The Cloverfield Paradox is a mess that deserved better

J.J. Abrams’ new Cloverfield movie isn’t exactly good. But its unceremonious release on Netflix has little to do with quality.

Sunday’s Super Bowl treated viewers to a slew of trailers for high-profile projects, from Solo to Infinity War. However, the most noteworthy one advertised a movie that, until then, had no official title. Not only did the 30-second commercial announce said title, but it also revealed that The Cloverfield Paradox was “coming very soon.”

That was an understatement. As it turned out, Netflix made the movie available to stream right after the Super Bowl ended.

Although certainly unusual, the announcement didn’t come as a total surprise. The Cloverfield Paradox had been in development since 2012 under the name God Particle. In 2016, Paramount hired Nigerian-American filmmaker Julius Onah to direct, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw and David Oyelowo joined the cast. Since then, rumors linking God Particle to the Cloverfield universe have been floating around the Internet.

Previous installments in the franchise were similarly shrouded in mystery. The original dropped a title-less teaser before Transformers that prompted rampant speculation, and 10 Cloverfield Lane made its existence known a mere two months in advance. So, as God Particle continued to languish in development hell, many suspected that notoriously secretive producer J.J. Abrams had something up his sleeve.

Of course, generating hype is one thing. Delivering on it is quite another. Critical reviews of The Cloverfield Paradox have been overwhelmingly negative. Personally, I found it flawed but not disastrous, ranking somewhere between 10 Cloverfield Lane (a slick slice of genre pulp) and the original Cloverfield (an amateurish spectacle with one genuinely chilling sequence). The actors, from Mbatha-Raw to Daniel Brühl and Zhang Ziyi, are a joy to watch. And Onah displays plenty of visual flair, particularly with the opening credits sequence; if nothing else, I can’t wait to see more work from him.

Abrams and/or Paramount apparently insisted on making substantial changes in post-production — hence the many delays. Looking at the end product, the interference seems like an unfortunate, inexplicable act of self-sabotage. The Cloverfield Paradox is loaded with intriguing ideas — space as a metaphor for grief, parallel universes as a metaphor for internal conflict — yet they’re buried beneath disjointed plotting and unnecessary contrivances. Ultimately, it feels like a nifty science-fiction oddity clumsily fused with a goofy monster thriller.

While 10 Cloverfield Lane illustrates the potential of a cinematic anthology series, this illustrates the pitfalls. The strategy of selling original stories by consolidating them under a brand name is undeniably cynical. But I can excuse marketing gimmicks as long as they motivate Hollywood to keep producing smart, small-scale genre films. On the other hand, if filmmakers and studios start using brands to compromise the stories, that’s worrisome.

I can’t dispute Alissa Wilkinson’s argument that Netflix did The Cloverfield Paradox a favor, ensuring that it at least gets noticed. Even so, it’s hard not to be frustrated by Paramount’s treatment of the movie. According to BuzzFeed’s Kate Aurthur, the studio deemed it unworthy of a theatrical release — a rather dubious statement considering its theatrical releases in 2017 included Ghost in the Shell, Baywatch, and a fifth Transformers installment.

Also worth noting: Paramount is the same studio responsible for Annihilation, Alex Garland’s forthcoming adaptation of the acclaimed Jeff VanderMeer novel. Like The Cloverfield Paradox, it’s a cerebral sci-fi thriller with impressive pedigree. The ensemble includes Natalie Portman, Tessa Thompson, and Oscar Isaac. Garland’s previous directorial effort, 2015’s Ex Machina, received critical acclaim and an Academy Award for visual effects. It sounds like a no-brainer hit. Yet, in December, Paramount sold the international rights for Annihilation to Netflix, implying that the studio is skeptical about its box office potential.

So, The Cloverfield Paradox isn’t 2001: A Space Odyssey. And maybe Annihilation is terrible. But am I paranoid to wonder if it is a coincidence that both movies center on women and nonwhite people? Regardless of quality, the makeup of their casts alone should distinguish them from the crowd. Once again, studios have no problem shelling out millions to finance, distribute, and promote mediocre projects, as long as they’re by, for, and about white men.

In short, if Michael Bay’s latest artistic equivalent of car exhaust merits a theatrical release, so does Julius Onah’s zany space flick starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw.

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