Alien Covenant Fan Reviews

Started by Darkness, May 09, 2017, 05:39:30 PM

What did you think of Alien Covenant?

Loved it. (5/5)
98 (21.4%)
Good, it was enjoyable. (4/5)
148 (32.4%)
It was okay. (3/5)
89 (19.5%)
Could have been better. (2/5)
60 (13.1%)
Didn't like it. (1/5)
32 (7%)
Hated it! (0/5)
30 (6.6%)

Total Members Voted: 455

Author
Alien Covenant Fan Reviews (Read 274,074 times)

SyntaX

SyntaX

#915
You know ... by listening to the score ... it made me realise the Med-Bay scene wasn't bad. It had the right amount of tension.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qh_o19X5D2g&t=255s

Despite a few "WTF" moments though. Because, if you quarantine someone, make sure you don't have that persons blood splattered all over your face  ;D

Salt The Fries

Salt The Fries

#916
Quote from: SyntaX on May 24, 2017, 10:05:59 AM
You know ... by listening to the score ... it made me realise the Med-Bay scene wasn't bad. It had the right amount of tension.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qh_o19X5D2g&t=255s

Despite a few "WTF" moments though. Because, if you quarantine someone, make sure you don't have that persons blood splattered all over your face  ;D

The moment Feris got Karine's blood on her face was when her composure cracked and everything went to shit. And it was beautifully directed and subtly felt.

Jonesy1974

Jonesy1974

#917
Quote from: Salt The Fries on May 24, 2017, 10:10:49 AM
Quote from: SyntaX on May 24, 2017, 10:05:59 AM
You know ... by listening to the score ... it made me realise the Med-Bay scene wasn't bad. It had the right amount of tension.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qh_o19X5D2g&t=255s

Despite a few "WTF" moments though. Because, if you quarantine someone, make sure you don't have that persons blood splattered all over your face  ;D

The moment Feris got Karine's blood on her face was when her composure cracked and everything went to shit. And it was beautifully directed and subtly felt.

I don't really get why people criticize her behavior in this seen. She quite clearly has a complete melt down and isn't acting rationally, something I felt  Seimetz conveyed perfectly. The whole scene from the moment he falls ill is wonderfully constructed.

YutaniDitch

YutaniDitch

#918
Quote from: Predaker on May 24, 2017, 05:24:20 AM
QuoteAnd do not mention scenes that were not in the movie because as far as any person who watched the movie and did not see the crossing scenes, they know nothing about it just from watching the movie...

I can mention them if I want. I've seen them and pretty much any other fan following closely would have seen it too. It goes without saying it's not in the final cut but it still exists as the prologue to Covenant, and I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up on disc as well. The average movie goer who wouldn't even know Prometheus is an Alien film sure isn't going to care or remember much (if anything) about Shaw.

Actually, without watching PROMETHEUS first, this movie will make even less sense... and truth of the matter is that this movie, as it is edited, completely disregards those clips... Any Director's Cut or fan viewings will not change that fact... The theatrical movie does not contemplate those clips at all... And many fans wanting to avoid spoilers may have skipped them altogether... Highly doubt it, but there is that chance... So, those unlucky ones if they were fans of P and Shaw, will be pretty pissed... Hell, I saw the Crossing and I am still pretty pissed about how Riddler dealt with it...

Salt The Fries

Salt The Fries

#919
Quote from: Jonesy1974 on May 24, 2017, 10:53:05 AM
Quote from: Salt The Fries on May 24, 2017, 10:10:49 AM
Quote from: SyntaX on May 24, 2017, 10:05:59 AM
You know ... by listening to the score ... it made me realise the Med-Bay scene wasn't bad. It had the right amount of tension.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qh_o19X5D2g&t=255s

Despite a few "WTF" moments though. Because, if you quarantine someone, make sure you don't have that persons blood splattered all over your face  ;D

The moment Feris got Karine's blood on her face was when her composure cracked and everything went to shit. And it was beautifully directed and subtly felt.

