ALIEN: COVENANT Thread v.2 (Dragonlord's Review, post #1)

[GearSolidMetal]

Any film that uses cgi for a creature completely ages terribly.

Kimda ironic yoi mentioned that, because the full-body-alien-suit used in the original movie hasn't aged well at all.

Don't get me wrong, the facehugger and hestburster were both 10/10...

but...

well...

Meh.

But for the majority of the time, I agree with you.

Practical Effects > CGI

 

[dawnignited]

They're not making an Alien 5... THANK GOD.

I know they're not, but a man can dream. I don't see how Blomkamp's vision could be any worse than what's been already done to this franchise, and by the sounds of it, I really don't think there's enough reason to care about any sort of continuation of these films after Covenant, Fassbender or not.

 

[STEVEN SEAGOLD]

I know they're not, but a man can dream. I don't see how Blomkamp's vision could be any worse than what's been already done to this franchise, and by the sounds of it, I really don't think there's enough reason to care about any sort of continuation of these films after Covenant, Fassbender or not.

When you get to 5 films, it might be time to throw in the towel and go a different direction

Prometheus was going in the right direction, but because of backlash from fanboys that wanted more classical "Alien" elements, they scrapped most of the interesting aspects about it that were set up for a sequel. Thus we got Covenant. A half-baked sequel that was 50% killing off Prometheus story arcs 50% Alien and Xenomorph fanservice.

And in the end no one was happy. They ruined the Prometheus arcs, and shat on the Xenomorph to a degree.

 

[STEVEN SEAGOLD]

Covenant is bombing HARD.

Business for Alien: Covenant was down in comparison to Prometheus in seven major international markets, including the U.K. (-38.85%), France (-38.4%), Australia (-79.4%), Mexico (-24.9%), Spain (-71.63%), Brazil (-52.47%), and Italy (-66.68%).

 

[GordoBarraBJJ]

I still want to see this despite the negative review.

 

[STEVEN SEAGOLD]

I still want to see this despite the negative review.

It's an experience. Expectations were high. Still a solid watch.

 

[BisexualMMA]

Kimda ironic yoi mentioned that, because the full-body-alien-suit used in the original movie hasn't aged well at all.

Don't get me wrong, the facehugger and hestburster were both 10/10...

but...

well...

Meh.

But for the majority of the time, I agree with you.

Practical Effects > CGI

Due to the way it was shot and edited, I think it has held up quite nicely, the sole exception being the shot at the end when it bounces against the ship after being blasted out of the airlock.

 

[GordoBarraBJJ]

It's an experience. Expectations were high. Still a solid watch.

It looks pretty much like a roller coaster ride in terms of action.

I'm debating whether to see in in IMAX on Thursday - they are having a day before official showing Thursday evening here in my part of Canada.

 

[GearSolidMetal]

Due to the way it was shot and edited, I think it has held up quite nicely, the sole exception being the shot at the end when it bounces against the ship after being blasted out of the airlock.

That's the thing, after you see it bounce after being blasted out the airlock, whenever you see the alien when watching the movie again you picture that stupid suit.

Cameron nailed it in Aliens. Whenever you see the Xenomorphs they're hunched over or crawling. Much more animalistic.

 

[BisexualMMA]

That's the thing, after you see it bounce after being blasted out the airlock, whenever you see the alien when watching the movie again you picture that stupid suit.

Cameron nailed it in Aliens. Whenever you see the Xenomorphs they're hunched over or crawling. Much more animalistic.

I don't know. It's good that the shot appears at the end of the movie. It doesn't really enter my mind during the earlier scenes.

It seems a bit odd to me, to have that shot of the Xenomorph ruin all of its previous scenes in Alien for you, but all of the aforementioned stuff in Prometheus to not really bother you as it is happening on screen.

But no two viewers of a film are identical.

 

[GearSolidMetal]

I don't know. It's good that the shot appears at the end of the movie. It doesn't really enter my mind during the earlier scenes.

It seems a bit odd to me, to have that shot of the Xenomorph ruin all of its previous scenes in Alien for you, but all of the aforementioned stuff in Prometheus to not really bother you as it is happening on screen.

But no two viewers of a film are identical.

Not really, as I explained about Scientists being lab rats with no instinctive survival senses.

That fully explains why they drop like flies.

 

[BisexualMMA]

Not really, as I explained about Scientists being lab rats with no instinctive survival senses.

That fully explains why they drop like flies.

There's a difference between not being street smart and actively pursuing a place in the Darwin Awards, in complete contravention of your training and the science in which you are purported to be an expert.

 

[usulrah]

Kimda ironic yoi mentioned that, because the full-body-alien-suit used in the original movie hasn't aged well at all.

Don't get me wrong, the facehugger and hestburster were both 10/10...

but...

well...

Meh.

But for the majority of the time, I agree with you.

