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)
99 (21.6%)
Good, it was enjoyable. (4/5)
148 (32.3%)
It was okay. (3/5)
89 (19.4%)
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: 456

Author
Alien Covenant Fan Reviews (Read 278,917 times)

StrangeShape

StrangeShape

#1230
Quote from: Protozoid on Jun 07, 2017, 11:35:49 PM
Quote from: Hudson on Jun 07, 2017, 08:26:57 PM
QuoteAlien is more effective than Covenant, IMO, but isn't as deep.

I'm curious as to what your definition of 'deep' is. Merely serving up a more complex (convoluted) plot doesn't make something deep. The fact that Alien is a monster movie at it's core hasn't prevented academics from writing hundreds if not thousands of pages of critical, theoretical analysis on the film. I can scarcely think of a movie so straightforward on the surface that is so densely packed with subtext. I highly doubt we'll see as much intellectual engagement with Covenant in 40 years outside of Youtube videos.
Yes, deep is definitely relative. I meant that Covenant strived for complexity and has a penchant for quoting lofty high art. It's more pretentious, but not necessarily as profound as it wants to be. Besides, by having the characters spoon feed us the ideas and their answers, it gives us less to talk about than Alien, Blade Runner, or Prometheus. O'Bannon called Alien a surrealist mystery. I think Covenant is a surrealist adventure movie with very little mystery left once it ends. At a glance, Alien has less obviousness depth, but for all of its chattiness and references to classical art, Covenant's isn't much deeper than Alien, if at all. Scholars will write about Covenant, too, but I doubt they will reappraise it as a lost masterpiece. At best, it will have a small following like Ridley's Legend and Fincher's Alien3. All of them are pop profound to varying degrees.

1979 Alien is like a painting, it evokes feel and thoughts even thought its all mostly visuals and feel. Its unbelievable how effective the movie still is, and its always fun to see it with people who have never seen any alien film before, and even though some are barely holding on during the extremely long buildup (which only Aliens replicated), once things start moving, its fun to see everyone sitting on the edge clenching their fists or the faces of terror when Dallas hits the vents (to me still the scariest scene in any movie ever)

Alien³

Alien³

#1231
Quote from: Stolen on Jun 08, 2017, 08:21:14 PM
Saw it again this week and enjoyed it much more than my first viewing.

But Covenant, despite a disappointing third part, is a f**king good movie. A majestic love letter to art!

My ranking changes
Alien > Aliens - Prometheus> Covenant> Alien 3> Alien Resurrection

I'm happy to see you enjoyed it more!

I feel this movie will gain more and more praise over time.

SM

SM

#1232
QuoteSo you actually liked covenant, huh? I'm honestly surprised by that! I thought for sure you'd dislike it! What about the movie did you like?

Pretty much everything, apart from the aforementioned twist that wasn't really 'cos it was pretty obvious, and the mean spirited ending.

The characters were a change from previous casts in that they were all friends rather than people who bickered and barely tolerated each other.  Even Oram, who could've ended up being another Gorman, ended up being more interesting.  It looked great, the story was interesting, if somewhat predictable in parts, the music used just enough Goldsmith and bits from Prometheus.  I really can't find much to dislike about it.

Engineer

Engineer

#1233
Quote from: SM on Jun 08, 2017, 11:50:13 PM
QuoteSo you actually liked covenant, huh? I'm honestly surprised by that! I thought for sure you'd dislike it! What about the movie did you like?

Pretty much everything, apart from the aforementioned twist that wasn't really 'cos it was pretty obvious, and the mean spirited ending.

The characters were a change from previous casts in that they were all friends rather than people who bickered and barely tolerated each other.  Even Oram, who could've ended up being another Gorman, ended up being more interesting.  It looked great, the story was interesting, if somewhat predictable in parts, the music used just enough Goldsmith and bits from Prometheus.  I really can't find much to dislike about it.
My biggest gripe is the pacing. It felt too rushed and/or choppy at some points.

SM

SM

#1234
I liked quick pacing.  I didn't find it choppy like the second half of Prometheus.

It went from point A to B to C back to A, rather than A to B to A to B to A to B.

