Written by Logan J. Fowler and Justin Matchick
Release Date: May 19th, 2017
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterson, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride
Director: Ridley Scott (Alien, Prometheus, The Martian, Gladiator, Black Hawk Down)
Pre-Trailer Thoughts: I actually got around to watching the Alien franchise late in my life. My first experience with the film series was Alien: Resurrection, which I did happen to see in theaters. I didn’t watch the trilogy of movies until my late twenties, but the original and Aliens easily went on to be classics in my eyes. I didn’t hate Prometheus as much as a lot of others did, That being said, while Ridley Scott managed to salvage the abruptly sinking ship, that being the Alien series, one may wonder if it’s too little too late. Nevertheless, Alien: Covenant is set to hit theaters this Friday. So how does the trailer look? -LJF
Pre-Trailer Thoughts: The Alien franchise has had it’s fair share of ups and downs, with certain films considered among the best of all time, (Alien, Aliens) and others winding up as confusing messes (Alien Resurrection, Alien vs Predator). Prometheus straddled the line between something great and a plot hole-ridden disaster and Alien: Covenant looks to take certain strands from that story and bring it closer to the core ideas of the original movie. Given the vast differences in quality throughout this series, it’ll be interesting to see if Covenant will wind up among the all-time greats.
Rate the Trailer: 3 out of 5. Scott being behind the camera for this serves it well, as it does seem to capture the tone the series needs. However, seeing the titular character in the trailer may have been better served for the final product only. I surprisingly miss the practical effects that I know are of a bygone era, and the creature seems to be a little choppy in its movements. Maybe that’s intentional? I don’t know. In any case, McBride’s involvement is interesting, and the movie looks like it could deliver the goods. Then again, we know how most reacted to Prometheus. Hopefully this a step in a better direction. -LJF
Rate the Trailer: 3 out of 5. Although the atmospheric trailer was great at setting the tone of this movie, I’ll dock it a point for giving away just a bit too much of what is going to happen. I realize that it’s no surprise that death and destruction go hand-in-hand with the Alien franchise, but it still falls into the trap of spoiling a lot of scenes that would have been nice to have been surprised by. Still, what we see of Ridley Scott’s directing really manages to bring out the isolation and minimalism of space travel in ways that are just and unnerving as the xenomorphs themselves. He’s a director whose films mostly rely on how good the writing is, but he still can wring out every last bit of tension in each shot. Seeing Michael Fassbender, the best part of Prometheus by far, coming back as another android is great and Danny McBride in his first major non-comedy role is going to definitely be worth at least checking out. – JTM
Theater, Rent, No Thanks, Undecided? Theater (hopefully). Scott’s films work really well on the big screen, and I’m assuming this will be no different. I also am curious to see where this franchise goes, and how it links up with the original. Since there’s not a ton of films this summer I am dying to see, I’ll try to get to the cinemas for this one. -LJF
Theater, Rent, No Thanks, Undecided? Theater. I still have enough faith in Scott to expect, at the very least, something worth my time and money. His second return to the Alien franchise (with actual xenomorphs this time) gives him an opportunity to truly revisit the series that launched his directorial career. I’ll definitely check this out in theaters, and I’ll be expecting a lot from it. – JTM
