Alien: Covenant (Prometheus sequel)

[Skel]

I think it was Hitchcock that once said terror is not in the act, but in the suspense. The first Alien had suspense. The second did as well. Those are still the only two where the movies were suspenseful, action-filled, and interesting. 6/10 for covenant. I probably won't watch it again. This was far more of a slasher movie than a suspenseful movie.

Spoiler

Do we need to see the black DNA float into the ear and nose? We're really that stupid that it has to be spoon fed to us? Then we need to have him shove a finger in his ear just to really hammer the point home? We couldn't have just an outside shot where he waves at the black flakes and coughs? A shot from inside an ear canal? Color me just.... terrified.

Can someone give these idiots lessons with guns? And is there any intelligent reason that we furnish these folks with huge rifles ONLY, and not give them a couple hand guns?

And why the fuck would you stick your face over that thing? Perhaps I'm just a pussy, but everything in my body screamed "this is not f'n right!" when that thing opened and he stuck his head in. It was like the cobra moment from Prometheus.

The movie wasn't horrible. But frankly Predators was better.
[\spoiler]

I'm not sure the second had much suspense as it was more a popcorn flick than anything else. A great popcorn flick, but popcorn none the less. I also doubt you'll get much more than what we keep seeing as that's what people expect to see with an Alien film.

Spoiler

I don't think the "black flakes" were supposed to be scary. They were mostly call backs to the first film and set the stage for what David ended up working with to make the Aliens. (which is really stupid, and gets worse the more I think about him creating the Aliens we know and love.

The guns stuff was much better than I thought they'd be. If anything they were pretty on point with it. They were civilian settlers, so it's not like they'd be doing call signs while clearing the building...

As for the Captain, the only thing I can still say about it was David lied to him and told him he was safe. I didn't think it was that stupid of a move, compared to Prometheus and the cobra..

Most of the bog standard slashers of the 80's build more suspense than Alien: Covenant or Prometheus or most other modern thrillers.

Also I laughed out loud when the little baby alien was looking up at David like he was daddy.

Now that moment was beyond stupid.. Why we skipped the chest busters and had the raise your' hands moment I'll never understand.

 

[Ruptga]

Now that moment was beyond stupid.. Why we skipped the chest busters and had the raise your' hands moment I'll never understand.

To a stupid person, everything that is "deep" is confusing. It makes sense to put a ton of nonsensical crap into a movie if you want to get a whoa out of the masses.

 

[JEDI]

not as bad as Prometheus.
nothing as bad as 'lets pet a cobra ' scene.

the worse was when Daniels became GI Jane.

but this movie invalidates Prometheus
sigh

 

[mxnerd]

Worse than Prometheus. All engineers were killed by David's black goo? That's totally crap.

And why the black goo has different effect on engineers & human?

 

[ImpulsE69]

Worse than Prometheus. All engineers were killed by David's black goo? That's totally crap.

And why the black goo has different effect on engineers & human?

Uh..did you even watch Prometheus? These comments and questions are about as sensible as the characters in Prometheus' actions. Also, it wasn't Davids black goo. David didn't start experiments until after he arrived on the planet.

My guess is not all the engineers are dead...maybe on that particular planet, but we really don't have proof of even that. There could be colonies all over the planet. We know that technically there needs to be at least 1 more out there.

 

[Skel]

Uh..did you even watch Prometheus? These comments and questions are about as sensible as the characters in Prometheus' actions. Also, it wasn't Davids black goo. David didn't start experiments until after he arrived on the planet.

My guess is not all the engineers are dead...maybe on that particular planet, but we really don't have proof of even that. There could be colonies all over the planet. We know that technically there needs to be at least 1 more out there.

As Prometheus was at a "research" facility on a completely different planet, I'm pretty sure it's save to say that the Engineers aren't all dead.

 

[RPD]

I thought it was bad in all honesty.
Only 2-3 suspense-y parts, very predictable plot elements, fucking stupid crew and can we stop fucking around with the life cycle of the Xenomorphs already? Why do they insist on changing their incubation time sooo much along with growth after??

Also

Spoiler

After thinking more about it, I think now the biggest issue I have is at the very LEAST the new android fucking new what the old one did!! So either it was public knowledge so the crew should have known (so why the hell would they trust him) or two the new android was the only one but still didn't bother to inform the crew. Epic, epic face palm.