I don't really get why people criticize her behavior in this seen. She quite clearly has a complete melt down and isn't acting rationally, something I felt  Seimetz conveyed perfectly. The whole scene from the moment he falls ill is wonderfully constructed.
Plus she was really portrayed as no-nonsense, strong character that didn't take shit from anybody. Didn't she even leave some gear behind the lander that might have been contaminated?

Jonesy1974

Jonesy1974

#920
Quote from: Salt The Fries on May 24, 2017, 11:07:58 AM
Quote from: Jonesy1974 on May 24, 2017, 10:53:05 AM
Quote from: Salt The Fries on May 24, 2017, 10:10:49 AM
Quote from: SyntaX on May 24, 2017, 10:05:59 AM
You know ... by listening to the score ... it made me realise the Med-Bay scene wasn't bad. It had the right amount of tension.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qh_o19X5D2g&t=255s

Despite a few "WTF" moments though. Because, if you quarantine someone, make sure you don't have that persons blood splattered all over your face  ;D

The moment Feris got Karine's blood on her face was when her composure cracked and everything went to shit. And it was beautifully directed and subtly felt.

I don't really get why people criticize her behavior in this seen. She quite clearly has a complete melt down and isn't acting rationally, something I felt  Seimetz conveyed perfectly. The whole scene from the moment he falls ill is wonderfully constructed.
Plus she was really portrayed as no-nonsense, strong character that didn't take shit from anybody. Didn't she even leave some gear behind the lander that might have been contaminated?

Yes she did, I also liked the fact she told Karine she was 'just going to get Oram' I think it was just before she locked her in. She did this knowing he wouldn't have arrived yet. Its pure panic portrayed very realistically, its the lack of histrionics I liked.

Salt The Fries

Salt The Fries

#921
Quote from: Jonesy1974 on May 24, 2017, 11:21:47 AM
Quote from: Salt The Fries on May 24, 2017, 11:07:58 AM
Quote from: Jonesy1974 on May 24, 2017, 10:53:05 AM
Quote from: Salt The Fries on May 24, 2017, 10:10:49 AM
Quote from: SyntaX on May 24, 2017, 10:05:59 AM
You know ... by listening to the score ... it made me realise the Med-Bay scene wasn't bad. It had the right amount of tension.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qh_o19X5D2g&t=255s

Despite a few "WTF" moments though. Because, if you quarantine someone, make sure you don't have that persons blood splattered all over your face  ;D

The moment Feris got Karine's blood on her face was when her composure cracked and everything went to shit. And it was beautifully directed and subtly felt.

I don't really get why people criticize her behavior in this seen. She quite clearly has a complete melt down and isn't acting rationally, something I felt  Seimetz conveyed perfectly. The whole scene from the moment he falls ill is wonderfully constructed.
Plus she was really portrayed as no-nonsense, strong character that didn't take shit from anybody. Didn't she even leave some gear behind the lander that might have been contaminated?

Yes she did, I also liked the fact she told Karine she was 'just going to get Oram' I think it was just before she locked her in. She did this knowing he wouldn't have arrived yet. Its pure panic portrayed very realistically, its the lack of histrionics I liked.

I think a lot of people couldn't connect with those characters (just like with Oram), but I think they were well written. And also it's peculiar how those two women were more prominent than guys like Lope and the significance of them dying earlier on was meant to shock us. It's been clear Ridley had been experimenting with pacing. In Prometheus hardly anyone had died until very late on. And then we were left with of characters that were shown on screen a lot but had few lines (Ford) or those two pilots who had very auxiliary role.

