Did anyone else like or love Alien: Covenant

Liked at times, groaned at others. No love though.

Spoilers below

I had a second viewing tonight and liked it even more this time, it's an entertaining 2hrs, it doesn't topple Alien or Aliens, but is better than the rest

Plus points 

Fassbenders performances

Daneils and Tennessee Characters

Action does not let up

Better acting than Prometheus, solid acting all round

Stunning Cinematography 

How it centres around David

Corn field and rescue sequences 

Down points

An extra 20 mins fleashing out of Shaws fate and the Engineers fate

More tension on the ship in the end act, needed to be fleashed out

The rapid Xeno cycle

The Chestburster mimicking David!

Overall 8/10 - A big thumbs up from me

Jem, I saw it today (Europe) and I enjoyed it very much. BigDave mentioned previously that he thinks that the scenes are cut (in the second half) and I agree with him. During watching it I had a constant feeling that I would like to see more. I mean more minutes of a particular scene. An extended DC blu-ray version would be awesome! 

I like it.

I'm planning to see it for a second time because on my first viewing the movie passed way too fast. Well thats because I really enjoyed watching it. I will definitely buy the blu-ray version of the film once it comes out.

Time flies fast when you're having fun

As for the rapid xeno cycle, I think the movie revealed only neos and two protos, and we have had no info about their cycle speed so far - since we haven't known anything about them. The 1979 xeno is an engineered version, a biomecha, a different type. It is impossible and pointless to compare their cycle speed, I think.

I am far from a hater because I have been a fan of the series since I saw the original Alien in the movie theater.  I bought and own the program and bought the Alan Dean Foster novelization. I was already in the military when I saw Aliens, so I was impressed with that movie as well.  I was not so keen on the James Horner initial score but it grew on me.  James said he was rushed by Cameron to complete it.  

I went to see this movie and I was expecting more for my money.  I would not bash this movie if it was well made.  

Just look at the quality of the acting and writing in the first three movies and you can obviously see a huge difference.

Some members mentioned that the movie is slow at the beginning. I haven't felt that, I like scenes in space around a space ship. We are different... And the covenant ship is beautiful, you need a cinema screen to enjoy that.

Dark Nebula, I agree with you, at the end of it I felt that I needed extra two hours from the story.

As for its original soundtrack, the music is brilliant, no doubt.

Dark Nebula, you HAVE to see it again, trust me. Once you take the movie for what it is, I believe it will become more apparent that this movie is gold. This is going to be a classic, which is going to have mixed opinions for now, just like Alien. 

@Snake your reasoning still doesn't make sense..You hated PROMETHEUS yet loved COVENANT doesn't make sense. If you hated PROMETHEUS then you hated the character David and he's the main story in COVENANT..So explain how that makes sense..??

Snake I am a person who even hating the silliness in Prometheus, I rewatch that movie on a regular basis, and I don't see myself doing the same with Covenant. To me, this film belongs to the fantasy genre, not sci-fi/horror. And if I want to see fantasy, I'd rather watch "Legend" which is much more visually accomplished. And BTW, "Alien" has always been very well regarded by both audience and critics.

Jem857, I'm on your side, why attack me? At least the characters in Covenant weren't complete morons as in Prometheus. It all seemed believable, which is what you need to get emotionally involved in a good sci-fi.

@Snake I love both films ...They were rather stupid in PROMETHEUS..AC had much better acting and characters..I just hope they do another one..It sucks the box office is really low...Never a good sign for a franchise..

I enjoyed A:C. Had a lot more fun with it than Prometheus. 

@Snake I'm not trying to attack you..I'm on your side too..I'm just hoping we get a sequel..I'm hoping low box office numbers doesn't cancel any hopes of the future of the franchise

Thank you Im Durp, could use a little help here.

As for the complaints about the artificial intelligence pattern, I do not understand people who have problems with the AI line in Covenant. David/Fassbender was/is one of the strongest features of Prometheus, why is it/he the problem now? We knew that he would be responsible for the creation of the monster.

7-8 months ago several members discussed the possibility of hidden AI actions inside the Company. We jumped to the conclusion that it was probable that David would survive and copy or transfer himself, etc and control the events in the Alien universe in the two decades to come.

I agree 100 percent Jem857. This movie deserves a lot better and it's a thinking man's sci-fi. I know we didn't get our answers from Prometheus for the moment but I believe ridley is saving it all for the grand finale. 

I am probably one of the people who has been more vocal about my frustrations with the movie. It's funny though because I continue flipping back and forth depending on how I am measuring the film. I really need to get my second viewing in some time this week.