The crew in this movie is so painfully fucking retarded it had no chance to immerse me in it.

 

[Skel]

I thought it was bad in all honesty.
Only 2-3 suspense-y parts, very predictable plot elements, fucking stupid crew and can we stop fucking around with the life cycle of the Xenomorphs already? Why do they insist on changing their incubation time sooo much along with growth after??

Also

Spoiler

After thinking more about it, I think now the biggest issue I have is at the very LEAST the new android fucking new what the old one did!! So either it was public knowledge so the crew should have known (so why the hell would they trust him) or two the new android was the only one but still didn't bother to inform the crew. Epic, epic face palm.

The crew in this movie is so painfully fucking retarded it had no chance to immerse me in it.

Spoiler: How much longer are spoilers needed?

I'm not sure I follow your issue with teh Androids. Walther (the new version) didn't really know what David had done until right before David tried to kill him. Not sure when he would have had the chance to tell anyone as he only repopped up to save what'shername. By that point all the damage had been done, and everyone knew David was the bad guy. Why they didn't run tests on him after they got back to the ship to make sure it wasn't David I don't know, but we're lead to believe they all thought it was Walther, based upon his hand and how he was acting.

 

[ImpulsE69]

I think that 'twist' is my biggest issue with the movie. It was a lazy attempt to trick the audience. Had this come out 40 years ago, it would have been huge twist, but now? It's called forgetting who your audience is and thinking they are as dumb as your characters.

I do disagree that the crew was dumb in this one. They were much dumber in Prometheus. At least in this one they had a motivation for some of their stupidity that was plain as day. Their decisions were mostly emotional due to relationships. I did not ever get the impression they were professional scientists, but rather colonist couples that had a bit of training in certain fields (unlike Prometheus). Think of the woman at the beginning. She did exactly what she should have done. Quarantine them both. Of course later, she does do something stupid, but that is standard horror tropes.

Trusting David I don't see as an issue. WE know because of Prometheus that his motives are questionable, but they have zero reason to suspect anything of him. He does after all save them from the neomorphs. The one moment that calls this into question of stupidity though is when David convinces the guy to look into the egg right after yelling about killing the neomorph.

Another big issue people have is the helmets. I'm torn on this. One would assume that in this 'timeline' the computers tell you if the air is breathable or not. Prometheus did not have normal oxygen/nitrogen levels so they wore suits. There was only breathable air in the 'base'. In the new movie, they already new it was habitable and had breathable air. As for pathogens...eh...maybe the smartest thing would have been to wear suits, but we all know why they ultimately didn't.

I do completely agree that there was absolutely NO suspense after that first bloodburster scene. It just wasn't scary or suspensful. The ending was fast and rushed and way too easy if you ask me. At least Ripley had to work for it.

Ultimately overall I am very disappointed they went the 'alien remake' route. I wanted an epic storyline that went beyond and away from Alien. All of the interviews with Ridley say 'people didn't like prometheus because there weren't any xenomorphs so we added xenomorphs'. I think someone hit him in the head, because that was not at all what people's complaints were. I think all the talk about Neils ideas got him confused. People wanted Ripley, Hicks and Newt. They did not want Alien: Covenant. I know personally I wanted Paradise like it was supposed to be originally. (I also wanted Niels vision of a sequel as well).

 

[RPD]

Spoiler: How much longer are spoilers needed?

I'm not sure I follow your issue with teh Androids. Walther (the new version) didn't really know what David had done until right before David tried to kill him. Not sure when he would have had the chance to tell anyone as he only repopped up to save what'shername. By that point all the damage had been done, and everyone knew David was the bad guy. Why they didn't run tests on him after they got back to the ship to make sure it wasn't David I don't know, but we're lead to believe they all thought it was Walther, based upon his hand and how he was acting.

Spoiler

Did you miss the exchange were Walther told David "You've killed or destroyed so many people"?? Also the swap I knew happened when they didn't show the kill shot, but what pissed me off was David's face was none worse for the wear after taking a rock to the face multiple times by a newer Walter.