Practical Effects > CGI

could say the same about aliens if you just use behind the scenes pics. the suit in 1 looks better than the suits in 2

Practical effects need to be framed right and lit right to get the full effect. For the most part the xenomorph in alien holds up amazing imo.

 

[GearSolidMetal]

could say the same about aliens if you just use behind the scenes pics. the suit in 1 looks better than the suits in 2

Practical effects need to be framed right and lit right to get the full effect. For the most part the xenomorph in alien holds up amazing imo.

Well yeah, the costumes for Aliens may not look as good, in fully lit closeups.

I'm referring to how they appear in each movie, and in Aliens they don't look like a tall guy wearing a rubber suit.

Cameron purposely kept the detail of their costumes in shadows and in obscured glimpses. He also had more of a focus on their movement, hiring stuntman with dancing blackgrounds to wear the costumes, and they practiced animalistic movements for the scenes.

So it wasn't just the costumes, but how they were presented that displayed the character of the respected Xenomorph/s of each film.

 

[GearSolidMetal]

There's a difference between not being street smart and actively pursuing a place in the Darwin Awards, in complete contravention of your training and the science in which you are purported to be an expert.

We, as audience members have the luxury of foreseeing a character's death before the actual character does, so we can Monday Morning Quarterback things we see in movies for years.

We also get advanced notice of the jeopardy they are in before they know how royally fucked they are.

But, what we thankfully don't get to experience is the paralysing fear they go through in the moments leading up to the jeopardy moments, and fear/paranoia leads everyone to make decisions they otherwise wouldn't make.

So the credit that they're smart scientists is completely irrelevant.

 

[BisexualMMA]

We, as audience members have the luxury of foreseeing a character's death before the actual character does, so we can Monday Morning Quarterback things we see in movies for years.

We also get advanced notice of the jeopardy they are in before they know how royally fucked they are.

But, what we thankfully don't get to experience is the paralysing fear they go through in the moments leading up to the jeopardy moments, and fear/paranoia leads everyone to make decisions they otherwise wouldn't make.

So the credit that they're smart scientists is completely irrelevant.

Completely irrelevant? If that's the case, why even write in character traits?

Why bother making Barnes from Platoon a hardened and battle-scarred veteran? Why bother making Kyle Reese a hardened warrior from a nuclear wasteland? Why make Michael Corleone cool-headed and calculating?

When the shit hits the fan they all act like retards, so what's the point in giving them skills or experiences?

If Prometheus is going to have scientists, what's the point if, upon the very first opportunity to engage in science, they complely disregard common sense, protocol and the scientific method? They weren't terrified or scared at all when they took their masks off for no reason in an alien tunnel filled with an unidentified pathogen. If I recall, the idiot who took his mask off first wasn't even one of the "stupid" scientists.

Even setting aside the risk to himself, the moment he took off his mask he contaminated the entire fucking experimental site and ruined a large portion of the science they had been sent there to conduct. It was just Lindelof bullshit to artificially create five seconds of false tension as he removed the mask, with complete disregard to its place in the context of the greater story.

That's like Hicks, Hudson and Vasquez all shooting off their own feet while gearing up, before they even land at Hadley's Hope. Not fit to do their own profession. And in the case of Prometheus, few if any characters were written with more depth than their profession: biologist guy, archaeologist guy, pilot guy.

Shit like that would have been ironed out three drafts ago in a James Cameron script.

 

[DIABOLUS]

I literally see nothing wrong here. Just a beautiful Xenomorph. The one in the Covenant trailers, however, looks fake and flat. I don't care how rapidly it moves or how much drool flies out of its mouth. It will never compare to the horror of seeing this in practical.

Due to the way it was shot and edited, I think it has held up quite nicely, the sole exception being the shot at the end when it bounces against the ship after being blasted out of the airlock.

This. Everything in the film looks great because of the lighting and editing. The suspense building. Even the shot at the end doesn't bother me. They were trying to film a zero-gravity scene using 1970's filmmaking techniques. I don't hold that against them.

 

[GearSolidMetal]

I literally see nothing wrong here. Just a beautiful Xenomorph. The one in the Covenant trailers, however, looks fake and flat. I don't care how rapidly it moves or how much drool flies out of its mouth. It will never compare to the horror of seeing this in practical.

What I don't like about that model of Xenomorph, is that it walks upright. What's the point of the tail and protrusions from it's back? Certainly not balance.

To me, THIS is a Xenomorph.

Gotta agree with the close-up shots of the double set of teeth. Those were horrifying.

 

[Pugilistic]

I liked a more humanoid xeno. That's when it goes from being just a monster to something more grotesque. I really liked that it has teeth a lot like a human's instead of fangs.

 

[Canuck]

Seen this 3 times now. Score still remains a 7/10.

To those who haven't seen it yet... Lower your expectations.

Nostalgia buffs destroyed this movie.

How have you seen it this many times? Is there a HD Torrent out for the film yet?