Predaker

Predaker

#922
It was actually shawsbaby's post here that elaborated a bit about Shaw in Covenant (Prof. A had some interesting insight also though)

Quote from: shawsbaby on May 22, 2017, 02:52:53 PM
So, now that I have had time to process the grief/irritation many (most? some?) of us felt upon realization that Shaw was shortchanged so profoundly in the overall prequel narrative, I do find myself (especially upon second viewing) appreciating a bit more how her presence was felt throughout the movie:

- her garbled voice on the transmission/appearing in Tennessee's helmet
- Daniels finding her tag on the ship and the photo of her and Charlie, wondering what she was doing out there
- the crew watching Shaw's hologram on the ship (and Rosie lamenting, "Poor thing")
- So much of David's dialogue being about Shaw
- David showing Walter where he "buried" Shaw, placing the flower on the tombstone
- the rather beautiful juxtaposition of David watching the Xeno emerge from Oram with David coming across the bizarre, horrific state of Shaw's corpse
- Daniels finding the sketch of Shaw and confronting David, and the chilling but spare promise that he did to Shaw "what I'm going to do to you"

That's a considerable amount of attention paid to her as a character and didn't feel to me like cheap exposition to explain her away. I would have very much liked to have seen Shaw alive in the film, or to have seen a flashback where David's experimenting on her began to take fruition, but I think using the filmed footage of her with David for the viral prologue was a better idea than starting the movie with that scene or showing it in flashback. Something about the way that footage was put together didn't feel like it belonged in the film proper.

What do others think? Now that we've had time to assess it and some of us have seen the film multiple times, what are our thoughts on Shaw's presence in the film in the context of the finished cut? I think we can all agree she deserved better and she deserved more, but given the film as is, she felt rather important without needing to be seen.

I also wouldn't count out that the next movie (if there is one) could very well bring Noomi Rapace back in to film a flashback to open the movie as they did with Guy Pearce. Having Weyland in that opening really made up his underwhelming appearance in Prometheus.

Prof. a's thread - http://www.avpgalaxy.net/forum/index.php?topic=57553.0

Jonesy1974

Jonesy1974

#923
Quote from: Salt The Fries on May 24, 2017, 12:00:17 PM
Quote from: Jonesy1974 on May 24, 2017, 11:21:47 AM
Quote from: Salt The Fries on May 24, 2017, 11:07:58 AM
Quote from: Jonesy1974 on May 24, 2017, 10:53:05 AM
Quote from: Salt The Fries on May 24, 2017, 10:10:49 AM
Quote from: SyntaX on May 24, 2017, 10:05:59 AM
You know ... by listening to the score ... it made me realise the Med-Bay scene wasn't bad. It had the right amount of tension.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qh_o19X5D2g&t=255s

Despite a few "WTF" moments though. Because, if you quarantine someone, make sure you don't have that persons blood splattered all over your face  ;D

The moment Feris got Karine's blood on her face was when her composure cracked and everything went to shit. And it was beautifully directed and subtly felt.

I don't really get why people criticize her behavior in this seen. She quite clearly has a complete melt down and isn't acting rationally, something I felt  Seimetz conveyed perfectly. The whole scene from the moment he falls ill is wonderfully constructed.
Plus she was really portrayed as no-nonsense, strong character that didn't take shit from anybody. Didn't she even leave some gear behind the lander that might have been contaminated?

Yes she did, I also liked the fact she told Karine she was 'just going to get Oram' I think it was just before she locked her in. She did this knowing he wouldn't have arrived yet. Its pure panic portrayed very realistically, its the lack of histrionics I liked.

I think a lot of people couldn't connect with those characters (just like with Oram), but I think they were well written. And also it's peculiar how those two women were more prominent than guys like Lope and the significance of them dying earlier on was meant to shock us. It's been clear Ridley had been experimenting with pacing. In Prometheus hardly anyone had died until very late on. And then we were left with of characters that were shown on screen a lot but had few lines (Ford) or those two pilots who had very auxiliary role.

Maybe so, but I think in the case of this scene people are seeking a problem based on this perception that the characters all behave stupidly. I think this is a carry over from Prometheus unfortunately but doesn't hold true for this film, not to my eyes anyway. Your point about pacing is interesting. Both Covenant and Prometheus have very unusual pacing and it is jarring. Even I felt the scenes at the end on Covenant seemed rushed and a little tagged on. So you think its an experimental thing?