 

[RPD]

I think that 'twist' is my biggest issue with the movie. It was a lazy attempt to trick the audience. Had this come out 40 years ago, it would have been huge twist, but now? It's called forgetting who your audience is and thinking they are as dumb as your characters.

I do disagree that the crew was dumb in this one. They were much dumber in Prometheus. At least in this one they had a motivation for some of their stupidity that was plain as day. Their decisions were mostly emotional due to relationships. I did not ever get the impression they were professional scientists, but rather colonist couples that had a bit of training in certain fields (unlike Prometheus). Think of the woman at the beginning. She did exactly what she should have done. Quarantine them both. Of course later, she does do something stupid, but that is standard horror tropes.

Trusting David I don't see as an issue. WE know because of Prometheus that his motives are questionable, but they have zero reason to suspect anything of him. He does after all save them from the neomorphs. The one moment that calls this into question of stupidity though is when David convinces the guy to look into the egg right after yelling about killing the neomorph.

Another big issue people have is the helmets. I'm torn on this. One would assume that in this 'timeline' the computers tell you if the air is breathable or not. Prometheus did not have normal oxygen/nitrogen levels so they wore suits. There was only breathable air in the 'base'. In the new movie, they already new it was habitable and had breathable air. As for pathogens...eh...maybe the smartest thing would have been to wear suits, but we all know why they ultimately didn't.

I do completely agree that there was absolutely NO suspense after that first bloodburster scene. It just wasn't scary or suspensful. The ending was fast and rushed and way too easy if you ask me. At least Ripley had to work for it.

Just because the air is safe to breath doesn't mean you are going to have a good time intermingling with a completely new environment, which is proven time and time again. The whole incubation period length being drastically reduced and same for the time of chest burster to full grown adult is also dumb. Also as stated in my above spoiler,

Spoiler

very important information was known about David and NOT shared or ever acted on when it could have been very early.

 

[ImpulsE69]

Just because the air is safe to breath doesn't mean you are going to have a good time intermingling with a completely new environment, which is proven time and time again. The whole incubation period length being drastically reduced and same for the time of chest burster to full grown adult is also dumb.

I had made some adjustments between your post time. As for the incubation period. Ridley came right out and said, this isn't 1970. People don't have that kind of attention span anymore. You have to make it faster. Those of us that grew up with it find it disjointed I know, but once the first chestburster happened, it is no longer a surprise. They have always had it be the length of time that works for the movie. They did it in all of them.

 

[RPD]

I had made some adjustments between your post time. As for the incubation period. Ridley came right out and said, this isn't 1970. People don't have that kind of attention span anymore. You have to make it faster.

That is fine, they can make it faster, but they have the ability to you know, in movies to jump through time. They are just being lazy and not properly allowing time to pass. For the first spore guys, that is fine, they are new and different. But to make that claim and have people buy it is pretty insulting.

Eg

Spoiler

Chest burster pops out and runs, they can do more story with the other characters or interactions with David setting them up, instead microwaving it and ding 2min later full adult!

 

[ImpulsE69]

That is fine, they can make it faster, but they have the ability to you know, in movies to jump through time. They are just being lazy and not properly allowing time to pass. For the first spore guys, that is fine, they are new and different. But to make that claim and have people buy it is pretty insulting.

Eg

Spoiler

Chest burster pops out and runs, they can do more story with the other characters or interactions with David setting them up, instead microwaving it and ding 2min later full adult!

I get it, I do, but they are also sometimes bad about giving you a good measure of how much time has passed. Even in Alien it goes from 'little' to 'oh my god huge' in a small amount of time. In Alien 3 and Ressurection the chestbursters hold out the entire films. (Ripley and that one guy who runs around with it in him half the film).

 

[ImpulsE69]

Spoiler

Did you miss the exchange were Walther told David "You've killed or destroyed so many people"?? Also the swap I knew happened when they didn't show the kill shot, but what pissed me off was David's face was none worse for the wear after taking a rock to the face multiple times by a newer Walter.

I'd have to watch it again, but wasn't Walter the one who first found Davids 'room'? That is when he made the conclusion that David killed everyone?

