Alien: Covenant

[Kotowboy]

Also i'm interested what HITB will think of it.

I don't think they'll hate it . Jay even liked Prometheus for the most part.

They'll probably prefer it but say it's still not necessary or as good as the first two.

[Phoenix87x]

This was on my mind quite a bit while watching.



But it didn't bother me though. Just something that came to mind

[Accelerando]

Just came back from my screening. This movie felt safe. Good, but safe. Prometheus is way more interesting in concept than execution, and at that, the absence of a Damon Lindelof script was much welcomed. The characters were much better tailored. Lindelof wrote his characters in Prometheus as idiots (which is sad because there was a stellar cast for Prometheus). But the concept of Prometheus seemed distilled in Alien: Covenant, and that makes it a but frustrating for me. I felt like I went in and saw an entertaining movie but left empty. It's not the missed opportunity that Prometheus was for me. Just a safer movie.

[Kotowboy]

I also thought of Data & Lore.

[Zantera]

I kinda feel like just a few small changes in the script could have made it better or at least avoid those "we've seen this before moments". Just throwing out a few ideas now. SPOILERS

1. How bout instead of the distress beacon which makes them change planets, how bout go for something different? Maybe they arrive close to their original planet but it turns out they did their calculations wrong or something has changed (like a giant meteor has crashed with that planet) or just something that forces the crew to pick an alternative planet rather than deciding to do so because of a signal. Because the travel time to the planet is a very long trip spanning years, so something could definitely have changed in that time.

2. When we finally get to the egg/facehugger moment it's all happening because the captain is following David's advice and sticking his head down an egg basically. How bout changing it so that when the captain killed the Neomorph (which upset David), David could have knocked him out unconscious and dragged him down the cellar. Could have been a tense scene of the captain waking up in the egg room and them beginning to open, which would have made us (and him) go "shit get out of there" rather than "why the fuck are you going close to the eggs?!". Instead of mimicking the John Hurt moment of the first Alien, we could have had the captain actually being smart and trying to escape the room with multiple facehuggers attacking him, finally he can't fence them off and one gets on his face. That way his fate would have been less idiotic.

3. Not showing the Alien birth on the ship at the end was a missed opportunity because those moments are for the most part really well executed. Having Daniels wake up to the "there's an unknown lifeform on the ship" wasn't as great as if we would have seen it. I feel like most people (myself included) were slightly surprised because the guy only had a facehugger near his face for 15 seconds or so, could have made something interesting of that birth scene on the ship.

4. A few more flashbacks could have helped to really bridge Prometheus and Covenant and especially David's motivation. Sure, we get that he is basically Doctor Moreau and wants to breed Xenomorphs, but I would have been really curious to see more scenes of him and Shaw. I don't think there's any way that she was 100% supportive of his decision to go full holocaust on the engineers but on the other hand her corpse looked pretty fresh when they found it in Covenant. Not "she died 10 years ago" but more recent. Would have been interesting to see the moment of betrayal when David decided that he needed Shaw to give her life to reach the next step in the Xenomorph evolution chain. Because after she put him together, that could have been a powerful scene.

Just throwing out some ideas, what do you guys think?

[Kotowboy]

1. I think David sent out the signal because he wanted more humans to come... If they turned up by accident it would be "oh it all happened by chance...again ".

[Zantera]

1. I think David sent out the signal because he wanted more humans to come... If they turned up by accident it would be "oh it all happened by chance...again ".

Yeah I think he definitely did, to get that next step in the Xeno evolution he needed humans. Still though, yet another beat we've seen before used again. Even if they had to stick to the distress signal I would have preferred if we got an actual recorded message or something. Maybe David sounding desperate and being like "I'm all alone here, if someone is out there please help me" rather than an unknown signal that could be good or bad, and characters just deciding to go with it.

[gmillerdrake]

3. Not showing the Alien birth on the ship at the end was a missed opportunity because those moments are for the most part really well executed. Having Daniels wake up to the "there's an unknown lifeform on the ship" wasn't as great as if we would have seen it. I feel like most people (myself included) were slightly surprised because the guy only had a facehugger near his face for 15 seconds or so, could have made something interesting of that birth scene on the ship.

I'm curious as to if it was the face hugger that impregnated him or if it was David once they got on the rescue lander. There were a couple scenes there when Shaw was battling outside that he removed and replaced his face dressing and gave him a shot. He could have dosed him with something then?

I would have been really curious to see more scenes of him and Shaw. I don't think there's any way that she was 100% supportive of his decision to go full holocaust on the engineers but on the other hand her corpse looked pretty fresh when they found it in Covenant. Not "she died 10 years ago" but more recent. Would have been interesting to see the moment of betrayal when David decided that he needed Shaw to give her life to reach the next step in the Xenomorph evolution chain. Because after she put him together, that could have been a powerful scene.

I am curious as to the moment of betrayal as well and I believe that I read somewhere that Noomi Rapace had agreed to the next film as well?? Sounds like that betrayal will be explored.

