Just Been Watching…(115)

~ beetleypete

Alien Covenant (2017)

***No spoilers***

I loved the original ‘Alien’ (1979). Then along came ‘Aliens’, seven years later. Still good, more action, but in my opinion it wasn’t as breathtakingly original at the first film. Well it couldn’t be, I know that. We had already seen the ‘monster’.

‘Alien 3’ (1992), and ‘Alien Resurrection’ (1997) looked to be in danger of milking the franchise, proving that you can have too much of a good thing.
(They even mixed things up, with ‘Alien versus Predator’, in 2004)

Then along came ‘Prometheus’, in 2012. This had more story, less terror, and some interesting ideas. The critics panned it, and the fans didn’t much like it either.

But I LOVED it.

When they made a sequel to ‘Prometheus five years later, I was sniffy about it.
I didn’t go to see it, and thought they had started that ‘milking’ all over again.

This week it was on TV, and I thought ‘Why not? It won’t cost me anything’.

In the film, the huge spaceship ‘Covenant’ is on a mission to take settlers to a distant planet that will support human life. There are thousands of them in ‘hyper-sleep’ for the seven year journey, and the ship is being controlled by ‘Mother’, an artificial intelligence. Helped by ‘Walter, an android life form that stays awake to undertake routine duties. They are on a one-way trip to establish a new colony, far from Earth.

A radio signal disrupts the ship’s systems, and the crew have to wake up, and deal with it. They discover it is emanating from an unknown planet, much closer than their destination. A planet that can support human life. The inexperienced Captain decides to investigate, and thing begin to go very wrong once the landing team arrives.

This is very much a sequel to ‘Prometheus’, featuring answers to things that happened at the end of the previous film. Yet it also stands alone, if you haven’t seen that film. It’s an ‘Alien’ film, so you can expect to see the familiar acid-blooded monsters that always turn up. You also get to see a lot more about those very large ‘humanoids’ from ‘Prometheus’ too.

With no spoilers, that’s about it. Some people die, some live, and there are lots of ‘WTF?’ moments involving the terrifying Alien monsters. If you have seen any of the films, you more or less know what to expect, with not that much of a twist this time. And no Sigourney Weaver, either. Michael Fassbender does well, playing identical androids. One is evil, the other kind. He acts with enough nuance that we always know which one we are watching.

If you liked ‘Prometheus’, (or was that just me?) you might want to know what happened next.

I did, and I really enjoyed this sequel too.

Here’s a trailer.

31 thoughts on “Just Been Watching…(115)”

  3. I liked Prometheus but haven’t watched the sequel …I liked the first Alien and wasn’t keen on the sequels they tend to disappoint after the first one or two…as do most sequels and I guess was why I didn’t watch the sequel of Prometheus but based on your recommendation I think I will I like films with background and some substance …Enjoy your week, Pete have enjoyed the company on Sally’s blogger daily.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  4. Pete, always interesting to get your insight….these latest two “Alien” films provoked much discussion as you said: is Scott trying too hard to turn the story into a “2001” type cosmic mythology? If so, he deserves points at least for trying something more than “Alien V. Predator”, that horrible effort by the film studio to keep the franchise alive – in the worst possible way!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. I didn’t hate AVP, John. But I thought that ‘Prometheus’ was a great try at expanding the story into something cosmic and profound, as you suggest. This sequel is not as good by any means, but it answers a couple of questions.
      Best wishes, Pete.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  6. Pingback: Smorgasbord Blogger Daily – Monday January 20th 2020 – #Recycling Carol Taylor – #Movie Alien Beetley Pete, #Q&A D.G. Kaye with Jane Sturgeon | Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

  8. I also watched it the other evening; I wasn’t sure if I’d already seen it, but I thought another viewing wouldn’t hurt. I like sci-fi, but I’ve always been a bit ambivalent about the Alien series. Michael Fassbender was on top form, and the claustrophobic atmosphere of the spaceship was effectively realised. The way the film finished suggested the potential for a sequel to me, but it would appear that is not going to happen; I won’t lose any sleep about that! Cheers, Jon.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. I agree with your appraisal, Jon. I don’t think we need any more sequels, unless Sigourney can come back as an ‘older woman’. She always lent a powerful presence to those Alien films she was in. 🙂
      Best wishes, Pete.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  10. I did enjoy these two ones as well, but yes, they were a bit different from the rest. For me, the first one is still the “Alien” movie if I had to choose one. Have a fantastic week, Pete.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  13. I haven’t watched any of the Prometheus series, as I was worried they were milking the series after Predator vs. Alien (which was fun, actually, if heavy on effects and light in content). After reading your review, I will go back and watch them. So, thanks for that!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a reply to beetleypete Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.