Whatever the filmmakers tried to do to excite you in the first Cloverfield, they do it again in this third installment The Cloverfield Paradox. In fact, they even make the film beyond the beyond by taking you on a fantasy trip into space. The movie is part of the J.J. Abrams Universe where the production company delivers their own brand of fantasy/sci-fi/thrillers. I do like this movie as it makes the Sci-fi element of inter-dimensional conflict a credible idea. If you are a space fan or just like a lot of thrills, then pick-up this film on Blu-ray or DVD.
A crew of astronauts made up of scientists, engineers, medical, and analytical specialists have been set in space with a project that will solve the dwindling fuel supply on Earth. It’s called the Shepherd Team Project with seven members aboard the Cloverfield Space Station. Their job is to test the “Shepherd Accelerator” a super powered electrical energy producer that will deliver unlimited energy to the world. The have test fired the accelerator several times and due to their limited fuel supply they estimate they had three more chances before it becomes a complete failure.
On earth countries are battling over the oil supplies with Germany taking on Russia for complete control. Most of Europe is at a standstill and the United States who has launched the Shepherd Team is in chaos. The team is made up of Kiel (David Oyelowo) of the USA who is the commander, Schmidt (Daniel Brühl) from Germany a scientist, Volkov (Aksel Hennie) of Russia spaceship environment specialist, Hamilton (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) representing Britain the project coordinator, Mundy (Chris O’Dowd) from Ireland an engineer who works on the accelerator, Tam (Ziyi Zhang) of China the head engineer who controls the space station and Monk (John Ortiz) a Brazilian a crew member.
They have been in space for 496 days and they engage one of their three tests left setting off a wave that knocks out communications from Earth. Director Julius Onah makes his film exciting trapping the crew aboard the space station with no control, problems with all the instruments and the Earth has disappeared completely from view. He puts them to the test of trying to get the station under control, working against time with damaged instruments including the accelerator, and a mystery that involves another dimension.
I like the way Onah leads viewers into the thick of things showing some of the devastation happening on Earth, finding a stranger on board, setting a series of scenes of terror, explosions, strong discord among the astronauts and much more. He uses a lot of special effects, CGI and sets to make his audience feel the defenselessness of the situation and the many complexities of the crew solving their problems. His finale is a rollercoaster ride filled with sight and sounds of a world in the throes of a chaotic humanity.
The acting on the part of the whole cast is very good with exciting and A grade performances all around. The film may give you a bit of déjà vu especially if you have seen a lot of space related films involving a space station. But, don’t let that get you sidestepped from this story as the actors really are good enough to make it different. This is J.J. Abrams third film under the Cloverfield Universe, if you like it check out the other parts of the collection Cloverfield (2008) and 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) which are each their own story and something completely deferment.
BONUS EXTRAS:
Blu-ray and DVD: Like all special features they have many plot spoilers so do not watch them until you have seen the film.
“Things Are Not as They Appear: The Making of The Cloverfield Paradox” Director Julius Onah and writer Oren Uziel leads you from script reads to production of the film. (14 min.)
“Shepard Team: The Cast” Director Julius Onah introduces his cast to you and each make comments on their character. (14 min.)
The Cloverfield Paradox has been rated PG-13 by the MPAA with no explanation as to why. The film does however contain violence, gore, language and extreme peril. The video can be purchased in the form of a Blu-ray or DVD and they both have Dolby Atlmos for sound quality.
FINAL ANALYSIS: A very good action film with a lot of mystery and terror. (4 out of 5 Stars)
Specifications and additional video information:
Cast: Daniel Brühl, Elizabeth Debicki, Aksel Hennie, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Chris O’Dowd, John Ortiz, David Oyelowo, and Ziyi Zhang
Director: Julius Onah
MPAA Rating: PG-13, contains Violence, Gore, Language, Peril
Genre: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Sci-fi
Running Time: 1 hr. 42 min.
Video Release Date: February 5, 2019
Language: English Dolby Atmos®* (changeable to 16 total languages including
French, Spanish, Portuguese, or English Audio Description)
Reviewed Format: Blu-ray
Audio: Dolby Atmos
Video: 1080p HD
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish, or Portuguese
Number of Discs: 1 Disc
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
Released in: Blu-ray, DVD
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