 

[Skel]

Just because the air is safe to breath doesn't mean you are going to have a good time intermingling with a completely new environment, which is proven time and time again. The whole incubation period length being drastically reduced and same for the time of chest burster to full grown adult is also dumb. Also as stated in my above spoiler,

Spoiler

very important information was known about David and NOT shared or ever acted on when it could have been very early.

I'd have to watch it again, but wasn't Walter the one who first found Davids 'room'? That is when he made the conclusion that David killed everyone?

I might be missing it, but I could have sworn that Walther discovered the room and figured out that David was broken and killing people/things. It was then that David shoved the flute into Walther that would have been the kill shot had Walther's design not be updated. Between Walther repairing himself and tracking David down was when David was either allowing people to die, and getting the Captain to look in the egg. I could have the timeline wrong, but if I'm right there was no time for Walther to tell anyone that didn't discover it on their own at that point.

 

[RPD]

I might be missing it, but I could have sworn that Walther discovered the room and figured out that David was broken and killing people/things. It was then that David shoved the flute into Walther that would have been the kill shot had Walther's design not be updated. Between Walther repairing himself and tracking David down was when David was either allowing people to die, and getting the Captain to look in the egg. I could have the timeline wrong, but if I'm right there was no time for Walther to tell anyone that didn't discover it on their own at that point.

I'd have to re-watch it again to be honest, but while I was watching I felt like the way he expressed he knew what David did it was information he previously had as I didn't see anything in the room that would lead someone to believe he killed so many people. Or his actions were responsible for so many deaths.

 

[Skel]

I'd have to re-watch it again to be honest, but while I was watching I felt like the way he expressed he knew what David did it was information he previously had as I didn't see anything in the room that would lead someone to believe he killed so many people. Or his actions were responsible for so many deaths.

I got the impression that Walther knew something was really off about David. I don't think he knew for sure that David had started killing people until the moment before David shoved the flute into his neck.

 

[blankslate]

best comment about this abortion of a movie I've seen in the past few days

Weyland-Yutani, equal opportunity employer, offering a space exploration/colonization job even to complete idiots. Weyland-Yutani, culling the human gene pool of idiots, one ship at a time.

Quit white-knighting this movie. The script sucked... audiences have ADD is a poor excuse for wildly inconsistent incubation times for the Aliens in the hosts.


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[blankslate]

Capt. Oram started acting dumb when he let people wander off to parts unknown in the structure David took them to.

Spoiler

How far did the decapitated female wander off too that no one heard the report of an AR style rifle after Captain Oram killed a Neomorph that was nigh bullet-proof when several people were shooting at it near the landing zone? Why wouldn't Captain Oram alert the other crew members first thing about the death?

 

[ImpulsE69]

I really get the impression some of you haven't watched the other movies. This isn't some thing that started with these 2 films. That being said, I am not really defending it, it is a mediocre movie at best. I just have issues with different things about it than others.

 

[futurefields]

I'm not sure the second had much suspense as it was more a popcorn flick than anything else. A great popcorn flick, but popcorn none the less.

Aliens is that rare movie able to combine great suspense with wall to wall action. Especially the first 1/3rd is quite suspenseful with Ripley's nightmares, the motion trackers, and the scenes with them trying to protect Newt.

 

[JEDI]

2nd week in release and only raked in $10M, dropping to #4 in box office for the week.

 

[Jeeebus]

The scene with David/the captain... I'm sitting there... nuhhhh uhhhh... don't you go in there! DON'T GO IN THERE!!! YOU GOTS TO RUN IDIOT!!! WTF ARE YOU DOING!?!?!

 

[blankslate]

The scene with David/the captain... I'm sitting there... nuhhhh uhhhh... don't you go in there! DON'T GO IN THERE!!! YOU GOTS TO RUN IDIOT!!! WTF ARE YOU DOING!?!?!

Inside Capt. Orams head... "WTF Am I doing?! Why don't I run... this guy tried to make a pet out of the alien I just killed for decapitating my crew-member... why did I let her wander off... how come no one heard a fucking rifle fired several times it was fucking loud... I don't seem to be in control of myself... what is this damn voice chanting in my head... 'Act like an idiot otherwise the plot falls apart... Act like an idiot otherwise the plot falls apart... Act like an idiot otherwise the plot falls apart...' This David asshole is leading me into a trap I just know it..."


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