I... literally wrote multiple texts about how Alien was about rape, the first one back in 2014, years before Covenant came out. I know how much it is about rape as well as any fan. I know all about O'Bannon's quote (which I used repeatedly) and about the symbolism (difficult to miss).
Covenant's approach to rape is basically a bad caricature of the first movie's. The Covenant version of David is basically an extension of Ash, to the extent of the multiple symbolical rapes and the protective attitude towards the creature. David is an even more direct expression of the robotic "Man" than Ash was.
The fact David is the
bad guy doesn't escape me either. (I was surprised you didn't bring it up if you were to dismiss the "rape culture" political criticism.)
Alien is about rape, okay. David is the bad guy, okay. Really, all of this is taken into account and all of this is okay.
The trouble comes from the fact
David is incredibly enhanced and iconized. David is the true star of the movie. The story questions his level of exactitude (he fails to quote people accurately) and depicts him as incredibly violent and abusive (and possibly sadistic), but he's not merely a devil, he's also a messianic figure. He first appears with Jesus-like long hair, in a very monk-like hook. He's truly the saint and the creator of this unholy planet; a negative saint, a negative creator, but a saint and a creator nonetheless. His intelligence, speed and power are relentlessly displayed, his emotions, memories, interrogations and personal choices are explored. David is THE character of Alien Covenant; compared to him, the rest of the cast (even Daniels) is mere shadow.
Ridley Scott focuses on David during the entire movie, starts the story with his birth, sublimates each of his appearances (compare with the neomorphs and xenomorphs which are basically canon fodder, tools for David's will and ways to dynamize the movie), gives him victory repeatedly, and allows him complete triumph.
The movie doesn't say David is right, but it romanticizes and idealizes him, while clearly establishing him as a symbolic, thematic and literal rapist (how do you call someone who literally organizes the unwilling penetration and fecundation of other individuals?).
The rapist depicted as beautiful, cunning and fascinating; as well as the deepest character in the movie: this is rape culture.
Quote from: Kradan on Feb 13, 2019, 10:44:47 PM
Well, Ridley actually sometimes acts as dick. But i think it's better to separate creations from their creator and see them alone no matter how many good or bad traits he has.
I'm a half-death of the author person, I think we have to evaluate creations by taking and/or not taking into account the creator's profile. Both approaches are valid for good criticism and analysis. (The cultural context can be also very important.)
Quote from: Kradan on Feb 13, 2019, 10:44:47 PMI also can unterstand him not willing to read any reviews because i myself barely can stand any kind of critique.
Yeah, I understand it too, especially since Kael just
murdered him in her critique (really, read it if you haven't already, it's an amazing but merciless piece).
It just... well, combined with other aspects of the character, it doesn't make me like him.
Let's be clear here. In daily life, maybe Ridley is a very nice guy. Maybe he's ethical. Maybe he's adorable. He never insulted his entire crew for a start (yeah, low standards, but it's actually common in the movie industry to do so, directors can be almost as terrible as producers). And he had some amazing ideas in a lot of his movies, and a very honest and raw artistic approach for sure (except in Covenant but that's a personal opinion rather than a fact).
But I don't know Ridley the man. I just know (a little of) Ridley the director. And as a director I really don't like him. I don't hate him (to hate someone, you have to really know them first), I don't despise him, but I don't like him.
Maybe the words "f**k him" were a little strong. I dunno. It was my emotion at the moment, and I didn't use the verb by lack of vocabulary (with all due respect to SM's unmerciful but understandable thought), I used the verb because it was the best fit for the emotion I felt in the theater in 2017. A feeling of betrayal and disappointment, culminating in sheer rage and rejection.