The Cloverfield Paradox appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.40:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. The movie gave us a strong transfer.
At all times, sharpness worked well. Only a handful of slightly soft shots occurred, so most of the flick came across as accurate and concise.
No issues with moiré effects or jaggies emerged, and edge haloes failed to mar the image. I also didn’t see any signs of source defects.
Like most modern action movies, Paradox opted for the usual orange and teal palette. Though uninspiring, the hues showed appropriate reproduction.
Blacks seemed dark and dense, while low-light shots – of which we found many – appeared smooth and well-defined. This became a satisfying presentation.
As for the movie’s Dolby Atmos soundtrack – which downconverted to Dolby TrueHD 7.1 on my system – it provided a vivid experience. Of course, the scenes of mayhem gave us the most impactful material, as those battered us with various active elements.
Music used all the speakers in a vivid manner, while various environmental moments featured the spectrum well, too. The movie used the whole soundscape well.
As expected, audio quality seemed stellar. Music was bold and bright, while speech appeared natural and concise.
Of course, effects dominated the track, and these elements provided excellent reproduction. All the action material showed terrific range and impact, with clear highs and wicked lows. This became a genuinely terrific mix.
Two featurettes appear here, and Things Are Not As They Appear runs 14 minutes, 23 seconds. It includes comments from director Julius Onah, screenwriter Oren Uziel, director of photography Dan Mindel, associate producer Rick Carter, production designer Doug Meerdink, and actors Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Elizabeth Debicki, Daniel Brühl, Chris O’Dowd, David Oyelowo, Aksel Hennie, and John Ortiz.
“Things” looks at the project’s roots and development, story/characters, sets and photography, story and characters. A mix of substance and fluff, we get enough useful content to make this a decent overview.
With Shepard Team, we find a 14-minute, 48-second piece with notes from Onah, Mbatha-Raw, O’Dowd, Oyelowo, Brühl, Hennie, Ortiz, Debicki, Uziel and actor Zhang Ziyi.
“Team” looks at characters, cast and performances. Much of “Team” praises the actors, but a few good notes and shots from the set make it watchable.
As a mix of science-fiction, horror and action, The Cloverfield Paradox comes with ample potential for entertainment. Unfortunately, it presents nothing more than a melange of clichés and scenes stolen from other movies. The Blu-ray brings very good picture and excellent audio as well as minor supplements. Paradox becomes a tedious tale without much to make it enjoyable.