Read Screen Rant's Cloverfield Paradox Review HERE

The Cloverfield Paradox is now available to stream on Netflix, but critics aren't too pleased with the latest installment in Bad Robot's disjointed monster series. The J.J. Abrams-produced franchise has produced one of the most intriguing sci-fi universes on-screen today. Matt Reeves' original Cloverfield film - which was based on a story that Abrams, Reeves, and Drew Goddard envisioned together - hit theaters in 2008, and it's taken 10 years for a proper sequel (and a prequel, of sorts) to finally release and provide actual answers.

Unlike what happened with 10 Cloverfield Lane, audiences knew ahead of time that Bad Robot's God Particle - directed by Julius Onah and based on a story by Oren Uziel and Doug Jung - was actually Cloverfield 3. In fact, prior to release, Paramount Pictures elected to refer to the film as an Untitled Cloverfield Movie. Then, when Netflix got involved and took the film off Paramount's hands, audience excitement rose exponentially, as Netflix had done something that was considered unthinkable: release a movie the same day as the trailer. While Paradox is certainly a Cloverfield movie and does provide answers (and even more questions), which many viewers will undoubtedly enjoy and be thankful for, critics aren't exactly on board with Netflix's latest release.

Related: The Cloverfield Monster’s Origins Finally Explained

The first batch of Cloverfield Paradox reviews are online, and they're not looking good. At the moment, The Cloverfield Paradox has a Rotten Tomatoes score of just 11 percent (it was 9 percent at one point). That not only makes it the lowest-rated film in the franchise's - Cloverfield has a 77 percent rating, whereas 10 Cloverfield Lane stands tall at 90 percent - but it's also the second lowest-rated movie J.J. Abrams has ever written, produced, or directed. The lowest is currently 1997's Gone Fishin', which he co-wrote.

The Cloverfield Paradox Mbatha Raw

Critics seem to agree that Cloverfield Paradox's weakest points are its characters and its story, with some calling it an awful mess all around. But where Cloverfield Paradox shines is in its connections to the previous Cloverfield films. What's interesting is that these complaints validate reports that surfaced prior to Netflix's acquisition of the film from Paramount. It was previously reported that Paramount's new studio chief was looking to unload the picture because they didn't believe it would perform well against a major blockbuster in its current state.

Abrams reportedly planned on tweaking Cloverfield 3's story (via THR), as well as tightening up the script, but unfortunately, he's been preoccupied with developing Star Wars: Episode IX for Lucasfilm. Moreover, Paramount was unwilling to wait for Abrams any longer, so they wanted to release Cloverfield Paradox in its current form and move on. After all, they already have another Cloverfield movie in the works. Overlord, aka Cloverfield 4, is due out this October.

More: The Cloverfield Paradox Ending Explained

Source: Rotten Tomatoes

Key Release Dates