So I finally sat down and watched The Cloverfield Paradox which I liked the most out of the Cloverfield movies so far. The movie starts out with some info dumping about how Earth is running out of power sources and so the world has sent a team to a space station to work with a massive particle accelerator to attempt to find a new power source. When the experiment works all hell breaks loose on the space station has they ended up breaking the fabric of reality. Though it is a science fiction movie I would classify it more as a body horror such as Alien or the Thing than just straight sci-fi.
I’ve never loved any of the Cloverfield movies and this ones no exception though I do like it better than the others. In Cloverfield, I felt like the characters were very annoying and I didn’t care what happen. It doesn’t help that I have never been a fan of found footage movies either. 10 Cloverfield Lane on the other hand was a movie that I like the concept of but found the movie as a whole very boring. So, I didn’t have high expectations for Cloverfield Paradox. Though I don’t think Paradox was needed as part of the Cloverfield series I did like the concept of the movie and I wasn’t bored. If any of the Cloverfield movie got direct squeals I would want it to be Paradox as I feel like it has the most that could be done with it given how the story and ending is set up. It is the only Cloverfield movie that has any real horror in my opinion.
As the movie progresses it starts to feel like they characters are trapped in space where no one can help them which preys on the fear of the dark and unknown. The one thing that I’ve always disliked about theses movies is that most of the characters are just unlikable with few redeeming factors. For instance in Paradox, Ava’s arc does work as she wants to stay in an alternate world where her children are still alive but she doesn’t think what thorough the consequences of if she stays and there is a version of her in the world. And then there’s Jensen who was on the other ship and who’s reality is in jeopardy who comes off as a bitch who just wants everyone dead so, I was very happy that she ends up dying.
Paradox also is the movie where the explanation for how the alien invasions happened in the other movies is supposed to exist. This is never really explained, just that in accidentally ending up in an alternate reality and then jumping back to their own unleashed horrible monsters. I do feel like Paradox has the best ending out of all the Cloverfield movies just because its slightly more hopeful than the other two but the ending of these movies are never very good.
Rolling in the Deep by Mira Grant is a novella about a research vessel going to the Mariana Trench to find Mermaids. Commissioned by the Imagine Network (which feels to me like if you combined the Discovery Channel fake documentaries with Asylum the creators of Sharknado), the scientist think that the company sponsoring the trip is just going to film a mockumentary but they end up finding real mermaids who are not kind or beautiful. This book is technically a prequel to Into the Drowning Deep but it works as a stand alone. However, if you want to have no information about what the mermaids are like and the twist at the end of In to the Drowning Deep read the full length novel first. I didn’t know about the novella when I first read the novel so they work in either order. I didn’t connect to the characters as much due to how short the book is but what is there is great. It made me want more from this world and story.
Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant is a science fiction horror novel about a research ship going out to the Mariana Trench to find mermaids and what happened to the ship, the Atargatis, that went out seven years previously. This is a reread for me and I loved it just as much as the first time I read it. The characters are amazing and complex from the woman who convinced Image that mermaids existed, the sister of one of the missing from the previous expedition, two big game hunters and many others. The wonderful thing about McGuire’s stories is she adds diverse characters in a way that is natural, they are diverse because our world is, this includes deaf sisters and a journalist who is both a lesbian and autistic.
So in May I decided to try a new book subscription box which was Illumicrate. Illumicrate is a monthly book subscription box that focuses mainly on young adult titles. When I heard that the May book was going to be Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff I knew I had to try and order the box. May’s theme is The Final Frontier.
Caught in the Revolution: Witnesses to the Fall of Imperial Russia by Helen Rappaport is a historical nonfiction book that uses accounts of foreigners in Russia at the time of the Revolution to show the reality of what happen in Petrograd. In general, its a quick read because Rappaport writes the account more like a novel than a historical account just giving facts. Though the beginning of the book is more entertaining because no one knows exactly whats going on and eye witness accounts are more interesting to read. As the book goes on its more about politics which can be boring. There is almost no mention of the Romanov family in the book so this historical account is best suited for a reader that has some back ground in this period of Russian history but wants either more information or a different perspective of the events. Overall, the accounts are woven together well to give the reader the most well rounded timeline of events but it slows down at times when it focuses more on the day to day events and lives of these people as important things are not going on. 3/5 starts.
Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff is a historical nonfiction book that attempts to separate the fact from fiction of Cleopatra’s life and tells her story from childhood to her death. The major focus of the book is Cleopatra’s rise to power, how she kept that power, and her relationships with Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony. Her story is deeply intertwined with the actions and events of Rome and the Roman empire. At times the book seems to focus more on Rome than Cleopatra which makes reading some chapters very slow. Given the lack of historical sources from Egypt and Cleopatra more information must be taken from Roman sources which often were written by her detractors though Schiff does a great job at attempting to separate what really happened and the embellishments of those who had no love for her. Cleopatra is much more than the myth and stories that pop culture loves to give us and this book is a good resource for those wanting more of the truth. 3.5/5 stars
Macbeth by William Shakespeare is a tragedy where Macbeth kills his king after three witches tell him that it is his destiny to be king. He and his wife are slowly driven mad by their actions and Macbeth is eventually killed. Macbeth is my favorite Shakespeare because its never stated whether Macbeth acts because of predetermined fate or is it his ambitions that lead to his raise and fall. I don’t read many classics on my own because I often feel like I’m missing something but Macbeth is still good. However, given that this is meant to be a play and viewed instead of read I do feel like there is something lost by not seeing it preformed. 3.5/5 stars
Memento by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff is an Illuminae Files novella that was a pre-order bonus when you pre-ordered Aurora Rising. The novella is set primarily before the events of Illuminae and focuses on the AIDAN the learning AI that is on the Alexander battleship and his interactions with the crew members, specifically Olivia Klein. Since the novella is set mostly before AIDAN is damaged in battle it shows how he learns and what information allowed him to become rouge in the rest of the series. Its a fun story that adds more to the world of the Illuminae Files but is not needed to understand the rest of the series. However, many fans, myself included, love AIDAN and consider him one of the best characters of the series so more of him is always good. 5/5 stars.
Since E3 was in June I’m excited for all the new games coming out but especially the Final Fantasy 7 remake. Final Fantasy 7 is one of my favorite games and since we now have a release date for the remake I have gone back and starting playing the original again. When I was younger I got about half way through the game but never finished it so I’m going back to play it in its entirety before the remake so I can see what is changed. I’m playing it on my PS4 which means some of the PC game cheats are available. Though I don’t think its the best way to play the game with cheats activated they are fun to play around with.
Night Owl Reviews 