DID ALIEN COVENANT SUCK?
Welcome to Screen Addicts: Podcast Edition.
Being the newest installment of the “Alien” franchise and the sequel to “Prometheus,” the expectations regarding “Alien Covenant” were mixed. In this episode of Screen Addicts we take a closer look at what we liked, what we didn’t like, and what we could expect for the next installments of the ever-changing franchise. Warning: There are spoilers below.
From one screen addict’s personal perspective, “Covenant’s” most widely agreed upon flaw is its lack of answers to the questions that followed “Prometheus.” The audience is left to assume some of the intentions of major characters like the now, presumably, extinct engineers. David’s fixation on creation is also left to the interpretations of the audience.
To delve deeper into the issues that I and many others had with what resulted of the engineers, their involvement, or lack of involvement, in this sequel was disappointing at best.
To be left with a cliffhanger that lasted approximately five years just to find out that they all perished was just one of the issues. Why did they look different than what we had seen previously? What kind of society were they? Who the hell were they to create US?
Well. They’re creators. They create. That’s it.
That’s all we get and we move on to an emotionally unstable robot who has daddy issues. It was the easy way out, most likely to transition away from the lackluster “Prometheus” storyline.
The argument made by my fellow screen addict Daniel is that it was an intentional decision by director Ridley Scott, who usually likes to torture his audience by not answering any questions that they may have. He believes Scott wants the audience to fill in the gaps with their own ideas. If this is true, then Scott is really good at frustrating his viewers and you would have to applaud him for that.
What this established instead was uncertainty for the franchise’s future. Instead of sticking to what was originally planned, they attempted to mix what these prequels were intended to be and what die-hard “Alien” fans wanted it to be. It was an almost “Alien.”
Overall, even with its underwhelming transition plot and disposable roster of characters, the inner child in me can admit it was an entertaining movie. The gore, the suspense, and the fight scenes all carry this movie to what I would call a solid 5/10.
If you don’t agree with me completely, listen to what the rest of the Screen Addicts had to say in the podcast above. Make sure to leave any comments and let us know what you think!
