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Surgeons of Horror

~ Dissecting horror films

Surgeons of Horror

Category Archives: Alien franchise

Movie review: Alien: Covenant

22 Friday Dec 2017

Posted by surgeons of horror in Alien franchise, Movie review

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Alien, Alien Covenant, danny mcbride, michael fassbender, ridley scott, xenomorph


Some time has passed now since Ridley Scott’s latest chapter in the Alien universe was released.

As with most movie franchises that have been so immersed in our psyche and reawakened the nostalgia in us all when the latest adaptation hits the screens, we yearn for that ‘magic moment’ that connected us to the world in the first place.

It only exasperates things further when in this instance there have been two successes from the outset and have left such a strong mark that many have tried to replicate but fallen short of every time, even Scott himself with his prequel Prometheus, which many felt fell short of their expectations.

For good or ill, Scott has chosen to delve deeper into his journey and provided us with Covenant, the true beginning of our favourite Xenomorph.

The trouble lies with trying to provide the audience with all that we fell in love with offering something new in the mix at the same time.

A fine line to walk along and one that will guarantee some unhappy punters regardless.
The journey does carry on where Prometheus left us and David’s (Michael Fassbender) search for the ultimate creation in a God-like pursuit.

When the crew of the Covenant, an ark carrying human cargo to their new Eden, are woken early from their hyper sleep, their troubles begin. Despite a form of salvation appearing in a transmission originating from an inhabitable planet, their journey takes them further down the rabbit hole.
Cue new creatures and a world within David’s playground.

Some fine performances are on display with Fassbender’s dual role of David and Walter, alongside Katherine Waterston’s Dany (the voice of reason and hope), Billy Crudup’s faith driven leader of the group, and Danny McBride’s pilot Tennessee.

Much more could have been made of Demián Bichir’s Sgt Lope and his talents are criminally wasted, but one could put that down to an over-populated cast who one can’t really differentiate as the film goes on. Their expendable for a reason but our care factor is non existent when they are knocked off one by one as a result.

As far as offering something new to the genre, Scott does provide us with some fascinating creatures and a possible hint and something less tribal and intuitive is on hand only to be squashed by the ‘outsiders’. But one can’t help but feel that there is something missing to this tale and if rumours are to be believed that the next venture may completely be remiss of the xenomorphs, then we are left scratching our heads and pondering the end game to Scott’s vision.
It’s little wonder then, that some traditionalists are campaigning for Blomkamps’s vision for an alternate take on the universe to become a reality.

The Diagnosis:
Whilst there are plenty of entertaining moments in this film with some strong performances from the cast and ultimately an enjoyable narrative, the faithful fans of the original movie will be disappointed in this latest direction.
Recommended for those who have never drifted into the Alien universe before, but what does that say when you’re effectively alienating your fan base in a quest for one man’s vision?

  • Saul Muerte

Podcast: Alien (1979)

26 Wednesday Apr 2017

Posted by surgeons of horror in Alien franchise, Uncategorized

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Alien, Aliens, chest-burster, face-hugger, harry dean stanton, ian holm, james cameron, john hurt, ridley scott, sigourney weaver, tom skerrit, veronica cartwright, xenomorph, yaphet kotto

Following the success of his film school feature Dark Star, which he collaborated with John Carpenter, Dan O’Bannon would team with his house mate, Ronald Shusett to create (arguably) the best and most iconic science fiction horror movie to date.

Once the screenplay was in place, the perfect recipe started to formulate with some fresh new faces, starting with the director, Ridley Scott with his sophomore feature, still at a point where he was willing to take on a few risks.

There must have been something that resonated deep down with Scott too, as he has returned to the franchise at the helm with 2012’s Prometheus, this years’ Alien: Covenant, and the promise of more to come.

Joining alongside him would be fellow fresh-faced actress, Sigourney Weaver, and along with it, her take on the protagonist, Ellen Ripley, would be a pioneer in the industry, paving the way for more like-minded, strong, female characters to come.

Sure, we’ve still got a long way to come yet, but Ripley is still held highly amongst fans and cinema-lovers across the globe.

Her journey would span across another 3 movies in the franchise, such was her resonance.

It helped too that her fellow cast members, all prolific in their own right would elevate, (essentially a haunted house story, albeit set in space) high, not just in the genre, but in film history.

Tom Skerritt, John Hurt, Harry Dean Stanton, Ian Holm, Veroncia Cartwright, and Yaphet Kotto all lend valuable weight to the proceedings.

As does the visual cinematography (Derek Vanlint) and the design, headed up by H.R. Giger, who created the look and feel of the alien creature in all it’s transitions; egg, face-hugger, baby xenomorph, to its adult version.

The film drips and oozes such an amazing treat for the senses, that it’s not surprising that it still stands the test of time.

To celebrate #alienday, the Surgeons of Horror team took it upon themselves to discuss this movie, that rightfully has become a classic.

Check out our in-depth discussions on iTunes or through our podcast feed below.

https://player.whooshkaa.com/player/episode/id/99074?visual=true

  • Paul Farrell

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