How To Watch The Cloverfield Movies In Order

Something of an answer to "Godzilla," the "Cloverfield" franchise pits humanity against unseen — but deadly and hostile — threats, including giant monsters and disturbing alien parasites. Doom and paranoia pervade all three movies in the series, and even though the stories aren't directly connected, they still combine to make a larger, overarching story about an apocalyptic alien encounter. But it takes some time to examine the human cost of all of these terrible events with a fearless, jaundiced eye since the entire Cloverfield franchise is engineered to make you uncomfortable on a clinical level.

This list will cover the movies in chronological order, from the earliest they take place on the "Cloverfield" timeline to the most recent. For those who prefer to watch the events of the series play out as they did for those who watched the films as they were released, the release order is, conveniently, chronological. To watch the movies in release order, you should start with Cloverfield (released January 18, 2008), before watching 10 Cloverfield Lane (released March 11, 2016), ending with The Cloverfield Paradox (released February 4, 2018).

The film that kicked the whole conflict off is also the movie that takes place first in the franchise's timeline. "Cloverfield" is a found-footage movie centered around a group of friends living in New York City when Manhattan comes under attack by a mysterious and deadly giant monster. It's the fear of the unknown that forces them to work together, and there's no predicting who will survive. Nearly everything unfolds during a single night, May 22, 2008, with a few scenes that take place earlier that year, in May and April.

The central characters end up being Rob (Michael Stahl-David), Beth (Odette Yustman), and Hud (T. J. Miller), the latter of whose camera becomes a vital storytelling device for the film. "Cloverfield" not only brought the found footage horror craze that had begun with "The Blair Witch Project" back to life, but it was one of the first films to gain attention via a viral marketing campaign, namely, the franchise's Slusho website. A major hit with audiences, naturally, it managed to spawn a sequel.

"10 Cloverfield Lane" takes place sometime after the events of "Cloverfield." Once the sequel's story gets beyond the bunker located at the titular address, it reveals the chaos the alien invasion caused outside of America's big cities. But before then, it focuses on the mystery, suspense, and paranoia surrounding a handful of characters.

The film centers around Louisiana citizen Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), who finds herself injured and imprisoned in a safe room by former U.S. Marine Howard (John Goodman). With his assistant, Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.), the trio forms an odd quasi-family until Michelle begins to question Howard's stories about plagues being released in the outside world. She begins to suspect he deliberately rear-ended her and is holding her hostage, but the truth is far more terrible than anything Howard has described.

"10 Cloverfield Lane" has an ending that widens the scope of the film's universe while keeping the conflict intense, small, and intimate. It helped boost the series to new heights, but the next installment in the franchise was released directly to streaming.

Taking place in the far-flung future of 2028, "The Cloverfield Paradox" shows that decades after the first invasion hit earth, humanity is still none the wiser when it comes to understanding the invaders themselves.

The film follows a team of international scientists and astronauts working on the Cloverfield space station. In an attempt at circumventing a dire global energy crisis, they're testing an experimental particle accelerator. Unfortunately, it manages to shift them into an alternate universe and brings the aliens that have haunted the franchise to Earth. Now, they have to figure out how to make it back to their home planet, not realizing the peril they've inadvertently put it in. If you're looking for a traditional conclusion, don't hold your breath; the ending of "The Cloverfield Paradox" leaves the door wide open for further monstrous shenanigans.

"The Cloverfield Paradox" was released directly on Netflix, where its reception was less than stellar. Ultimately, it leaves one important film series question hovering in the air: Is another J.J Abrams-produced film somehow related to the "Cloverfield" series?

While it was initially rumored to be so, "Overlord" is not a part of the "Cloverfield" series. Instead, it was developed as an original World War II action film. But rumors persisted about the film's supposed "Cloverfield" connection until J.J. Abrams eventually firmly denied that the two ideas were ever interconnected during a CinemaCon appearance in 2018.

"We're actually developing a true, dedicated Cloverfield sequel," Abrams told Variety, explaining that plans were for it to be released in theaters, unlike "The Cloverfield Paradox." "Overlord" is a completely different sort of movie from those in the "Cloverfield" franchise, focusing on World War II POWs who try to escape their Nazi captors, who plan to experiment on them and turn them into scientifically modified super-soldiers. (Interestingly enough, "A Quiet Place" was initially considered for a "Cloverfield" sequel, but instead created its own universe.)

While "Overlord" isn't a part of the "Cloverfield" world, fans of the monster franchise do have something to look forward to — the aforementioned sequel, which continues to percolate. Babak Anvari has signed on to direct it, with Joe Barton providing the script. Producer Matt Reeves last gave an update on its status in 2023, indicating that there wouldn't be much released about the film ahead of its debut in order to maintain the franchise's ongoing aura of mystery. It's already been confirmed the movie won't be a found-footage movie, though it will be a "true" sequel to the first film. Time will tell if they can pull off another shocker when it's finally released.