• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Early reactions to Alien: Covenant are in

IlGialloMondadori

IlGialloMondadori

Member
DeathyBoy said:
Prometheus is a 1980s slasher film with production values. That wasn't the writers intebt, but if you view it that way it's really fun. The science crew were pretty much Crystal Lake camp councillors.
Click to expand...

This is what I've been saying since i saw it in the theatre. It's just a dumb slasher movie with amazing production values. The problem is the legacy of Alien and Aliens, and that it throws in a bunch of pretentious nonsense, so it chucks a bunch of crap on the simple pleasures of a being a good slasher.

Anyway, there are things to like about Prometheus, but it's a mess.
 
G

Garcia el Gringo

Member
In the interim while we wait for reviews, here's the In Utero VR experience as a 360 video. Break out the cardboard.

Prior to seeing the movie myself, I'm most interested in hearing impressions from someone who was really invested in the once presumed Prometheus series (Shaw remaining the MC, following through on the ambitions of the tangent instead of reverting back to Alien in brand, creatures and literal destination, etc). Does Covenant persuade them that this is the interesting direction for the universe?

And I'm curious about the action in this movie. I hope it leans way more towards the creatures running rampant in strange ways - leading to fascinating sci-fi body horror - rather than the humans attempting to fend them off with guns Aliens-style. It's been off-putting to me how prominent guns are in Covenant's marketing.

Once I've seen the movie once or twice, I'll dig into all the reviews and analysis properly.
 
E

effzee

Member
Zombine said:
I always feel like "early previews" are influnced by people high on the fact that they got to see something before everyone else.

I got to see Transformers: Age of Extinction for free and you would think that I saw Citizen Kane on opening day.
Click to expand...

Not sure. Movies that have bad early buzz don't get the same benefit of doubt.

People of gaf more or less have an opinion about a movie made up way in advance and if it gets good early reviews then of course it's just industry folk or ppl happy to see a movie early.
 
S

sc0la

Unconfirmed Member
The most egregious problem with Prometheus was that they made the jockey ship flying backwards canon. Fuck that noise the open end of the horse shoe is the front god damnit!
 
F

Fancyarcher

Member
Kuraudo said:
I forgot how weird Resurrection was. I remember the most bizarre bit being when one guy has Winona Ryder at gunpoint and another guy, who happens to have an alien gestating inside of him, starts wailing on him with superhuman strength culminating with him holding the first guy's head against his chest so that a chestburster explodes through his skull. That and Ripley making out with the human-alien clone thing.

I'll probably go see Covenant when it comes out. I have no real hope for it being the first genuinely good Alien film in over three decades, but while all the Alien films since the second have been failures, they've at least all been interesting ones.
Click to expand...

I always knew it was weird. It's weirdness is what I find most interesting about the film save for some of the supporting cast. It pretty much shits the bed once they kill Michael Wincott's character however.
 
Insane Metal

Insane Metal

Gold Member
This is Prometheus 2.0, so I don't expect it to be any better. Plot should be just as confuse. It'll be worth it for visuals, as usual.

I'm expecting a ~55% RT.
 
Corpsepyre

Corpsepyre

Banned
Ushojax said:
So basically what I expected, Prometheus 2 in all but name. If you made an Alien movie where the audience enjoys watching the characters get killed, you made a mistake.
Click to expand...

I've always rooted for the alien, ever since I watched the first one as a kid. Maybe something's wrong with me.
 
W

Window

Member
CassidyIzABeast said:
Variety review got posted early, they took it down but the google cache is still up

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:lLCLcNrWcoMJ:variety.com/2017/film/reviews/alien-covenant-review-1202409157/&num=1&hl=en&gl=us&strip=1&vwsrc=0
Click to expand...

David was by the far the most interesting thing about Prometheus and it looks like that's still the case. I'd honestly be okay if they jettisoned the Alien creature and just focus on David (in the future - but that's not gonna happen).
 
Sub_Level

Sub_Level

wants to fuck an Asian grill.
SpinningBirdKick said:
It's a prequel to Alien.

Of course everyone is going to die.
Click to expand...

You can make a prequel with a different set of characters who manage to survive who aren't explicitly connected to the events of Alien. Nobody believed Ripley's story when she went back to civilization, so its not like people with knowledge about the creature prevents the story of Alien from happening.

But ultimately you're probably right, everyone is gonna fuckin die in this lol
 
S

SuperEpicMan

Banned
Window said:
David was by the far the most interesting thing about Prometheus and it looks like that's still the case. I'd honestly be okay if they jettisoned the Alien creature and just focus on David (in the future - but that's not gonna happen).
Click to expand...

That would actually be an awesome idea. I would love to see a movie inspired by "And Then There Were None", which could work really well as a prequel in the Alien universe. Basically you could have a group of people being sent somewhere, only to be woken up and murdered one by one. The crew could find out quickly that the murderer is an android among them, but they (and the audience) don't know who. The rest of the movie could play out like an intense "The Thing" inspired thriller set in space. The explanation for the plot could be that the whole mission is a orchestrated by weyland to test a new model of android, and to see if it can opporate without being uncovered.
 
