HELP PLEASE!!! Where does Alien: Covenant fit in this picture?

Rick D

With all the different genres in the Alien franchise, where do you think Alien: Covenant fits? 

Svanya

More of a Horror with some action imo.

Svanya

Double post.

ali81

wouldn't call AC a horror in any way shape or form. not sure how u would class it tbh, sci-fi thriller?

cuponator3000

I mean, I guess Sci-Fi sums it up well enough. They are all Sci-Fi, but Covenant isn't really focused enough to be horror, mystery or action specifically  

Dark Nebula

Hard to say, but I would go with a thriller.

*Just a quick edit.

I.Raptus

Agreed on Thriller. Perhaps Adventure Thriller?  

Ati

You're joking, aren't you? :)

What are these scenes if they are not horror?

Batchpool

Biopunk

I.Raptus

that's just a day at the office Ati XD

Some of the scenes flashed by so quickly sadly you didn't get a good chance to appreciate the gore and detail

dk

The gore aspect isn't even a factor to me. It has always been part of the franchise. That said, I think "Thriller" seems appropriate.

Svanya

@Ati , exactly. Those scenes are pure horror imo, esp. the face and backburster ones. 

Ati

dk - Ok, I see your point, but you can't tell that Alien (1979) is a psycho-horror because it is more than a psycho-horror. Similarly, we can't state that Covenant is a thriller since it is much more than an average thriller. Gore - we like it or not - makes these movies real horror. However, one of the complaints againts Covenant was that it doesn't include enough body horror.

The backburst scene is shocking in my opinion: the atmosphere, the ost, the blood factor, etc. It is my fav scene in the AU. 

Ati

Lilly (Svanya) - I'm glad you share my view. :)

joylitt

The problem is that the body horror conveyed through cgi makes the scenes no different from any generic scene in a superhero movie. That is what makes AC more of a mashup of genres. I would say this movie would fit nicely along movies like "World War Z", an adventure thriller with horror elements. It just has a fair share of unintentional comedy in it too.

dk

Ati I think I see your point. Alien was a complete package and was horror on a psychological level. I have become pretty jaded over the decades. I think David's ambiguity and creepiness created the tension of Alien I felt more than any gore AC had. If AC had an ass burster, I wouldn't bat an eye and would continue eating my snacks.

joylitt

When I heard they were bragging about getting gallons and gallons of fake blood I thought to myself: Wow they are really going to get into real oldschool body horror. But what good is all that blood if it is processed through lazy cgi.

joylitt

dk lol an ass burster. Try to see something to real blood and real viscera like this year's film "Raw" and I bet you will put your snacks away. Visceral is the way to go with body horror.

dk

joylitt My work is medical in nature. I have been exposed to the sights, smells, blood, psychological trauma etc... My family is the same way. We can talk all kinds of sick sh$t during Thanksgiving dinner. No joke. Although I like AC, I don't think the franchise ever "wowed" me since the Quadriogy. You can disagree and that is fine, but that is my view.

joylitt

I understand. Doctors and other people in the medical field have a strong stomach.

MonsterZero

Horror.

I've only had nightmares from 2 Alien flicks: A:C and A L I E N.

A:C is still a hard watch for me. Very disturbing movie. I haven't become jaded enough for this type of horror.

BigDave

Well i guess Prometheus was Adventure i guess?

This must mean Alien Covenant was a Romantic LOL

BigDave

Guess if they used any more Poor CGI it would be a Animated ;)

Guess with the Flute playing it had a bit of a Musical?  Judging by Reception i guess maybe its a DISASTER Movie ;)

dk

BigDave Alien Covenant: The Animated Romantic Musical lol!

ali81

gore doesn't mean horror. look at the predator movies. none classed as horror yet we see a mans head blown off, skinned bodies hanging all over the joint and a man completely blown to bits.

BigDave

I agree that Gore and Blood does not have to mean a movie is a Horror, all they do is make some scenes Horrific...

I dont find AC a Horror myself at all, it all pretty much was more like a Alien Resurrection with less Action, a bit of Philosophy and Thriller element added and more Gory.. but it was still pretty much no more a Horror than AR was IMO.

I think Alien 3 was more a Horror than AC, Hell even Star Ship Troopers could be seen as just as much Horror as AC IMO

Ati

'gore doesn't mean horror. look at the predator movies. none classed as horror'

Really? I've found this:

The Predator film series is a science fiction action horror film franchise based on a race of fictional extraterrestrials created by Jim Thomas and John Thomas. Produced by 20th Century Fox, the series started in 1987 with the film Predator, which led to two sequels and novel, comic book and video game spin-offs. Related to the franchise is the Alien vs. Predator, which combine the titular Predator with the creatures from the Alien film series.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predator_(franchise)

BigDave - So we can jump to the conclusion that Alien Resurrection is neither a Comedy nor a Horror comedy. :)

Ati

Let's look at the definition of the term horror film!

A horror film is a movie that seeks to elicit a physiological reaction, such as an elevated heartbeat, through the use of fear and shocking one’s audiences.

The macabre and the supernatural are frequent themes. Horror may also overlap with the fantasy, supernatural fiction and thriller genres.

Horror films often deal with viewers' nightmares, fears, revulsions and terror of the unknown. Plots within the horror genre often involve the intrusion of an evil force, event, or personage into the everyday world. Prevalent elements include ghosts, aliens, vampires, werewolves, demons, satanism, gore, torture, vicious animals, evil witches, monsters, zombies, cannibals, psychopaths, natural or man-made disasters, and serial killers.

Some subgenres of horror include action horror, comedy horror, body horror, disaster horror, holiday horror, horror drama, psychological horror, science fiction horror, slasher horror, supernatural horror, gothic horror, natural horror, zombie horror, first-person horror and teen horror.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror_film

We can overexplain the different expressions but...

Alien is a British-American science-fiction horror media franchise centered on the film series depicting Warrant Officer Ellen Ripley (played by Sigourney Weaver) and her battles with an extraterrestrial lifeform, commonly referred to as "the Alien", and depicting android David 8 (portrayed by Michael Fassbender) and his experimentation in creating said lifeform.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_(franchise)

joylitt

"Guess if they used any more Poor CGI it would be a Animated ;)

Guess with the Flute playing it had a bit of a Musical?  Judging by Reception i guess maybe its a DISASTER Movie ;)"

BigDave That was funny

joylitt

A Predator movie cannot ever been confused with a horror movie. I agree blood does not guarantee a film will be a horror. But the blood, together with the props, animatronics, viscera, makeup, even tricks of lights make for a visceral experience in horror, as opposed to cgi. Ridley Scott used to be a master with those. Talking about genre, I think AC is the Alien film that uses the most "sub-genres": like slasher, grand guignol, monsters, outbreak, rogue AI. It is all of these genres and none at the same time.

Batchpool

Gotta agree with you Joylitt. it is one hell of a mix up. I found biopunk to be the best sub genre fit overall. AC does tick a lot of boxes.