Movies: Alien: Covenant (2017)

[aufheben]

Prometheus had a whole bunch of script changes that Damon Lindleof allegedly had his hand in.

The original script of Prometheus is floating around cyberspace somewhere and this article goes over some of the more confusing aspects of the film that were not confusing at all in the original script.

I'll have to check that out, thanks.

 

[KesselBuiltMyHotrod]

 

[aleshemsky83]

What are they trying to do here?

Awful.

 

[serge2k]

I just can't stand his voice.

 

[Shareefruck]

This sudden shift to "Prometheus is a good movie" is a little strange to me. I didn't think so, although some of the trashing it got felt a little overboard to me. I just thought it was mediocre, bland, and forgettable.

 

[NyQuil]

The highlight of Prometheus was Fassbender's performance and some of the visuals.

The lowlight was everything else.

 

[Hivemind]

People who expected/desired an Alien movie were upset by Prometheus. People who enjoy Cyberpunk, Ridley Scott, and the merger between the two (Blade Runner) were far less upset about Prometheus. Prometheus had a lot more thematically in common with Blade Runner than it did with Alien. And I'm okay with that.

 

[NyQuil]

People who expected/desired an Alien movie were upset by Prometheus. People who enjoy Cyberpunk, Ridley Scott, and the merger between the two (Blade Runner) were far less upset about Prometheus. Prometheus had a lot more thematically in common with Blade Runner than it did with Alien. And I'm okay with that.

LOL, I love cyberpunk, Ridley Scott and Blade Runner.

And I hated Prometheus.

Prometheus had far more in common with Alien: Resurrection than Blade Runner.

 

[Hivemind]

LOL, I love cyberpunk, Ridley Scott and Blade Runner.

And I hated Prometheus.

Prometheus had far more in common with Alien: Resurrection than Blade Runner.

In what way? Most of the film focuses on Fassbender and questions regarding life. That's right in the posthuman wheelhouse.

 

[Shareefruck]

I didn't really have an issue with the themes or the supposed plot holes of Prometheus-- I think the germ of a good idea for a movie is there. I just thought the characters/performances felt painfully hollow, the mood/writing felt painfully mechanical and bland, and the execution/direction was awful and all over the place. To me, it doesn't matter what type of thing it was or what biases/preferences we have, I just thought it was fundamentally a poorly crafted and bad movie experience.

People who expected/desired an Alien movie were upset by Prometheus. People who enjoy Cyberpunk, Ridley Scott, and the merger between the two (Blade Runner) were far less upset about Prometheus. Prometheus had a lot more thematically in common with Blade Runner than it did with Alien. And I'm okay with that.

Let's avoid making blanket statements like these.

 

[NyQuil]

In what way? Most of the film focuses on Fassbender and questions regarding life. That's right in the posthuman wheelhouse.

Most of the film doesn't.

The part that does is enjoyable. But you're leaving out the vast majority of the movie.

The part involving a barely competent starship crew with forced banter trying to escape disaster is reminiscent of Alien: Resurrection.

The part involving a hidden conspiracy among crew members (e.g. Theron and Pierce) is reminiscent of Alien: Resurrection (e.g. Ryder).

The part involving hubris from experimentation on life forms they don't really understand is reminiscent of Alien: Resurrection.

The part involving humans changing in personality after being infected with alien contaminants is reminiscent of Alien: Resurrection.

Ultimately, the movie tried to handle too many different (and competing) plot threads and it buckled and collapsed under the strain.

Blade Runner may be my favourite movie. I have a framed movie poster in my basement. Prometheus did not remind me of Blade Runner. Some of the themes may be similar, but there are light-years of difference in the execution.

Blade Runner explored them through slow, careful character exploration and a modest plot and setting with noir sensibilities.

Prometheus went full sci-fi action epic with grand notions of the source of humanity.

 

[Richer's Ghost]

Written by guys who wrote Transcendence and Green Lantern...doesn't fill me with a lot of confidence.

I thought Prometheus was a gorgeous looking movie with some pretty poor writing. Still an enjoyable movie though.

Same here.

It had a few moments that just flat out deserved shaming like a surgical pod that can only be used for male anatomy? Because the software program just wouldn't fit in there or because it was too expensive? lol. Ridiculous.

Pro tip: when running from a giant wheel that is going to crush you - run perpendicular to the wheel's path, not straight in line with it.

I hope this movie is going to be what we expected Prometheus to deliver.

 

[aufheben]

This sudden shift to "Prometheus is a good movie" is a little strange to me. I didn't think so, although some of the trashing it got felt a little overboard to me. I just thought it was mediocre, bland, and forgettable.

I'll admit my bashing of that movie is over the top and somewhat obnoxious, but that's not because I wanted it to suck, just the opposite. Forgettable is a great adjective for it. There were some similar motifs to Blade Runner, but it was executed poorly.

 

[Hivemind]

Most of the film doesn't.

The part that does is enjoyable. But you're leaving out the vast majority of the movie.

The part involving a barely competent starship crew with forced banter trying to escape disaster is reminiscent of Alien: Resurrection.

The part involving a hidden conspiracy among crew members (e.g. Theron and Pierce) is reminiscent of Alien: Resurrection (e.g. Ryder).

The part involving hubris from experimentation on life forms they don't really understand is reminiscent of Alien: Resurrection.

The part involving humans changing in personality after being infected with alien contaminants is reminiscent of Alien: Resurrection.

Ultimately, the movie tried to handle too many different (and competing) plot threads and it buckled and collapsed under the strain.