G

Garcia el Gringo

Member
Corpsepyre said:
I've always rooted for the alien, ever since I watched the first one as a kid. Maybe something's wrong with me.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I don't care about the humans at all outside of Shaw, due to her having motivations beyond survive - she's actively seeking out the aliens. For me, most of the human characters are only as worthwhile as how good a vehicle they are for body horror.

Part of why Aliens' family aspect doesn't do anything for me.
 
SargerusBR

SargerusBR

I love Pokken!
Rudimental said:
Yeah, it gets... weird.

fW3Qcbr.jpg
Click to expand...

To be fair, Brad Dourif is a weird person :p
 
Ragnarok

Ragnarok

Member
Prometheus had amazing trailers and sucked.

Covenant has awful trailers so maybe it's good? Not extremely hopeful though.

It's so sad there hasn't been a decent movie related to the alien franchise since 1986. I remember being excited when Blomkamp was tied to the Alien franchise lol. Then Blomkamp kept releasing movies. Now I'm relieved that project is dead.

Maybe in 30 more years...
 
J

jett

D-Member
Ragnarok said:
Prometheus had amazing trailers and sucked.

Covenant has awful trailers so maybe it's good? Not extremely hopeful though.

It's so sad there hasn't been a decent movie related to the alien franchise since 1986. I remember being excited when Blomkamp was tied to the Alien franchise lol. Then Blomkamp kept releasing movies. Now I'm relieved that project is dead.

Maybe in 30 more years...
Click to expand...

BvS has taught us the inverse isn't right.
 
Yautja_Warrior

Yautja_Warrior

Member
A few critics described it as messy and, even those who really enjoyed it, argued that like Prometheus, there will be some audiences who don’t like Covenant as much as the original films.
Click to expand...

To be fair, I don't think any true Alien fan would be expecting to like Covenant as much as the originals. Alien and Aliens are all time classics and it's unlikely that any Alien movie made now days would match that level of greatness again.

After all the the sequels and spins off's that never lived up to the first two, at this point just having a half decent / entertaining Alien movie will be good enough.

From what I've been hearing it sounds like it should do the job, even if it's not perfect, I'm certainly looking forward to watching it next weekend.
 
B

bonesmccoy

Banned
Variety review makes it sound like they Alienized Prometheus (right down to major story points). Pacing seems a bit too quick, characters aren't given the space to develop.
 
D

Dan

No longer boycotting the Wolfenstein franchise
border said:
"this latest chapter is essentially a “Prometheus” sequel with aliens in it. "

Nope nope nope.
Click to expand...
That line and "as acts of creation go, Scott has made an “Alien” movie for that segment of the audience that has always rooted for the monster" are both disasters.
 
W

wesleyshark

Banned
Can't find any major outlet reviews. I guess they're waiting until the morning? Or midnight? Also kinda wary about any reviews dropping accidental spoilers...
 
T

Timu

Member
Can't wait for the reviews, either positive or negative.

BTW, AR and the AVP movies are trash while Alien 3 isn't that great though it has it's moments and themes.
 
E

ezekial45

Banned
Review from Polygon too

The immutable core components of the Alien franchise persist with the newest addition, for better and for worse. Hyperintelligent professionals will always act inexcusably stupid when the plot calls for it, as they must. Betrayals get telegraphed clearly and well ahead of time, and every successive knock-off of Sigourney Weaver’s original Ripley (Noomi Rapace, and now Waterston sporting the requisite awesomely bad haircut) brings diminishing returns. But Scott has successfully renewed the elements that originally endeared the Alien formula to audiences — the absorbing detail of his future, the chilling cat-and-mouse games between the humans and their unseen foes — and in many cases, inflated them to more colossal proportions.

It’s a coup to turn crueler, rougher, and more ambitious this late into a series and a career. Scott’s showing no signs of slowing down, having already lined up his next big project as he approaches the big eight-oh, but Covenant bursts with the leave-it-all-on-the-field maximalism of a pro who’s earned decades of confidence. While it may sometimes exceed its own reach, Covenant extends a grasp so impressively audacious, it might as well come from a director with nothing to lose.
Click to expand...

https://www.polygon.com/2017/5/6/15569458/review-alien-covenant
 
T

TheXbox

Member
From Polygon:

The original remains the franchise’s most fastidiously orchestrated work of craft, and James Cameron’s Aliens gave the series its most cathartic action showstoppers. Covenant, to its credit and detriment, is simply the most.
Click to expand...

Oh boy, that sure is a line.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

The Alien: Covenant sequel already has a title
2 3
121
8K
GymWolf replied
Bloomberg: Behind ‘Suicide Squad,’ the Year’s Biggest Video-Game Flop
2 3
131
6K
Shake Your Rump replied
My Favorite Theater Experiences (And Yours, Too!)
Social Opinion Community
38
5K
Sidney Prescott replied
  • Locked
Next Alien movie may be titled Awakening. Set between Prometheus and Covenant.
2 3
134
10K
CadetMahoney replied
  • Locked
Alien: Covenant isn't even out yet but let's speculate on Alien: Awakening
2
70
7K
kevin1025 replied
Top Bottom