On the surface

1. When I consider the movie as a modern take on Frankenstein and disconnect it from the Alien franchise (pretending I never saw huggers or any kind of morph) I liked the ideas but disliked the execution.

2. When I think about it as the CONCLUSION of Prometheus, I like the concepts and HATE the execution.

3. When I think about it as one piece in the bridge between Prometheus and Alien, I LOVE the concepts and slightly dislike the execution.

4. When I think about it as the next step towards not only coming full circle to Alien, but also giving a backstory on how Weyland-Yutani came under the governance of androids, I love everything but am terrified such an ambitious project will never be completed without glaring flaws.

QueenElizabethShaw very good reasoning. They just need to hire a good sci-fi writer. And Ridley should stop meddling he is nor a writer and he proved in the past he can be very wrong.

I liked Covenant. 

Nuff Said.

BZ

I watched zero expectations and seen leak videos, prologues, etc. before. Discuss here. All expectations and ideas nearly find in movie.

In total it not satisfied me.

But i really impressed on sound. in IMAX version had incredible sound experience. I seen a lot of movie, but it was so clear, pure.

In another like about tone of technology design etc. It looks better than Prometheus.

Love neomorp. Yeah i hated before, but its best thing in movie.

Hard dissopointed for Walter... So stoned, so empty character...

He posed as better android etc "meet walter" campaign etc but at the end, he act like a moron. 

Like David as wonder in beging; in Weyland scene. He learns how to use power and how to be cruel to when had control... So sadly hierarchy. Hated Weyland again!

And no answers, no engineers about who talked here before film.

my shortly review is here: https://muti-and-co.tumblr.com/post/160784109346/more-or-when-will-we-take-it-more

And i laughed when read about said Ridley's words about "Beast was cooked"... Yeah, beast was cooked, but it says hello again after chest-buster... So weird and seen again on him film!

It so funny, talk to much but in final cut movie came as not satisfied mostly and low wondering after Prometheus. (Maybe they had a lot of material, did not used, or just cut for final edit of film; but if we will watch bad parts so what gonna be good parts; poor campaign strategy.)

I always say, as an Alien fans we just want good movie. Alien franchise deserve good movies. Not money-maker garbages.

Covenant looks like an early, rushy Alien re-boot.

I had my issues with the story direction and i feel it would have been better with a longer run time but ultimately it's in my top 3. i enjoyed it more in my second viewing and cant wait for blue ray hopefully with an extended cut. 

my top 3 now Alien 1979, alien3 extended cut, Covenant

I am a fa of this A:C  though the movie had some issues. as far as story and concept, I loved it. It didn't bother me to much that Shaw died off camera because it made it or the more sinister. Our imaginations fill in the gaps and scare us more then had we seen it. Plus it also made the ending far more terrifying for Daniels and Tennessee.

If anything the movie just didn't give itself enough time to breath and flesh out the characters and story. My only real complaint. 

It did leave me with some  questions.

Why did the engineers appear so different. (though i tend to think that they where a less bioengineered sect, seeing as they all gathered in awe at the arrival of the ship). 

How could David have created the Alien when there was already a clear depiction in the Muriel in Prometheus. Did David just pick up where the engineers left off?

How could the Derelict in Alien be so old if the species is only 20 years old. 

Im sure we may get these answers in future movies, but over all i Loved this film. Extra point for using the terms "The Company", "The Network", "Mother" and of couse the rocking Bird:)

@Snake, mixed opinions over Alien?  I saw the original Alien at the movies and I can tell you that everyone came out scared and was like WOW!!  That scared the bejesus out of me!!  With Covenant, it was more like boooooo!!!  Dark Nebula, personally, I would not waste any more money on this hackjob until it was available on DVD.

I like it but I don't love it like Alien or Aliens.

It's a solid Alien experience that starts out stellar but ends up messy except the very end that ties things back to normal pretty well I thought. 

I disliked the freighter action sequence with the dumbest alien in the franchise, and the cargo hold scene later on, but I loved every minute of the film up until it started to slow down with David in the temple.

I thought it was amazing. I and my husband went to see it, and we both had a great time. I have seen Prometheus at least 9 times, and there is a lot to be admired, but I absolutely hated the characters, and the second half of the movie has an incredibly frustrating pace. I felt like Covenant was an improvement on many levels, even if it did not have the high concept science fiction feel of Prometheus. That said, the exchanges between David and Walter went a long way to making up for this in my opinion.

