Alien Covenant Fan Reviews

[[cancerblack]]

What about AVPR ?

They thought they were being edgy and hardcore, cool guys.

[SM]

I don't think "trashy" was Anderson's intent with AVP at all. I seem to recall his intentions being that he wanted to honor the legacies of the original films, create a true prequel to Alien, etc...

The only film in the franchise that I'd say actually intentionally went for "trashy" is Alien: Resurrection. Jeunet's biggest interests while making the film centered around riffing on on the then-modern American blockbuster action movie style and structure.

Because he wanted to make a film that connected with American audiences - ie. do the job he was paid to do.  Not sure how that translates to trashy or "trashy"?

[Nightmare Asylum]

I don't think "trashy" was Anderson's intent with AVP at all. I seem to recall his intentions being that he wanted to honor the legacies of the original films, create a true prequel to Alien, etc...

The only film in the franchise that I'd say actually intentionally went for "trashy" is Alien: Resurrection. Jeunet's biggest interests while making the film centered around riffing on on the then-modern American blockbuster action movie style and structure.

Because he wanted to make a film that connected with American audiences - ie. do the job he was paid to do.  Not sure how that translates to trashy or "trashy"?

Maybe "trashy" was the wrong choice of word but there was definitely a schlocky feel to what mainstream American action movies were doing at the time, and Alien: Resurrection leans into that hard. A lot of people cite that as a problem with the film, since it is such a different style/tone than the previous Alien movies, but I see that as very much being by design. Jeunet wanted to make a "modern" American action movie first and foremost, an Alien movie second, and for me, personally, I find it very appealing in that regard. It oozes a vibe similar to what Dark Horse's Aliens comics were doing at the time, funny enough.

Whereas AVP set out with more of a direct intent to pay tribute to and respect earlier Alien and Predator films, and take itself more seriously... but ultimately it just kind felt bland and artificial to me.

[SM]

Agreed.

[426Buddy]

Prommy is a beautiful film but I don't get much enjoyment from watching it. AvP is a silly adventure story with monsters and some nice effect shots. It's certainly not a good film but I do find it pretty entertaining none the less. I find it to be kinda fun actually.

[BlueMarsalis79]

I understand that point of view, but even as it never all comes together, I found the parts of Prometheus that do work superior to AVP.

[SM]

I find everything about Prometheus - flaws and all - superior to AvP.

[Nightmare Asylum]

Yeah. I put Prometheus at the bottom of my ranking of the six Alien movies. But even the worst parts of Prometheus, I find better than the best parts of Alien vs Predator.

[426Buddy]

Yeah I guess I'm just trying to say that I understand AvP is totally inferior to Prometheus. I just don't find Prommy to be enjoyable to watch where as Avp is kinda fun at least..

If I had to rank by quality I would say:

Alien
Aliens
Alien3/Covenant
Prometheus
Alien Resurrection
AvP


AvPR

[Immortan Jonesy]

Alien3/Covenant

I also rank Covenant as the third best Alien movie sharing the place with Alien 3 

Edit: The Alien design is superior to the ones from Resurrection and both AVP. I actually prefer that Alien over Cameron's Xenomorph, with with the exception of the Queen who is superior:

1- Big Chap

2- Queen

3- Covenant Alien / Dragon

4- Cameron's Warriors

And an honorable mention to the Neos, totally superiors to the Deacon, the Newborn and the stupid Predalien.

Edit again: Also, honorable mention to Stompy.

[Necronomicon II]

Everything else, though? Oozing with pure Ridley Scott, which can be great at times and middling at others, but it is his vision through and through, and I'll take that over, well, an entire film just remaking that third act, or Alien, or Aliens.

Really?

I thought the the whole "evil robot with daddy issues" sub-plot was cliched and uninspired in the extreme. I loved David in Prometheus, but in Covenant he was so cardboard.

I see it less as "Daddy Issues" (which is more how it came across in Prometheus to me) and more about his dissatisfaction with the entire lineage of biological creation, and more directly with the way that biological life is sexually conceived (perhaps because it is something he cannot do himself?). His creation of the Alien is ultimately twofold; it represents his distaste of the failed biological lifeforms that he wants to leave behind and transcend with the dawn of his biomechanical "Perfect Organism," and his own sexual frustrations that he manifests into a bastardization of the human reproductive system that he explicitly engineered with the intention to violate and rape the human body.

It definitely isn't perfectly compatible with the in-universe "lore" behind the Alien in the original film, but  I do absolutely see this as an inspired take on the material. It uses the concepts inherent to the franchise since the beginning and puts a new, character-driven spin on them while allowing Ridley to tell a story from that android perspective that is fascinating him so much these days.

This.

[BlueMarsalis79]

Just give it time.

[[cancerblack]]

I find everything about Prometheus - flaws and all - superior to AvP.

"Indeed"

[426Buddy]

Can I agree even though it's likely I'll end up watching AvP more often?

[[cancerblack]]

Can I agree even though it's likely I'll end up watching AvP more often?

No. Nuanced opinions have no place on the internet, you must pick a side.