All 3 Cloverfield Movies, Ranked From Worst To Best

The "Cloverfield" franchise is one of the most intriguing film series to come out in recent memory. There's not really a continuous storyline, as each film focuses on a unique set of characters and dangerous situations. Even after three movies, we can't say we understand much of what the extraterrestrial beings in each one want with Earth. You just strap in for the ride and hope to get more answers with the next installment — whenever it shows up.

As such, the "Cloverfield" timeline is kind of all over the place. You can honestly watch the films in any order and not lose much because they all feel so disconnected from one another. But even though they veer into different genres, ranking the "Cloverfield" movies still feels like a valid endeavor.

Each "Cloverfield" film has its own distinct flair, to the point where any ranking of the three movies so far is legit. But looking at the general consensus online as well as our own viewpoints, here's how we would stack them all from worst to best.

The most noteworthy thing about "The Cloverfield Paradox" is the way in which it was released. The film's first trailer premiered during Super Bowl LII, revealing that the movie would come out on Netflix as soon as the big game was over. That was exciting for anyone with no interest in football but a heavy interest in sci-fi-oriented horror, but when people actually saw the movie, it was a total dud. 

"The Cloverfield Paradox" involves a group of international astronauts testing a particle accelerator in space to provide Earth with clean energy. But things go very wrong when the astronauts successfully test the beam and realize Earth is no longer there. And that's the least of their problems, as they all begin experiencing strange phenomena killing them off one by one. "The Cloverfield Paradox" is significant because it reveals how all of the monsters and aliens from the previous films got to Earth in the first place — namely a tear through space-time. But everything else is just muddled nonsense.

There's no internal logic to any of the strange happenings on the spacecraft. People's eyeballs move on their own, and worms appear inside people. This all happens under the guise of multiple dimensions colliding with one another, but it really just means any dumb thing can happen at any moment. Outside of that, the 2018 film seems more concerned with long, expository spiels rather than fleshing out the characters in any meaningful way. There's more emphasis on connecting the film back to "Cloverfield" than having it stand on its own, resulting in one of the most baffling movies of the last decade.

"Clovefield" was a neat little monster flick when it came out in 2008. Unlike "The Cloverfield Paradox," which would come out a decade later, it definitely understood the ethos that less is more. Presented in a found footage format, "Cloverfield" sees a group of friends run for their lives throughout New York City as a giant creature wreaks havoc. There's no lengthy exposition or scientific rundown of what the monster might be. It's total chaos from start to finish.

The found footage aspect really works in the film's favor. "Cloverfield" is almost designed to make you uncomfortable, as the shaky footage creates a disorienting effect and makes it so that you have trouble pinpointing where exactly the next threat may come from. And the film takes some cues from "Jaws" by hiding the monster at first. Instead, we're introduced to it through sheer carnage, so when we finally do get a good look at it, it's terrifying.

There's also something intrinsically captivating about a simple "run to survive" plot. Our main characters aren't worried about killing the monster. That seems impossible; they just want to get out of the city before the whole place goes down. "Cloverfield" takes the beats of a monster movie like "Godzilla" and throws in a fun, 21st century twist, with someone constantly recording. Sometimes a spin on the classics is all you need to have a good time. 

It almost feels weird to declare "10 Cloverfield Lane" as the best "Cloverfield" movie when it really has nothing to do with monsters or parallel dimensions. Instead, the true horror is what's in front of all of us — that a neighbor could turn out to be despicable when pushed to the limit. 

Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is captured by Howard (John Goodman) after crashing her car. He informs her that it's not safe to go outside, as something otherworldly is happening, so she's stuck with a seemingly dangerous man and can't tell whether he's telling the truth. The end result is a claustrophobic thriller where Michelle, and by extension the audience, don't know whether they can trust Howard. You might be convinced he's lying only for a piece of evidence to lend him credence. 

If anything, putting "Cloverfield" in the title kind of ruins the movie a bit since we know that aliens must exist within this universe. But if you manage to put that aside, it's positively gripping. Each character has their own agenda, whether it's Howard trying to keep his captives in one place or Michelle trying to map an escape route. It's simple yet effective, showing that you don't need massive VFX to captivate an audience — sometimes, you just need to put a few talented actors in a room and watch them work.