Alien: Covenant

I’m a Prometheus sympathiser. I loved it when it came out and after watching it recently, I still do. I do see and realise the flaws throughout but can get past them and enjoy the ride. With Alien: Covenant, you may think that Ridley Scott would have learnt from his mistakes, however that’s not the case. Covenant is a flawed film that many will not be able to see pass. I however could and I still enjoyed what felt like a great sci-fi thriller that’s truly trying to grasp onto more than what the films that have gone before and after it have. Read on to find out why.

Covenant follows the crew of a colony ship, bound for a remote planet, as they discover an uncharted paradise with a threat beyond their imagination. This film twists and turns pretty much from the get go so it’s difficult to go into more detail than this without spoiling things. Michael Fassbender returns yet again to play another synthetic android, and man is he as incredible as ever! Fassbender is the MVP of this franchise, I could watch him act all day long and never get bored. Joining him is a new cast, the stand outs being; Katherine Waterston, Danny McBride and Billy Crudup. The rest of the cast are just as good but there is quite a lot of them and these three are the main drivers of the story.

I liked this film a lot but I’m not oblivious to its flaws. Like I’ve said before, I can see past many of them but I’ll highlight them here first as they do detract from the film but not to my overall enjoyment of it. You do not really care for any of these characters, maybe Katherine Waterston’s as you follow her for most of the film but I was never too worried if any of them made it to the end. Part of this is probably down to the decisions the characters make, weak ones, stupid ones and some which just have no logic or reasoning behind them. It’s obvious how stupid some of these decisions are and I’m surprised they weren’t picked out before the film was made. Maybe it’s something to do with the philosophy of the film, are they highlighting the biggest flaw in humans is the fact that we are? This feels like I’m clutching at straws but who knows. If you can look past this, and I’m sure there will be many that can’t, then there is a great sci-fi film lurking and it comes into its stride once the story kicks in.

The film only gets better as it goes on, revealing its sinister threat and delving deeper into the philosophy that Prometheus started musing about. Maybe some came for the Xenomorph, and there is a lot of that, but I personally loved the philosophical element of this film. It makes its feel like it’s grasping for more than just being another killer alien film and trying to make us think like many other great sci-fi films. At times, it feels like it’s two films battling each other, one being an Alien prequel and the other being a Prometheus sequel. In a way these franchises may have been better off separate from each other but I don’t care, in my opinion both Prometheus and Covenant, even with their flaws, are really solid films and I can’t wait to see what comes next.

Despite the flaws I’ve picked out, I enjoyed the hell out of this film. It’s tense, it’s scary, it’s gloriously gory and it’s thought provoking. It’s a great addition to the Alien franchise and I would definitely watch it again even if it’s just for some very memorable Michael Fassbender scenes… Not perfect but a great sci-fi film, I’m rating Alien: Covenant a 4/5. I’m hoping that the possible sequels to this film can be more thought out with deeper layered characters but also keep the philosophical element that has me hooked.

What did you think of the latest instalment of the Alien franchise, classic sci-fi or another dud? Let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading!

Prometheus 3D Review

So Prometheus came out today and I just saw it, it is incredible! Ridley Scott has come back to the sci-fi genre with a film that exceeded all my expectations and more! I am a big fan of his first sci-fi film Alien, a film that redefined the genre and sparked a long running franchise and a number of spin offs. Alien was amazing, but unlike many others, I was not a big fan of the films that came after it, not even the highly rated sequel Aliens directed by James Cameron, so maybe I have not been as excited as some fans out there who couldn't wait for this kind of prequel to the Alien franchise. I am so happy that this film turned out to be one of the best sci-fi films I have ever seen!

The plot of the film goes like this; 'A team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a journey to the darkest corners of the universe.' The edge of the universe is in fact stunning and the film opens with wide swooping shots of a planets landscape that, mixed with 3D, can only be described as a beautiful spectacle. This fim however is not a direct prequel to Alien so those who go in expecting this may be disappointed. Xenomorphs are not the aliens that the crew of the spaceship Prometheus encounter.

The crew embarking on this mission to find our creators are made up of some of the best acting talent around at the moment, including, Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba and Logan Marshall-Green. It's great to see Noomi Rapace in a leading role after her under used role in Sherlock Holmes 2. We now get to see her acting talent shine through just as much as it did in her role as Lisbeth Salander in the original The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo films. Though my only criticism of her is her accent that I think was supposed to be British but sounded kind of South African. Maybe its because she's an explorer so shes probably picked up many accents on her journeys. Rapace plays Elizabeth Shaw, basically Prometheus's Ripley. Is she just as good? Yes!

Though it is not Noomi Rapace's character that steals the show, that goes to Michael Fassbender's role as the android David. It seems as if Fassbender has a knack of stealing films with his incredible performances, and this is just another role to add to his list of amazing characters. He was definitely the best android I have ever seen!

Another great thing about this film was the visual effects. They were stunning! Not at any point did I think I was watching a swarm of pixels on screen. Maybe this is due to Ridley Scott's determination to use as little green screen as possible, and this really payed off as the hand built sets looked amazing! The cinematography also helped make this film look visually beautiful, and the 3D worked perfectly with this element. The soundtrack also made an big impact on the film and helped create some terrifying sequences, The score was composed perfectly for the film.

The 3D is very good. It is not always apparent but when it is, it really helps create a new dimension to the scenes you are watching. In particular a scene where a sandstorm commences, in which the 3D really helps it come alive. I don't know whether I would recommend seeing it in 3D or not, but if you enjoy the element then this is one film you should watch.

This film is not for everybody though, it can be very gory in places and rather scary. Maybe not as 'horror' as the first Alien film was but it definitely had its moments! Also if you are pregnant then maybe you should give this film a miss, you'll know what I mean when you see it. 

Overall I loved this film! Although many will disagree with me, I personally think this film was better than  Alien and is one of the best sci-fi films ever made. I hope that it gets a sequel as the film raised more questions then it answered. 2012 is turning out to be one of the best years ever for film! I'm giving Prometheus a rating of  5/5.

Thanks for reading!