Alien: Covenant is incoherent and pointlessly complicated

Estelle Bryant
17:18, May 19, 2017
Copyright 2015 All rights reserved. This material can't be published, transferred, copied or redistributed.
Copyright 2015 All rights reserved. This material can't be published, transferred, copied or redistributed.

But it can be!

This movie picks up 10 years after the events of Prometheus. It's called Alien: Covenant, but perhaps should've been called Prometheus 2: Covenant. Also, is there only one alien? As intense as numerous violent confrontations are, there's nothing as viscerally unsettling as the self-administered alien abortion in Prometheus. Captain Oram decides it's too good an opportunity to pass up.

But this is an Alien movie and this is science fiction, and that puts you a step ahead of the poor souls sucked into the trap. For every five minutes of philosophical conversation about the origins of life, there are 15 minutes of morons poking at alien things, being infected by them and giving birth to CGI monsters that burst from their rib cages. Like you, I tend to look for the bright spots in each of the films and related properties-hell, I even think the execrable AVP: Requiem has a few redeeming qualities, most notably the movie's decision to straight-up murder a kid in the opening minutes, an act of wholly gratuitous savagery that nearly never happens in studio films. Alien: Covenant has earned over $40 million at the International Box Office already, but can it manage to gross more than 2012's Prometheus? Which was kind of true then and kind of not true now. While a re-watch of "Alien" isn't crucial for "Covenant", there are some interesting parallels that might be fun to have fresh in your mind. There are just a few films in between. Her Daniels, a terraformer who just wanted a cabin by a lake on a faraway planet, is widowed right away. He's outwardly disappointed to discover that the Engineers are mortal and is much more interested in the pathogen and what it can create.

Ho'dup. What is an "Engineer?"

Chesapeake's Eddie Butler makes Cubs debut
But with the 25-year-old Judge, a 6-7, 280-pound outfielder out of Fresno State, the Yankees do seem to have new energy. Before that, the Cardinals had put together a couple runs in the fourth, but had been nearly silent since offensively.

In the trailers for Alien: Covenant, so far, I haven't seen any engineers at all. The film follows the crew of the colony ship Covenant, who discover what is presumably an uncharted paradise but actually turns out to be a unsafe world with only one surviving inhabitant: Michael Fassbender's android, David. Aside from clothing and a particular battle wound, the only thing separating the characters is a subtle accent, and Fassbender's muddy approach to his characters adds tension to the story. Fassbender also plays another synthetic, Walter, who works on the Covenant.

Rated R. Opens Friday citywide. I remember standing outside and staring at the footprints. However, as a side note, the ending is one totally wonderful way to cap off the movie and something many might not see coming. Enter Elizabeth Shaw, portrayed by Noomi Rapace.

Then the disappointing, and entirely unnecessary, Alien vs Predator spin-off series dragged the franchise into the swamp in the 2000s. In retrospect, it resembles a movie with the patience of Job, taking its sweet, stealthy time before arriving at one the great moments in the history of extreme cinematic gore.

Other than the Fassbenders, though, Scott comes up a little short in character development, outsourcing the rest online: "", directed by his son Luke, is the introduction to the crew we never get.

Copyright 2015 All rights reserved. This material can't be published, transferred, copied or redistributed.


Popular

  • Rod Rosenstein's firing memo faces questions as Democrats demand recusal

    Waiting would also have allowed the White House to put together a coherent story and transmit it to spokespeople and surrogates. But the question of whether Sessions broke his promise to stay out of certain investigations is complicated and political.

    Trump launches commission to investigate voter fraud

    He said he was sending his application for the commission Thursday and hoped to be selected, albeit as a skeptical voice. And now President Trump has turned to Kris Kobach to figure out what should be done about the American election system.
    Chibok girl to be reunited with family after three years

    Chibok girl to be reunited with family after three years

    During his welcome address yesterday, President Buhari said, "This is a pleasant second-anniversary gift to the people of Nigeria. Thousands of people have been killed and about 1.6 million driven from their homes in the eight-year insurgency by Boko Haram .
  • WannaCry Ransomware: Microsoft Calls Out NSA For 'Stockpiling' Vulnerabilities

    WannaCry Ransomware: Microsoft Calls Out NSA For 'Stockpiling' Vulnerabilities

    It takes just one click on an infected link or email attachment to have the virus spread to other computers within the network. European authorities have a warning for everyone hit by the worldwide cyberattack: Don't pay the ransom.

    Microsoft making mobile connection with Windows update

    That occasion saw the launch of Windows 10 S , a walled-up OS where only apps from the Windows Store can be downloaded. Basically this feature will essentially be a visual timeline of what apps you're working on in your PC.

    South Korea to Send Envoys to China to Discuss THAAD, North Korea

    Moon's victory reverses more than a decade of conservative rule that has seen strong ties with the USA , which maintains about 28,500 servicemembers in South Korea.
  • Health care: This is why we need town hall forum

    Health care: This is why we need town hall forum

    Don't a lot of us have those? Most Texans with pre-existing conditions and no access to job-based coverage weren't as fortunate. I don't understand the GOP's glee at the notion of killing something that - while truly flawed - is helping people.

    Home's where the heart is for Wiz, Celtics as Game 6 arrives

    But those friends from pre-school to graduation, are still friends, and they will be the best friends I ever had. It can prop up a player for time spent on the floor in successful lineups that have little to do with him.
    Senate Group Draws Fire for Lack of Women Working on Health Care

    Senate Group Draws Fire for Lack of Women Working on Health Care

    Bill Cassidy , R-La., was set to appear on ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" after saying any GOP bill must pass "the Jimmy Kimmel test". In many states, premiums have been rising and insurance choices dwindling. "I'm already having those discussions", Collins said.

  • Russia claims to have transcript of President Trump meeting with Lavrov

    The unnamed officials said Israel had previously urged the U.S.to be cautious with the said information. Other reports had earlier speculated that Jordan had been the source of the information .

    In other words, Instagram is making the case that its face filters are more realistic and life-like than Snapchat's selfie lenses. Instagram parent Facebook has been chipping away at all the features that made Snapchat a standout in the mobile messaging space.
    Cyber attack could spark lawsuits but not against Microsoft

    Cyber attack could spark lawsuits but not against Microsoft

    But that's complicated, because hackers need to find security flaws that are unknown, widespread and relatively easy to exploit. The first version of the malware turned up on 10 February and was used in a short ransomware campaign that began on 25 March.

CONNECT