‘The Cloverfield Paradox’ Review

Cloverfield ParadoxThe Cloverfield Paradox is a sci-fi thriller film directed by Julius Onah and produced by J. J. Abrams. It is the third installment in the Cloverfield franchise and first to be released via Netflix. Also, in a surprise move by Netflix, the film was released a mere two hours after the trailer dropped. The Cloverfield Paradox stars Daniel Brühl, Elizabeth Debicki, Aksel Hennie, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Chris O’Dowd, John Ortiz, David Oyelowo, and Zhang Ziyi. A prequel to the original Cloverfield, the story follows a group of international astronauts aboard a space station that are working to solve a massive energy crisis on Earth. The experimental particle accelerator aboard the station has an unexpected result, leaving the team isolated and fighting for their survival. The overall acting in the film is great with Gugu Mbatha-Raw standing out as Ava Hamilton. She has a tense relationship with her husband and knows that working on the space station could put more strain on their marriage. Yet she goes, at the behest of her husband, knowing it is the best decision. Elizabeth Debicki turns in an eerie performance as Mina Jensen. You’re never quite sure if she’s a trustworthy character. This helps add more tension to the story as it gets the viewer more involved. Roger Davies is also good as Michael Hamilton. Watching how his story unfolds on Earth is very interesting, especially for those who have seen Cloverfield. Knowing how that film ends makes the viewer more concerned about his situation. Chris O’Dowd is very comical as Mundy with his subtle humor going a long way. David Oyelowo and Daniel Brühl are good as Kiel and Schmidt, respectively. Watching their characters butt heads throughout the film also adds more tension making the viewer wonder whose making the best choices and whose not. The story is interesting as it encompasses both sci-fi and thriller on an equal scale. Each character’s action makes you question their motives more as you try to unravel the mystery of what happened to them. Bear McCreary’s score adds to the tense moments, making for great entertainment for the audience. The film does answer certain questions that were left from Cloverfield but has little to no connection to 10 Cloverfield Lane. This leaves some unanswered questions that may or may not be answered in another installment. I give The Cloverfield Paradox a Decent 8/10. With the fourth installment in the Cloverfield franchise, working title Overlord, dropping later this year hopefully, we get a few more answers than questions.

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