Was worse then expected, except the first 30 minutes before the crew landed.

The whole point of Prometheus was to bring fresh air in this brand and i really hoped the story would be expanded.

But it turned out to be just another alien clone which shits on some great ideas.

I liked it.

Overall, I enjoyed it. However, one of the major problems that perhaps not even Ridley Scott - who is by far my favorite film director - can overcome is his own statement: "The beast is cooked." We've seen it too many times for it to truly terrify us as it did the first time, though with some careful forethought, there are ways to remind us of that OMG-get-me-outta-here sensation. Instead, he went overboard, adding in the gruesome neomorphs, which, granted, are very disturbing, but once they've scampered about causing mayhem and blood-soaked demises, the appearance of the big boy is anti-climactic. The lifting of every beat from ALIEN, as happened with the recent STAR WARS re-boot, did a disservice to COVENANT. I loved the use of the ALIEN soundtrack - it gave me shivers - but I got the sense as the movie progressed that either Scott was unclear or was steered away from the direction he truly wanted to pursue, the script was re-written too many times by acolytes, and/or the studio demanded more of the run-die-or-hunt-it sequences.

I also felt Scott was hampered by his original mythology and the follow-up complex mythology created in PROMETHEUS, a film unjustly lambasted, which he then had to shoe-horn into this new one. The eggs and face-hugger. The mutating goo. The engineers. Shaw and David. He did a decent job of tying it all together - and it's all interesting - but he needed a more unique premise to anchor it. Not to recreate ALIEN with new cast members and somewhat different setting, which wasn't that different, but to find a new way to introduce the creeping, elegant menace of the Xenomorph by being aware that we now expect it, we've seen it before, and it has to upend our expectations. Scott seemed instead almost casual about it, as if to say, "You asked for the alien, so here it is in all its overdone CGI splendor." I also got the sense that he's resentful of ALIENS massive success, so he stole hits from Cameron's playbook, dismissing the fact that the reason ALIENS worked so well was because of Ripley getting into her bad-ass groove and the unexpected presentation of the Xenomorph queen. Again, without someone of Sigourney Weaver's stature or cheekbones to lead the film, you need more in-depth character development. And less is more with the beast. It still has the capacity to scare us, but in ALIEN, it worked so magnificently because of what we didn't see or know: it's truly an alien life form that becomes a moving, lethal part of the ship, camouflaged in pipes and air-ducts, picking off crew members one by one in nearly random ways. It doesn't pursue them: they pursue it, and when they find it, it's very unpleasant. In COVENANT, it's too uber-aggressive from the get-go, when really, it's better when it simply does what it does without becoming a dinosaur on a rampage - and its life cycle is sped up to ridiculous levels. It pops out fully formed in miniature (that scene with David and the mutual lifting of the talons / hands, was too X-Files for me) and then launches into a blood-spree that diluted its terror. In ALIEN, you got the sense that like any organism, it simply wants to survive. We intruded on its territory, we brought it on-board, and now it wants to live; if you get in its way, you're a goner. It's hostile because, as Ash says, it's the perfect survivor, without delusions of morality or conscience.

I wanted COVENANT to slow down, to give us more of the stranded crew's horror-struck awe of the wasted civilization around them, their grasping sense of we're-in-deep-shit-here, as they come into contact with David's malevolent plan and his ultimate creation. And there were plot holes that needed exploring but were shoved aside: Shaw left the cryptic message with the John Denver song. Why couldn't she just have said: "Don't come anywhere near here" and a deep space crew decided to investigate anyway? In any event, we can assume it was a warning hidden in a song, which is silly. Did she do it because she witnessed David's apocalyptic act upon arrival on the planet? How did she turn into the incubator for his Frankenstein experiments? Why does the discovery of her dog-tags in a place they shouldn't be not set off alarm bells for the crew that discovers them? By the time we get to these moments, Covenant crew members are infected by spores and it's all pitching into a frantic bring-on-the-monsters race that doesn't allow us to become submerged in this horrible new world.

Overall, in my long-winded way, I think that PROMETHEUS put Scott in a dilemma. ALIEN has one mythology and PROMETHEUS has another; to reconcile them requires finesse. COVENANT lacked that finesse. It was 75% there, but as I point out, the remaining 25% was lost in the pressure to recreate ALIEN motifs and bring closure to unanswered questions from PROMETHEUS. Now, Scott can move ahead with monster movies and perhaps forget PROMETHEUS, which is a shame. Because he had a unique premise there to develop. I liked PROMETHEUS, despite its drawbacks.