The Cloverfield Paradox, of a blow of sword in the water Review

Landed at the surprise on Netflix, this third film stamped Cloverfield will remain a major coup marketing but what is it the movie ?

The SuperBowl is always the theater of startling events. This year, Netflix struck a huge blow by releasing a first teaser of their mysterious 2018 Cloverfield Movie (renamed The Cloverfield Paradox) expected initially for the current year in our rooms. More than that, and that’s just the genius marketing of the transaction : the film is directly made available online as soon the match is over. A first, a real earthquake that shakes up the habits and the conventional methods of distribution. Look more closely, the marriage Cloverfield/Netflix sounds like a no brainer on paper. The franchise initiated by J. J. Abrams and the platform of streaming love it as much as the other one cause the buzz by putting in place the marketing mechanisms skillfully developed. After all the noise generated by its presence at Cannes, Netflix has decided not to back into the ranks and continues to shake the small world of the 7th art , And now the film. What is this Cloverfield Paradox ? While the world is subjected to a strong energy crisis, a team is mandated by several countries to go into space in order to implement a particle accelerator, intended to resolve their concerns. When getting started, everything will not go as planned, and strange phenomena will occur aboard the space station. Recall that after the first Cloverfield, J. J. Abrams had the idea to expand the franchise by creating a number of films that would enrich the universe. Share parallel histories, linked more or less to the original. An idea not stupid to give birth in 2016 of 10 Cloverfield Lane, behind closed doors as surprising as it is effective. In fact, this third film takes place before and during the events of the first.

One can legitimately ask questions about the journey that has prompted Paramount to give its secret project to Netflix. Simple desire to make a coup de com’ or a form of camouflage ? The question arises even more once you watch this Cloverfield Paradox as the result of a sudden fall back all the excitement caused by its mode of dissemination. We were right to expect a few revelations compared to the monster landed on Earth and the film stammers his answers, sighing at the turn of a few scenes various small clues while remaining cryptic in the lines. Intriguing in its first third, The Cloverfield Paradox is slowly becoming a series B insignificant, deceptively complex (use of the word scientific does not make a movie intelligent) and pretty badly paced. You forget almost that you look at if the last 5 minutes were not re-attach all the events of Cloverfield. This final plan, quite enjoyable, deserves not, however, to endure painfully 1h40.

These parameters are known, it is easier to understand why Paramount had to jump on the opportunity for Netflix in order to cause artificial excitement around a project that would have been hard to bear the check box “wide screen”. Probably the studio wondered how to sell a product moderately compelling, performed by a no-name, featuring a cast unknown to the general public (except for Daniel Brühl ?) arising from a B-series output current 2008. Finally, there is more to say about all that surrounds the release of The Cloverfield Paradox , rather than on the film itself, the little cinema, now in it does not merit that they are given special attention. Exactly the same observation as we did in 2008 when Cloverfield came out after a promotional campaign with the epic – an observation that is less severe, the feature film Matt Reeves had a certain entertaining potential. This is called a sword in the water.

Maxime Bedini

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