Parents' Guide to

The Cloverfield Paradox

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Awkward mix of moods in violent sci-fi sequel.

Movie PG-13 2018 102 minutes
The Cloverfield Paradox Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 14+

Based on 5 parent reviews

age 15+

Not what I was expecting.

This movie is all over the place in topics and a flat out disappointment. It’s boring and no exciting plot twist or points.

This title has:

Too much violence
age 14+

Exciting and quirky

Violent, sometimes gory with just the right amount of humor to balance out the scary. I let my 12 yr old watch it, but he absolutely loves horror movies & knows the language is inappropriate, so not really worried about him repeating it at school. Besides, I think his 6th grade friends probably already use all those words anyway. Lol

This title has:

Too much swearing

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (5):
Kids say (4):

This third movie in the Cloverfield series deflects attention from a giant monster and instead focuses on an odd, unstable mishmash of moods and tones, gamely held together by a fine cast. Released suddenly, unexpectedly on Netflix during the evening of the 2018 Super Bowl, The Cloverfield Paradox is a step down from the original Cloverfield (2008), a found-footage monster movie, and 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016), a paranoid, hiding-in-a-bunker thriller. Without spoiling much, this film does have a connection to the giant monster but is perhaps not quite as satisfying as the two previous films.

Based around a cautionary tale of a depleting world gone mad, the movie's main structure revolves around the "alternate reality" idea. Yet, with a universe of infinite possibility at their disposal, the filmmakers stick to pretty basic horror, thriller, and comedy ideas. It's small potatoes; not exactly terrible, but off-putting. The best thing about the movie is its great cast, with O'Dowd earning the majority of the laughs and having fun with his disembodied arm. Mbatha-Raw gives the movie an emotional center, missing her husband at home and mourning her lost children, and Oyelowo, Bruhl, and Ziyi lend the movie a certain dignity.

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