverfield” explored a giant monster devastating New York and “10 Cloverfield Lane” was about a group of people in a bunker after the catastrophic events of the first film. Therefore, the decision to create a space movie for the third act is interesting and bold, and the plots meld together well.
While many space thrillers have been made such as “Apollo 18” and “Gravity,” very few have close to the same intense suspense found in “The Cloverfield Paradox.” The mix of terror and gore, grounded in a plot that explains why each event is occurring, adds great intensity to the film.
The actors do an impressive job of conveying the confusion and fear that people would experience given the situation of their characters. The star, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, does a fantastic job of portraying the hopelessness and stress of a woman trapped in an alternate universe away from the man she loves. The other actors also do a great job showing the growth of the tension between the scientists, thus enhancing the thrill.
One issue with “The Cloverfield Paradox” is that some of the scenes are relatively predictable, and the movie bears a lot of resemblance to “Life”, released last year. However, the movie’s connection to the previous two Cloverfield Franchise films creates enough uniqueness to maintain its intrigue.
Overall, “The Cloverfield Paradox” is a great piece of the Cloverfield franchise and does a wonderful job adding to the horror of its predecessors in addition to creating intrigue unique to this installment. The acting, plot, and suspense make it well worth the watch.
“The Cloverfield Paradox” is rated TV-MA and was released only on Netflix on Feb. 4 with no previous marketing besides an advertisement during the Superbowl the same day.
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