SpeedyMaxx

SpeedyMaxx

#924
Cross-posting from another thread:

QuoteThere are several great sequences in AC, and the production spared no expense; most of the first 20-25 minutes on the ship works for me (sans the painfully blatant bit where Oram awkwardly exposits on his religious character which goes nowhere in the final film), as does most everything til David takes them to the citadel. Once there it becomes a rolling disaster. Elements of the Walter/David sequences work, others are laughably pretentious even for someone with a high tolerance for Ridley's fascination with the artificial person. Nothing about David's connections with Shaw and Walter's with Daniels, or David's sudden adoration for Walter, makes sense or is properly explicated. The bombing sequence is dropped in as a sliver of a larger sequence and makes little sense on its own story-wise despite being visually grand. All the movie leaves you with is "and we killed everything from the last movie". To say nothing of the hilarious bit where David wails, "it trusted me!" And the alien developments are awful, as is David pawing Daniels; 'is this how it works?' Yes, we remember Ash and the magazine. That was a hilariously clumsy, stupid callback.

Great actors, gorgeous design, great creatures. Several great scenes, as mentioned. (The medbay sequence is excellent from arrival to explosion, one of the best in the franchise, suffused with dread and horror.) But overall easily the weakest film in the franchise for me next to A3 or AR, both of which have merits but are supremely flawed. I actually prefer AR; it knows what it is. This film is caught between retreading old ground and Ridley's private obsessions. Talented/intriguing people with connections have no characters (Lope/Hallett, whose relationship is offscreen; the winning Rosenthal who is spunky but gets nothing; sardonic Upworth who largely exists to die on the USCSS Camp Crystal Lake in the last 15 mins) or are killed very quickly (Faris, Karine). Waterston is sweet and tough as Daniels but devolves into a Ripley clone in the rushed second half. The classic alien is utterly unneeded and basically rumbles along in a straight line as soon as it appears. It's fodder now. Not scary. The movie is a ritzy fan service-heavy, pretentious Friday the 13th. I suspected it would be deeply flawed but I didn't know it would be quite this disjointed, messy and confused in its second half.

I'd never have been onboard with this particular story or wiping the slate clean on Shaw and Prometheus, but completely wiping out Noomi Rapace's screen time (right down to re-masking her face in the holograms post-test screening) feels vaguely punitive. Imagine the gravity of the drama if it had another 20-30 minutes, and Daniels or Walter had discovered David's 'beloved' Shaw sick or dying - infected? - telling them to kill her and destroy him. To say nothing of helping the overall pacing and characters as mentioned.

Ilikegriping

Ilikegriping

#925
The Audiobook is now out. I'm only on Chapter 8 but little touches here and there mean it is already making a little more sense than the movie itself. Also so far Daniels doesn't seem such a Mary Sue with all the best lines.

StrangeShape

StrangeShape

#926
Finally saw it. I was fired up and ready to go the evening before the premiere but then I got tempted into reading some spoilers...and I thought Ridley has lost his mind. Some ideas, like , of course, David creating the alien we all know, and David being the main villain revolted me so much I decided to pass till the bluray comes out, which for me for the most of my life as a diehard Alien fan would be unthinkable. But then I thought well, ok, some ideas sound incredibly stupid but they may be executed really well so lets give it a chance, and I finally saw it yesterday.

Certainly , having expectations set as low as they can possibly be, its almost impossible to be disappointed. I loved the beginning, really good, hard hitting, ballsy and strong opening. Since nobody cares about others' reviews and most people dont read them anyway, all Ill say is that I was pleasantly surprised and thought it was a good movie. One thing I truly miss these days is the expressionist lighting and imagery that were present in the first two movies, and of course, the cg was laughably bad, but its ok, ill give it a pass cause the movie had quite a grim punch

CthulhuQueen

CthulhuQueen

#927
Well, I had avoided all spoilers until seeing the film tonight. With my mum. Who has seen Prometheus 'a few years ago'

Overall , although the film was beautifully shot, and acted, particularly by Fassbender, it felt like a bit of a let down? I can't put my finger on why.

