by Dinah Aguilar ’19

The “Cloverfield” franchise is known for its secrets and surprises, but to many fans, the announcement of the new “Cloverfield” movie being released on Netflix was not a welcomed one.

“Cloverfield” is a very popular movie series in the genre of monsters and aliens and each film gives a different point of view of someone’s life as an alien invasion rises. The first movie came out in 2008 and the long awaited second movie in 2016. The creators of “Cloverfield” hinted at a third movie with the fake title “God Particle” that was supposedly going to take place in space. Of course, “Cloverfield” fans freaked out because this movie would hopefully answer their questions about how aliens tied into the Cloverfield monsters.

The newest movie “Cloverfield Paradox” follows the story of an emergency mission where scientific specialists are sent to space to find an energy source in replacement of the ones on Earth that are running out. At the beginning of the movie, the crew had been in space for two years, already exceeding the time they had expected. All their attempts to find an energy source had failed until one day, when they think they’ve found something. They discovered a new dimension.

The movie was originally meant to be shown in theaters through Paramount but they had decided to sell it to Netflix and the reason why is very obvious once finishing the movie.

It almost seems too complicated for a series like “Cloverfield” and leaves the viewer questioning if they missed something. There are several different sub-plots thrown into the movie, so instead of focusing and building upon one main storyline, there are many random threads that do not allow the viewer to feel fully connected with the characters or story.

It is sad seeing great actors like Gugu Mbatha-Raw and David Oyelowo act in a movie where they cannot show their true skills. All conflict and emotions of the actors are lost within the jumbled script, not allowing for dramatic or passionate scenes where the audience is expected to “aw” or “ooh.” The technology and space talk between the crew adds nothing to the plot but confusion.

The good cast and interesting concept could not hide the incomplete script that left fans feeling bored and disappointed in a movie they waited two years for.

Grade: C