But...what is interesting is why would David plant wheat if she had died in the crash? There'd be no need for food just for him, so....seems like she'd have to have lived a while at least? Her corpse did look a tad 'fresh' but he had other animals in that room preserved as well so I don't think that necessarily means he killed her like two days ago.   

[Zantera]

But...what is interesting is why would David plant wheat if she had died in the crash? There'd be no need for food just for him, so....seems like she'd have to have lived a while at least? Her corpse did look a tad 'fresh' but he had other animals in that room preserved as well so I don't think that necessarily means he killed her like two days ago.

Yeah my initial feeling was that the wheat was definitely planted by Shaw. But the contradiction is that when David dumped out the black goo, it corrupted everything basically. Because the plants with the spores definitely looked like some kind of plant that had been corrupted to become what it was, and if that was the case it would be weird that the wheat was "normal". Sure it might have been planted after the fact.

I feel like the time Shaw and David spent on the planet would have been really interesting to see. I don't see her being OK with the mass holocaust at all, either she was in sleep or David had knocked her out but it did feel like she played a part on the planet before David eventually turned on her. I guess finding a human host for his experiments proved frustrating and he had to betray her. Or she found out he was doing freaky things behind her back and that's when he turned on her.

Still feel bad because she put him together and showed compassion and care for him, and he returned the favor with a dagger in the back. Sure, he's an android, but that turn would have been interesting to see. Maybe he even struggled with the decision. He had no qualms about experimenting on the Covenant people or wasting them, but with Shaw there was a bond at least.

[Phoenix87x]

My thought was that the wheat was planted by the engineers.

Also, I am surprised, that there weren't any other cities on the planet.

[bosk1]

I don't see her being OK with the mass holocaust at all, either she was in sleep or David had knocked her out but it did feel like she played a part on the planet before David eventually turned on her.

Wait, what?  At the end of Prometheus, she is bent on wiping the Engineers out so they cannot attack earth.  I think she was definitely all in on the xenocide.

[Kotowboy]

I am curious as to the moment of betrayal as well and I believe that I read somewhere that Noomi Rapace had agreed to the next film as well?? Sounds like that betrayal will be explored.

Alien Awakenings will allegedly take place after Prometheus and before Covenant.

[Zantera]

I am curious as to the moment of betrayal as well and I believe that I read somewhere that Noomi Rapace had agreed to the next film as well?? Sounds like that betrayal will be explored.

Alien Awakenings will allegedly take place after Prometheus and before Covenant.

Isn't that just silly IMO? The order that is. They could easily have made Awakenings before Covenant if that's the case.

[Kotowboy]

I guess we'll find out.

I'm sure it makes some kind of sense in Ridley's mind.

Maybe he wants to reveal the whole story gradually.

But yeah - then we'll have to wait for the NEXT one to find out what happened to Daniels and Tennessee.

MAYBE Awakenings will be a half and half type thing. Constantly flashing back and forth ?

Hmmm.

[Adami]

So is anyone else hoping that eventually David gets a face hugger and spawns an android xenomorph?

[Kotowboy]

So is anyone else hoping that eventually David gets a face hugger and spawns an android xenomorph?

Won't happen.

ITS NOT CANON!!!!!!111111  

Also - I don't think you can "grow" Mecha.

[Adami]

Let me dream!


Or you and I could write the fan-fiction!

[Kotowboy]

As long as it's David impregnating Walter

It's a million dollar idea !

[Kotowboy]

We'll introduce a new antagonist.

The Robo-Homo-Xeno-Morph.

[Adami]

No.



















...it's a billion dollar idea!

[Kotowboy]

[Kotowboy]

Covenant only cost $97m . Comparatively cheap compared to most summer blockbusters.

That means it just has to make like $300m to be a hit.

And Prometheus made over $400m and so far Covenant is reportedly out performing that so we'll see.

I hope it does well because I'd like to see more of these movies with Ridley directing and Fassbender playing David.

[Zook]

Watched Alien again. Must be maybe my 4th time, if that. I've always preferred Aliens and still do, but Alien is a great movie. Stellar acting. I just enjoy action movies more, but I appreciate Alien more now that I'm older.

[gmillerdrake]

Watched Alien again. Must be maybe my 4th time, if that. I've always preferred Aliens and still do, but Alien is a great movie. Stellar acting. I just enjoy action movies more, but I appreciate Alien more now that I'm older.

For me...ALIEN is the very definition of a suspense/thriller movie. Some action but that tension and suspense can be cut with a knife. The way the movie looks/was shot....the acting....the backdrop of it all....so well executed.

ALIENS is my favorite 'alien' movie and in my top 5 of all time....but the first one is just a work of art IMO.

[gmillerdrake]

I am curious as to the moment of betrayal as well and I believe that I read somewhere that Noomi Rapace had agreed to the next film as well?? Sounds like that betrayal will be explored.

Alien Awakenings will allegedly take place after Prometheus and before Covenant.

I'm curious as to how they turn that into a 2-2.5 hour movie? I mean, I'm sure Scott could focus on the 'day of betrayal' and the events leading up to it (if he did betray Shaw) but outside of that it's very 'bland' story IMO.

