One of the intriguing aspects of the Cloverfield franchise has always been the origin of the iconic monster. The 2008 film, co-produced by J.J. Abrams, had a behemoth tearing through New York, which resulted in the military bombing the area. However, while the film ended with the beast destroying everything and everyone, there was wild speculation over where it came from.
Some wondered if it emerged from space, which was further teased in the other Cloverfield movies, with Paradox hinting a rift dropped it to Earth. Still, because the franchise explored the multiverse, it was tough to decipher the truth. Well, director Matt Reeves has cleared the air as he celebrates Cloverfield’s 15th anniversary, with new info paving the way for an even better universe.
Cloverfield’s Monster Is an Alien
Reeves confesses it’s an alien baby freaking out due to separation anxiety from its mother. He links it to the longstanding theory of the movie’s final scene, where a little object fell to Earth in a home video near an amusement park. Many thought this was a satellite that fell down and woke the creature up, while non-canon stories shaped it as a being that woke up in Japan due to undersea drilling and swam to the Big Apple.
Both bits of speculation seemed far-fetched, and things got more convoluted as the Slusho viral campaign and manga tie-in suggested it was a kaiju from the core of the Earth. Now, fans know it’s just a lost monster, as scared as the people hunting it. That paves the way for the franchise to step up and improve. In fact, it could dethrone the current gold standard in Legendary’s MonsterVerse, completing Reeves’ initial Cloverfield vision.
Cloverfield Could Bring in More Aliens
The Toho franchise and many other Godzilla-affiliated properties have had monsters coming from space, per King Ghidorah. However, the MonsterVerse is currently focused on Titans such as Godzilla and Kong — prehistoric creatures hiding out, only to now emerge to defend humanity and their home. But seeing as Cloverfield has opened the door to a mother coming over, it could make its franchise a lot more personal.
The giant at the end of Paradox could easily be shaped as the mom on the loose, especially as it’s way bigger. That can lead to more of her species, including siblings, going to other countries and causing chaos. It’d make the monsters way more sympathetic but still have them act as villains. In addition, Paradox’s portals and confirmation of aliens mean that other planned Cloverfield movies and even TV shows can bring new aliens to Earth, away from handheld footage.
Cloverfield was admittedly more dynamic with the parasites that dropped off the big alien and fed on humans, causing them to explode. So, if alternate realities are in play, Paramount can explore a wide array of beings, moving its scope to more cerebral stories. That offers more dimensions than rampaging kaiju, who move between friend and foe. And seeing as Paramount isn’t beholden to any lore, fans could get wilder designs and even invasion arcs. Ultimately, Reeves has painted Earth as a battlefield for more incursions, priming the franchise to become more dangerous than before.
