Director: Julius Onah Studio: Netflix/Paramount Pictures Genre(s): Science Fiction/Horror Rated: PG-13 (For sci-fi action, violence, disturbing images and brief strong language) |
I have to say, Netflix somehow managed to make my job both
simultaneously hard and exciting at the same time. I don’t watch the Super Bowl, but they
dropped a bombshell this year that could have huge ramifications for the movie
industry: The third installment in J.J. Abrams ‘Cloverfield’ series was coming
to Netflix once the big game was over.
While I have made it known that I don’t watch previews in many of my
previous reviews, I had no idea a third ‘Cloverfield’ was even in the
works. Yet in the span of fifteen minutes
the movie was announced, titled, filmed, and ready for consumption. Alright, I know it was obviously filmed in
secret (as were the previous two movies), but it sort of felt like the film
just came out of nowhere, and it redefined the concept of a “movie event.”
The unusual method of release is likely to be the only
worthwhile thing to come from this though, as “The Cloverfield Paradox” is a
very amply named movie that doesn’t know if it wants to be a mystery, sci-fi,
or horror film. To suggest that it is
all three would be to suggest that it pulls them all off successfully. In all fairness, there are a few things that
are done right. Like the other movies in
this franchise, there is a wonderful mystery that is set up. There are great characters that are all well
defined and have personalities we are instantly invested in. It is a good-looking film as well, at times
making me more than a little disappointed that this came straight to streaming
while passing up a planned IMAX release (a fact I was made aware of five
minutes ago…what can I say: This release demands fast and rigorous reporting).
What is clear is that the ambitions of the movie may have
been too much of a stretch this time. Or,
maybe, the problem is just J.J. Abrams storytelling in general. I’ve long felt that the man produces movies
and shows that have better ideas than they have payoffs. Most of the time I watch something he’s had a
hand in with great interest and excitement, until the bigger picture starts to
become clear and the screenplay becomes stupid.
Thus, my visual comparison of “The Cloverfield Paradox” is that of a
tightrope walker who begins his act with near perfection, only to be barely
balancing by the time he gets to the end.
I don’t want to spoil why this is either. Even though the end result is not something I
would really wish on people, Abrams and his team go through so much trouble to
keep the contents of these films a secret, that it would feel like a breach of
client/patient privileges to say any more than I must.
The problem then, I feel, comes in the fact that the biggest
thing I can discuss is the shot gun approach to releasing it, which seems more
and more like a way to save face in retrospect.
There seemed to be little reason for Paramount to keep delaying this
unless they truly felt it was going to have toxic word-of-mouth. So, they unloaded it onto Netflix to salvage
what they could of the $45 million-dollar budget, Netflix gives it a historic
release, and for a brief 24 hours we were all too distracted by the event to
focus on the movie, which becomes bad in the most confusing of ways. It’s not like there was nothing going for
it. As stated before the cast was excellent
across the board, the premise was strong, and the direction was confident until
the end there. It just ends up trailing
off because it decides it wants to do more than the premise demands, and then
goes to places we just aren’t as interested in.
Also, yeah, everything becomes clearer, so the situation becomes sillier.
For me, the best moments in the movie come from the personal
stories. The first movie was ultimately
about some kids trying to escape from a monster. The second was about two sane people in a
locked room with an unstable man. This
movie is about…random things that happen in space? Honestly, I’m surprised that we got what we
got. Although, maybe I shouldn’t be? Maybe the signs were all there? A third installment of a successful series
that gets delayed multiple times, banished to streaming services, and then
sprung on an audience who has no time to find out whether the product was any
good? Something tells me the biggest
paradox is how such a cool release strategy could have resulted in so much
destroyed good will?
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| CONSUMER ADVICE |
Parents, there is some intense science fiction violence and mild language, but none of it graphic (and no sexual content). Recommended for ages 13 and up.
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