Films That Could Exist Within the Cloverfield Universe
Mike Sprague
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As some of you may or may not know, both Cloverfield and its killer sequel, 10 Cloverfield Lane, are hitting 4K Blu-ray January 23rd. And that, coupled with the fact that we love all things Cloverfield, had us thinking it would be fun to write up an article called “Films That Could Exist in the Cloverfield Universe.”
And that’s what this is… kinda. It was only when I started researching the topic that I came to the conclusion that almost any and every movie featuring monsters and aliens (including Monsters vs Aliens) could be shoehorned into fitting within the Cloverfield universe.
This put me at a loss considering there’s a seemingly endless stream of films that could be part of the universe and, more importantly, films I wish were part of the universe (John Carpenter’s The Thing, anyone?). But today I decided to narrow the topic down to a handful of films I genuinely think could be part of J.J. Abrams and Bad Robot’s Cloverfield universe.
Now let’s get to it!
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Star Trek
This one might be met with a resounding, “Duh.” But maybe not. After all, J.J. Abrams’ reboot of Star Trek isn’t horror so it might slip a few people’s minds that the film even (for all intents and purposes) features two Cloverfield monsters!
It’s true. In the audio commentary for the film, director J.J. Abrams even goes on to say that the monsters in question were designed by the same dude who created the big bad in the original Cloverfield film.
Not only that, but how cool would it be to see Star Trek 4 (directed by Quentin Tarantino) and starring Chris Hemsworth and Chris Pine AND have them face-off at some point against the Cloverfield monster; only to accidentally banish it back in time to 2008 New York City?
Not gonna happen, but still, it’s fun to think about.
Super 8
Remember that resounding “duh” I mentioned earlier? I hope you saved it for this entry. But seriously, how could one possibly make a list of films that could be in the Cloverfield universe and NOT include J.J. Abrams’ Amblin-throwback Super 8?
Exactly. Forgive me.
Anyhow, the film truly plays like such a Cloverfield sequel that the fact that this film ISN’T officially in the Cloverfield universe blows my mind. It must have to do with rights issues, or something technical like that. Right?
Whatever the reason may be for Super 8 to be left off the list of Cloverfield sequels, the film will always be considered by fans to be the best entry in the series. And maybe that’s not fair to the other films. And maybe that’s why Super 8 isn’t a Cloverfield movie. It’s all starting to make a bit of sense.
Colossal
Wait, where are you going?!
I don’t know if you’ve had the chance to see Colossal yet, but I highly recommend you check it out. I’m not going to go to spoilers here but if you’ve seen the film’s trailer then you’ll already know all the bits of plot I’m about to go into here.
The film is about a huge Cloverfield-style monster busting up South Korea and it turns out that this movie’s Godzilla is (stick with me here) all merely a monstrous manifestation of some alcoholic loner, played by Anne Hathaway, chick’s psyche run rampant.
Deep, huh? Trust me, the film is more of a comedy than it lets on. And for that matter, the film is more of an intense interpersonal drama than the first “indie-comedy” half lets on. But still, how cool would it be if this film was connected to the Cloverfield Universe?
Picture this: It turns out the monster that stomp-f*cks its way through NYC in the original Cloverfield film is really a manifestation of the lead character’s fear of moving away to Japan and leaving behind all of his friends, family, and ex-girlfriend.
And let’s not stop there. What if 10 Cloverfield Lane is really all about Mary Elizabeth Winstead breaking down after her most recent failed relationship (sensing a pattern here?) and her damaged psyche manifests as killer alien aircraft (or whatever the hell was going on in the last act of that film)? Whoa.
This element makes for much deeper, more psychologically scary films amiright? Maybe metaphor movies aren’t your bag, and that’s cool. But I dig films that twist the demons of the mind into frightening realities. Hell, one of the best sci-fi films of all-time is Forbidden Planet and that’s exactly what that film is about!
Oh, you haven’t seen Forbidden Planet? Well, make sure you check it out – along with Colossal – tonight. If psychological sci-fi is your thing, that is. If not, steer clear.
The Mist
Ah, Frank Darabont’s take on Stephen King’s classic novella The Mist. This is a film that I believe we all wish were part of the Cloverfield universe. But wait, didn’t I say at the beginning of this piece that these weren’t films I wished were part of the universe (like Men in Black)? Yes, I did say that. But let me explain.
The reason The Mist is on here is that, I mean, come on, look that those monsters! Which ones, you might ask? All of them. Every single one of the endless nightmare horde that descends upon that particular Tom Jane-fortified grocery store in King’s tale looks like it came straight out of Cloverfield‘s playbook. That or Monsters Inc…
And don’t laugh at that last line, as director Frank Darabont has said himself in the film’s audio commentary that he had his team design one monster, in particular, to look just like Mr. Waternoose from Monsters Inc. True story. Now go back and watch The Mist and try to find the Mr. Waternoose character. It’ll be like “I Spy” or something.
But until then, let’s just all hope that with J.J. Abrams teaming up with Stephen King more and more these days (“Castle Rock”) that we may very well get a The Mist 2 entry within the Cloverfield Universe.
Just don’t hold your breath.
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Buy Cloverfield and 10 Cloverfield Lane on 4k Blu-ray HERE and HERE!