It felt a bit predictable, the spores, the facehugger scene, the whole David creepy baddie android hamming up thing. And is that a bone recorder/flute David is playing? So it's Shaw's bone?

My mums summary was along the lines of 'what's the point?' I'm inclined to agree. She said 'so a woman survived all the gooey things and aliens from last time. And she rescued the robots head. And then the robot tortures and kills her, and lures another ship to the planet. And deceives them and kills them and gets in to their ship to kill all their passengers'

I did elaborate for her, but I have to agree with her synopsis. It just feels like a set of steps a followed with regular shocks along the way, very formulaic.

And a bit disappointing from a character point of view, Daniels was a bit of a wuss compared to Ripley or Shaw.

Primordial

Primordial

#928
Quote from: SpeedyMaxx on May 24, 2017, 03:07:46 PM
There are several great sequences in AC, and the production spared no expense; most of the first 20-25 minutes on the ship works for me (sans the painfully blatant bit where Oram awkwardly exposits on his religious character which goes nowhere in the final film), as does most everything til David takes them to the citadel. Once there it becomes a rolling disaster. Elements of the Walter/David sequences work, others are laughably pretentious even for someone with a high tolerance for Ridley's fascination with the artificial person. Nothing about David's connections with Shaw and Walter's with Daniels, or David's sudden adoration for Walter, makes sense or is properly explicated. The bombing sequence is dropped in as a sliver of a larger sequence and makes little sense on its own story-wise despite being visually grand. All the movie leaves you with is "and we killed everything from the last movie". To say nothing of the hilarious bit where David wails, "it trusted me!" And the alien developments are awful, as is David pawing Daniels; 'is this how it works?' Yes, we remember Ash and the magazine. That was a hilariously clumsy, stupid callback.

Great actors, gorgeous design, great creatures. Several great scenes, as mentioned. (The medbay sequence is excellent from arrival to explosion, one of the best in the franchise, suffused with dread and horror.) But overall easily the weakest film in the franchise for me next to A3 or AR, both of which have merits but are supremely flawed. I actually prefer AR; it knows what it is. This film is caught between retreading old ground and Ridley's private obsessions. Talented/intriguing people with connections have no characters (Lope/Hallett, whose relationship is offscreen; the winning Rosenthal who is spunky but gets nothing; sardonic Upworth who largely exists to die on the USCSS Camp Crystal Lake in the last 15 mins) or are killed very quickly (Faris, Karine). Waterston is sweet and tough as Daniels but devolves into a Ripley clone in the rushed second half. The classic alien is utterly unneeded and basically rumbles along in a straight line as soon as it appears. It's fodder now. Not scary. The movie is a ritzy fan service-heavy, pretentious Friday the 13th. I suspected it would be deeply flawed but I didn't know it would be quite this disjointed, messy and confused in its second half.

I'd never have been onboard with this particular story or wiping the slate clean on Shaw and Prometheus, but completely wiping out Noomi Rapace's screen time (right down to re-masking her face in the holograms post-test screening) feels vaguely punitive. Imagine the gravity of the drama if it had another 20-30 minutes, and Daniels or Walter had discovered David's 'beloved' Shaw sick or dying - infected? - telling them to kill her and destroy him. To say nothing of helping the overall pacing and characters as mentioned.
Nice review, sharp and fair.

Alien³

Alien³

#929
Quote from: CthulhuQueen on May 25, 2017, 12:04:47 AM
Daniels was a bit of a wuss compared to Ripley or Shaw.

Disagree. She fought the alien in the loading ship which was a pretty badass thing to do! Plus we only meet Daniels from the moment she loses her husband, so she's instantly damaged emotionally. 


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