[Phoenix87x]

Yeah, seriously. That gap between prometheus and covenant doesn't need a movie. David puts shaw to sleep, murders all the engineers (who could have had answers) and then sits alone for 10 years experimenting. Like, I get it. I don't need 2 hours+ to further explain that.

I want to see something moving forward

[Zook]

So the reason the xenomorphs have mechanical tubing designs is because they were made by an android?

[Mister Gold]

Watched Alien again. Must be maybe my 4th time, if that. I've always preferred Aliens and still do, but Alien is a great movie. Stellar acting. I just enjoy action movies more, but I appreciate Alien more now that I'm older.

For me...ALIEN is the very definition of a suspense/thriller movie. Some action but that tension and suspense can be cut with a knife. The way the movie looks/was shot....the acting....the backdrop of it all....so well executed.

ALIENS is my favorite 'alien' movie and in my top 5 of all time....but the first one is just a work of art IMO.

ALIEN is tied with Disney's Beauty and the Beast as my favorite film of all-time. There's a few other films that I think are better overall (i.e. Kurosawa's RAN, Bergman's Persona, etc), but those are my two personal favorites.

Yeah, seriously. That gap between prometheus and covenant doesn't need a movie. David puts shaw to sleep, murders all the engineers (who could have had answers) and then sits alone for 10 years experimenting. Like, I get it. I don't need 2 hours+ to further explain that.

I want to see something moving forward

I'm pretty damn skeptical that Alien: Awakening will be what Ridley Scott currently says it is. He has this habit of changing his mind on what a film will be about, how he'll make it/if he'll make it, and so on and so forth on the flip of a dime.

[TioJorge]

Man, I loved every second of this movie. Really awesome and pretty much polished the edgy parts of the issues I had with Prometheus. It was definitely "safer" in some regards but it was also more concise because of that. I am okay with it taking a little less risks if it means it being cleaner overall. I thought it was fun, had some great gore and death scenes, but also some really cool lore and scenery/effects. 

[Zantera]

So what are you guys hoping to see from the next one, assuming Covenant does enough money that we get the third movie in this Prometheus-Covenant run?

I kinda hope that instead of a new ship out and about encountering a signal, going to the planet finding the remnants of the Covenant ship, I'm hoping the next one keeps focus on the Covenant crew. Daniels and Tennessee could be the leads but you could also have some of the people who were asleep during Covenant (that we didn't see in the film yet) play new integral parts. The ship has landed on some planet where David is continuing his experiments, because breeding Xenos works better on a planet than on a confined ship with limited space. Maybe David has been keeping Daniels and Tennessee under sleep (because they're the only ones who know about the events of Alien Covenant and could stop him) and somehow they wake up and need to stop him/escape xenos etc.

As long as it's not a new ship of new scientists/colonists who stumble upon a signal.

[gmillerdrake]

So what are you guys hoping to see from the next one, assuming Covenant does enough money that we get the third movie in this Prometheus-Covenant run?

I kinda hope that instead of a new ship out and about encountering a signal, going to the planet finding the remnants of the Covenant ship, I'm hoping the next one keeps focus on the Covenant crew. Daniels and Tennessee could be the leads but you could also have some of the people who were asleep during Covenant (that we didn't see in the film yet) play new integral parts. The ship has landed on some planet where David is continuing his experiments, because breeding Xenos works better on a planet than on a confined ship with limited space. Maybe David has been keeping Daniels and Tennessee under sleep (because they're the only ones who know about the events of Alien Covenant and could stop him) and somehow they wake up and need to stop him/escape xenos etc.

what you've described could be perfect. David has (2) face huggers already.....would most likely have created more by the time anyone 'escaped' to start the main conflict. I'd like to see the next film stay more along the lines of the suspense 'feel' of ALIEN rather than the action/thriller type feel that has been the focus in all the other alien movies. More 'cat and mouse'....and maybe have it be a cat and mouse game between David and the crew in lieu of an actual Alien. He's actually more frightening than them. He's already kind of taken the torch from the engineers with his obsession that the humans don't deserve to colonize and live on. He's incredibly strong and smart.....Make it a final showdown Man v David.

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

Yeah, seriously. That gap between prometheus and covenant doesn't need a movie. David puts shaw to sleep, murders all the engineers (who could have had answers) and then sits alone for 10 years experimenting. Like, I get it. I don't need 2 hours+ to further explain that.

I want to see something moving forward

Honestly, after watching the movie I felt very much done with the whole orgins of the Aliens. I'm all for a Alien 5 now, actually looking back I pretty much could be with out these two movies. 
Even though this movie was slightly better it still was a bit meh in the end. The characters was a bit better this time although scenes/lines like: "I just need to pee" while walking away alone... or "Oh look a weird alien flower, I better be really close with my face when I poke it" just makes me go

[Kotowboy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klsy8PiscEw

Half In The Bag.

[NoseofNicko]

Holy shit the "twist" was soooo predictable. Other than that, it was ok.

[gmillerdrake]

Holy shit the "twist" was soooo predictable. Other than that, it was ok.

That ending was assumed and known the second David began cutting his hair.