The Cloverfield Paradox is the third installment in the franchise.
Do I need to watch the first two to make sense of the third?
asked Feb 12, 2018 at 2:58
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2no, each one is a different story– J MFeb 12, 2018 at 3:20
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1@irsha but they're all connected. Watching the third without watching the other two would "work" and make sense, but still, lots of small things might be missing. IMO watching the other two would be better, and make watching the third more fun.– Shadow The Spring WizardFeb 12, 2018 at 8:20
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1@ShadowWizard That still doesn't mean you're "required" to view them all. Matter of fact, Paradox was completely unrelated to Cloverfield and all references were put in at a late stage. Same with 10 Cloverfield Lane: independent script, references to Cloverfield added during production. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cloverfield_Paradox . (Of course, whether anyone should bother wasting time on a rubbish movie like Paradox...)– BCdotWEBFeb 12, 2018 at 9:29
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2@BCdotWEB but there were added, it's not relevant when or why. Of course not required, never said that.... my point is that it will add extra fun, totally optional. So direct answer to the question here is "no, you don't need to watch the other two", however indirect answer will be "but if you do watch the other two, you'll enjoy the third more". (All personal opinion and since I didn't watch Paradox myself, not posting answer)– Shadow The Spring WizardFeb 12, 2018 at 9:31
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3Since the first two are actually somewhere between pretty good and very good, why not just see the first two anyway?– Todd WilcoxFeb 12, 2018 at 13:58
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2 Answers
As it stands, one does not need watch any of the films in any particular order, as it's The Cloverfield Paradox that gives the biggest hint as to how the Cloverfield films may relate to each other. There are times where it seems like TCP would be a "sequel" to Cloverfield, but there are some things that don't quite add up (hence the word "pradox") and many people have theories trying to find "work arounds". It may end up being a prequel to Cloverfield in some respect, as it was advertised during the Superbowl Spot as the cause or "the how" of Cloverfield, but again TCP is very vague and only lightly tangible to the first film.
With that being said, The Cloverfield Paradox has a mix (visuals, references, tones, & themes) of both films that came before it and therefor, one may not appreciate what it offers without seeing the previous two. Also there is some subject matter, that many people speculate, could tie into the upcoming fourth film allegedly titled, Overlord. And lastly, one may even get more out of it, if they are a JJ Abrams/Bad Robot fan, as it is very much like Fringe on a space station, but with a few major LOST references.
Most critics are "down" on The Cloverfield Paradox. As a longtime Bad Robot fan, I enjoyed it for what it was, but I realize that the Cloverfield films are just these little low budget sci-fi-thriller-fantasy films in the spirit of The Twilight Zone, but with a Stephen King-like story-axle. There not meant to be mind blowing, but a little remade throwback. For me, it's like watching an extended episode of an early Bad Robot TV series--a drop in the bucket, which may eventually add up to something a bit more, later depending on if these films will eventually become tighter.
UPDATE: Overlord has been confirmed to NOT be a Cloverfield film. Please disregard my comments on that specific aspect.
answered Feb 13, 2018 at 3:32
It isn't strictly necessary to see the other 2 films. However i would recommend watching CLoverfield as it is actually a very good film ( imo), far better than these subsequent two. These sequels are only barely related having been re-titled to fit in with the 'Cloverfield universe', a nice bit of JJ Abrahams marketing jiggery-pokery. Honestly, this last one is not good even as a standalone. you have a shot at the end which ties it to the first film... and that's it pretty much. The second film is an ok thriller with a scene near the end which gives it a belated position as a Cloverfield sequel.
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Hear hear. Paradox is just stupid plain and simple. Was not designed in the universe and was patched in later. Pretty shoddy work all together. 10 Cloverfield is just OK but really doesn't need the association with the first film. I honestly don't know why they even bothered trying to connect the movies at all.– Kai QingApr 28, 2018 at 0:00