Alien³

Alien³

#1235
I'm glad you liked it SM!

I thought it added the right amount of unnerving ideas/concepts to make me feel that atmosphere that was so abundant in '79. Whilst opening up the scope of the alien as a creature.

You feel it fits well as a chapter between Prometheus, Alien and the other subsequent films?

SM

SM

#1236
I'm unsure about the deal with David creating the Aliens and how it will ultimately all fit together, but otherwise it all fits fairly well.

I'll probably nitpick the bejesus out of it when the blu ray comes out.

Alien³

Alien³

#1237
I'm hoping the Blu-ray with be chocked full of features, although I'd be happy even if it was just the film.

Frankly I'm happy this film exists after Prometheus. It's feeling more complete as a story.

I like the idea that the Engineers had somehow found a way to control consciousness, in a sense. For me that idea makes the alien all the more terrifying. Because it's not the outta shell that's disturbing its the origins of it's mind.

That which David was idly playing with.

I believe the first instance David discovers how the Engineers can manipulate organic matter and shape their technology around it, is when he observes the clear goo he touches in the hologram controls in the pyramid. There he sees the tiny electrical pulses within. As if it was almost sentient to some extent.

And in the wake of David's wrath and passion the Engineers are destroyed along with the mystery surrounding them. Thus leaving us (humans) alone with the monster.

Some complain the Producers have explained to much but it's not much more than what we already know.

FenGiddel

FenGiddel

#1238
Quote from: SM on Jun 08, 2017, 11:05:25 AM
I did stay for all the credits and didn't see nothing.
(That's a 'no'.  :) )


SM, your use of the double negative had me going for a moment...until your parenthetical clarified things.   ;D 

Me, I stayed through the credits on second viewing too, but I was hoping for an ominous alien screech or other treat (a la The Phantom Menace's "Vader rasp").  Instead, I had the opportunity  to talk to two sets of parents with their teenage kids being treated to an "R"-rated horror flick, much like my own father did for me when a new flick called "Alien" hit the screens in '79. Quite a satisfying way to bookend the new movie, really.

SM

SM

#1239
I stayed mainly for the music - but in this day and age you never can tell if there's going to be some credits Easter Egg (considering Cameron was doing that sort of thing 30 years ago  :) ).

Engineer

Engineer

#1240
Quote from: SM on Jun 09, 2017, 02:04:49 AM
I stayed mainly for the music - but in this day and age you never can tell if there's going to be some credits Easter Egg (considering Cameron was doing that sort of thing 30 years ago  :) ).
When the credits started rolling, I was enjoying the music... but then I got impatient and googled whether there was an end credit scene or not. Lol my wife was waiting for me so I opted to leave when I saw there wasn't one online.

SM

SM

#1241
I was the only one left in the theatre by the time the credits finished.  ;D

Engineer

Engineer

#1242
Quote from: SM on Jun 09, 2017, 12:06:44 AM
I liked quick pacing.  I didn't find it choppy like the second half of Prometheus.

It went from point A to B to C back to A, rather than A to B to A to B to A to B.
I was hoping for the slow burn of alien. This just didn't work for me. And the abrupt time jumps were distracting to me. One second the planet is 3 weeks away, and the next they're preparing to enter the atmosphere; that jump, and a few others were jarring, and I felt like there was plenty of room for better character development in there. I know aliens did a similar time jump, with gateway station then to the sulaco, but there was something about how this movie handled it that just didn't feel as seamless to me.


Quote from: SM on Jun 09, 2017, 02:11:29 AM
I was the only one left in the theatre by the time the credits finished.  ;D
Over achiever! Lol jk

SM

SM

#1243
I found it nice they dispensed with the slow burn and just got on with it.

Engineer

Engineer

#1244
Quote from: Alien³ on Jun 09, 2017, 12:42:22 AM
I like the idea that the Engineers had somehow found a way to control consciousness, in a sense.

What do you mean by this?


Quote from: SM on Jun 09, 2017, 02:16:56 AM
I found it nice they dispensed with the slow burn and just got on with it.
I guess maybe my expectation was for the slow burn, and when the action ramped up it caught me off guard. Lol

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