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The Cloverfield Paradox movie review

February 13, 2018 by Yein Jee

Check out the trailer and my review for American scifi horror film The Cloverfield Paradox. The story follows a group of astronauts who try to solve the global energy crisis, but accidentally open portals to parallel universes which unleash all kind of weird stuff in their space station and bring doom to earth.

In true Netflix fashion, the movie is available on the online streaming service soon after they released the trailer last week. Directed by Julius Onah, and stars Daniel Brühl, Elizabeth Debicki, Aksel Hennie, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Chris O’Dowd, John Ortiz, David Oyelowo and Zhang Ziyi.

Like its previous instalment – the 10 Cloverfield Lane in 2016 – the Paradox is just a loose addition to the Cloverfield franchise. The story doesn’t focus on the main event from 2008 but connects in some ways. This new movie (the third instalment) is a bit more relevant than the second though.

The release came as a surprise regardless. Paramount was expected to release this in cinemas like the two previous Cloverfield films, but seems like they think that it would be more profitable to sell the rights to Netflix instead. And they probably made the right choice considering the bad reviews.

What’s wrong with Cloverfield Paradox

It’s a confusing movie if people try to understand the logic. Humans don’t have actual knowledge about parallel universe, we are not even sure if it actually exists. Science fiction films can do whatever they want in that setting because there’s no right or wrong with something we don’t know.

There are other shortcomings in the movie though. To begin with, it’s practical and easier to build wind turbines, solar panels and stuff – or spam nuclear plants if we are desperate – to solve energy problems instead of trying to harness “limitless” power like what they are doing.

There are also some technical errors but most people won’t notice that. The bigger problem is the lack of continuity in the plot instead. They simply put in all the weird events without connecting the dots. It’s not scientifically wrong but it’s a poor way to make a movie. It’s like a child’s doodle.

Zhang Ziyi in The Cloverfield Paradox movie

Another issue is the unnecessary use of Chinese language. I like Zhang Ziyi and I’m always happy to see an Asian face in a Hollywood production. But I find it stupid to have those characters speaking Chinese in an English language film simply for the sake of pleasing a certain market…

It’s especially ridiculous in Paradox because everyone else speaks English in the space station. To make it funnier the whole crew seems to understand Chinese perfectly. I can offer explanation for that e.g. an auto translator (it’s the future after all), but it’s just marketing gimmick to be frank.

It’s not all bad though

Despite the flaws, I still think it’s an average film. The cast is fine, visual effects are decent, and there are entertaining moments too. Can’t say it’s good overall but it’s not terrible. I think many of the reviews and ratings are harsh, but everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

Regardless, the fact that Paramount dumped this probably means we won’t be seeing another Cloverfield film soon. Unless Netflix or others decide to pick up the franchise instead, which is doubtful because of the Paradox flop. It’s difficult to quantify but Netflix must have lost millions of dollars on this.

Update June 2018 – Didn’t see this coming. Producer JJ Abrams confirmed that there will be a fourth movie. And this time it will be a real sequel for the original 2008 film. No further details though.

Filed Under: Entertainment Tagged With: American movies, American showbiz, Disaster movies, Horror movies, JJ Abrams, John Ortiz, Netflix Network, Paramount Pictures, Scifi movies, Zhang Ziyi

10 Cloverfield Lane movie trailer

January 23, 2016 by Yein Jee

Trailer for 10 Cloverfield Lane, an American psychological thriller film. Directed by Dan Trachtenberg, and stars John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and John Gallagher Jr. It’s a spiritual sequel to the 2008 monster movie Cloverfield. In theatres in March in America, and April in Malaysia.

The film was developed from a spec script titled The Cellar. The story follows a woman who, after a car crash, wakes up in a doomsday bunker with two men who insist that a catastrophic event (from the first movie, although not originally so in the script) has left the earth surface uninhabitable.

Seems like a decent thriller film, as the woman ponders between trusting the men or escaping instead. The plot could work as a standalone movie, but the Cloverfield producers decide to pair this up with the franchise, and it could create some huge spoilers for the new movie. People who’ve watched the first instalment know what has happened, and it might take away the surprise element.

I’ve not watched the original film because of motion sickness (with found footage stuff) but I know what it’s about. I actually think that it’s a clever way to make a sequel – with seemingly unrelated story which somehow connects to the main event. The potential is limitless, they can make this into a huge franchise. The challenge though, is to keep the suspense and not making this into a spoiler fest.

Review and updates

It’s a decent movie, could have been better if it’s a standalone production instead. As suspected, the Cloverfield linkup took away the suspense especially in the second half of the film. The ending is anticlimactic too, feels like they insert the last 10-15 minutes just to make it relevant to the franchise. The final parts are unnecessary, and the execution is poor regardless.

The storytelling is good in the first half though; it’s pretty intense when there’s still element of surprise early on. The cast did well too, and John Goodman is simply amazing. Overall it’s still a good movie despite some flaws. Again, could have been better if it’s a standalone film, but I guess it won’t perform as well in the box office if that’s the case. And money speaks loudest in Hollywood.

Update 2018 – Check out the trailer and my review for the new instalment, The Cloverfield Paradox.

Filed Under: Entertainment Tagged With: American movies, American showbiz, JJ Abrams, John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Paramount Pictures, Scifi movies, Thriller movies

Star Wars: The Force Awakens movie trailer

October 23, 2015 by Yein Jee

Official trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the first instalment in the Star Wars sequel trilogy. Directed by J. J. Abrams, and stars an ensemble cast which includes Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew and Max von Sydow. In cinemas in December 2015.

I like the original trilogy, hate the prequels, and hardly a fan of the franchise regardless. I couldn’t recall the titles of any of the previous films, nor the name of most characters (not even the two robots) before writing this post. Has to do some digging on wiki to refresh my memories.

[Read more…] about Star Wars: The Force Awakens movie trailer

Filed Under: Entertainment Tagged With: Adam Driver, American movies, American pop culture, American showbiz, Andy Serkis, Daisy Ridley, Epic movies, Global pop culture, Harrison Ford, JJ Abrams, John Boyega, Lupita Nyong'o, Michael Arndt, Oscar Isaac, Scifi movies, Star Wars, United States, Walt Disney

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Yein Jee is a Malaysian traveller, food lover & self proclaimed entrepreneur. This blog is about Asian culture, lifestyle, travel, food, fun and entertainment ... Read More...
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