Blade Runner may be my favourite movie. I have a framed movie poster in my basement. Prometheus did not remind me of Blade Runner. Some of the themes may be similar, but there are light-years of difference in the execution.

Blade Runner explored them through slow, careful character exploration and a modest plot and setting with noir sensibilities.

Prometheus went full sci-fi action epic with grand notions of the source of humanity.

Watch the movie again. Most of the conversations, even many of the painfully awkward ones, tie back to the creation of life and/or post-humanism. Even stupid ones like Idris Elba hitting on Charlize Theron. THAT's the driving theme throughout the movie.

 

[NyQuil]

Watch the movie again. Most of the conversations, even many of the painfully awkward ones, tie back to the creation of life and/or post-humanism. Even stupid ones like Idris Elba hitting on Charlize Theron. THAT's the driving theme throughout the movie.

Whether or not you are right, the fact that I have to watch the movie again to notice means it was executed poorly.

 

[Shareefruck]

Whether or not you are right, the fact that I have to watch the movie again to notice means it was executed poorly.

I thought the movie sucked, but I don't agree with this logic at all.

I do think that thematic substance is irrelevant and valueless if it comes in the form of admittedly "painfully awkward" and "stupid" conversations, though.

 

[NyQuil]

I thought the movie sucked, but I don't agree with this logic at all.

You usually find something I've said to disagree with.

I do think that thematic substance is irrelevant and valueless if it comes in the form of admittedly "painfully awkward" and "stupid" conversations, though.

Well, I've seen it twice.

Eventually you question whether it is actually there or if people are just forcing something to fit their preconceived notion.

I wanted to like this movie and I didn't.

If the "Blade Runner" themes are there, I don't think they were explored in a positive manner, or at least, in a manner reminiscent of Blade Runner.

 

[Shareefruck]

You usually find something I've said to disagree with.



Well, I've seen it twice.

Eventually you question whether it is actually there or if people are just forcing something to fit their preconceived notion.

I wanted to like this movie and I didn't. If the themes are there, I don't think they were explored in a positive manner.

I agree with this, and it wasn't a comment on your overall view specifically (to be honest, I don't recognize you as someone I always disagree with), I just think the way you boiled it down to that sentence was problematic. In general, that whole "if you have to revisit something to appreciate it, it's a sign that it's bad" mentality is silly/inhibiting, and it's unfortunate that so many people subscribe to it.

 

[NyQuil]

In general, that whole "if you have to revisit something to appreciate it, it's a sign that it's bad" mentality is silly/inhibiting, and it's unfortunate that so many people subscribe to it.

As someone who re-reads books and re-watches movies, I agree that you can pick up on subtleties that you may have missed.

By the same token, if you stare at a blank wall for an extended duration, actively looking for elephant shapes, eventually you might see some.

Are they really there or not? If you did miss out on central thematic messages the first time around, I do think it raises the question of whether they were adequately articulated or even intended. That's really where I was going.

In any event, in this particular case, I won't deny the obvious parallels between Rachel-Roy-Tyrell and Vickers-David-Weyland. So I do agree that those themes are there. I don't think that they are necessarily well-explored in all aspects of the film.

You could also argue that the creation of life is a fundamental theme of the Alien movies. There's a strong maternal element in many of the films. Giving birth to your own replacement/destruction.

It's a pretty broad theme that could be applied to a lot of movies IMO, so I wouldn't be so quick to say that Prometheus has more in common with Blade Runner than the Alien series.

 

[Hivemind]

David (Fassbender) is the instigator for almost all the drama in the film. Understanding his motivations is what sets the prevailing current of post-humanism into the movie (on top of the in-your-face life creation themes). It's obviously not as tidy as something like, say, Ex Machina, but it explores similar topics. No other Alien movie goes into the same level of exploration with the synths as Prometheus. Fassbender's performance alone makes the movie worth watching.

 

[Hockeyfrilla]

So..Shaw is coming back after all..

http://deadline.com/2016/06/noomi-rapace-alien-covenant-reprises-role-1201776038/

 

[Philly85*]

I think that's for the better, I really like her as an actress and I mean for Christs sake she was the lone survivor in Prometheus.

 

[ShootIt]

My interest in the movie increased now.

Hope she has a decent role in the film.

 

[Beef Invictus]

Prometheus felt like three scripts bolted together with minimal editing and streamlining, yet there was still a lot that was interesting.


If this movie is more focused I look forward to it.

David (Fassbender) is the instigator for almost all the drama in the film. Understanding his motivations is what sets the prevailing current of post-humanism into the movie (on top of the in-your-face life creation themes). It's obviously not as tidy as something like, say, Ex Machina, but it explores similar topics. No other Alien movie goes into the same level of exploration with the synths as Prometheus. Fassbender's performance alone makes the movie worth watching.

Yeah, he was great.


The first time I watched Prometheus, when he was ordered not to open the door and then opened it anyways, my first thought was "You people are idiots if you don't kill the robot right now, he isn't working for you."

 

[syz]

Never got why Prometheus was perceived badly. It was solid.

Because the entire film consisted of supposed scientists doing some of the stupidest things you've ever seen in a movie.

Trillion dollar interstellar mission consisting of the best and brightest minds Earth has to offer sent on an X-year trip that there's really no legitimate reason to go on, only to get there and act like idiots at every turn.

Although that's all only really "bad" after being compounded by the fact that the movie constantly seemed like it was trying to be smart and profound at the same time.