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Tattoo flashes 

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Alien: Covenant - illustrated movie poster

I saw the movie on opening night, and although I left the theater feeling less satisfied than I had hoped (I’ve probably never been more hyped for a movie - let’s face it, the trailer had everything the rare fan of both the original Alien and, yes, Prometheus too such as myself could want), now that I’ve had time to process and reflect on what is in my opinion something of a missed opportunity, I keep coming back to it with more and more appreciation for the fairly numerous scenes that stick out in my mind. Looking at Alien: Covenant as the transitional movie that it is, converging Prometheus with the set-up for the original Alien to be explored in at least two more Scott prequels, its easier for me to set aside my high expectations as a die-hard fan and patiently hope that many of the unanswered questions this prequel series wouldn’t have even been made without, will eventually be resolved five more years from now. Either way, I have to admit that I’m one of the few who really buys into Scott’s bold vision for the xenomorph origin story, and with Covenant it became clear to me that his take on this has shifted from the bigger complexities first posed in Prometheus ala the Engineers to the much more interesting and personal journey of one character in particular. For the most part, it works.

*spoilers*

what I liked:

David. Walter. Let’s just say Michael Fassbender.

The entire med-bay/backburster/baby neomorph attack sequence. A very effective rendition of the familiar scene, especially as the first in the film after a patient build-up, that makes the creature undoubtedly terrifying from the moment of birth. 

The score. Perfect.

Tennessee. Danny McBride feels oddly at home in the Alien franchise.

David being the creator of the xenomorph. At the use of the line ‘the perfect organism’, I was sold. I liked that this gave the original android baddie Ash more weight as a character, or a species of character in this universe.

The production design, cinematography, direction. Visually, you couldn’t ask for much else in a sci-fi horror epic.

The shockingly beautiful chestburster scene. Its essentially the most important moment in the franchise as far as Alien: Covenant is concerned, and again, is one of the film’s ways of successfully subverting our expectations of the Alien franchise’s tropes. Unfortunately, the film’s success rate in this feat is admittedly uneven...

what I was disappointed with:

*sigh* the xenomorph. It’s not that the design is bad, or that the CGI is too bad, or that it isn’t scary enough - I actually enjoyed the speed and animalistic ferocity of the protomorph - it’s just that we don’t get a good enough look at it. There are some effective scenes that could have been much more effective if, in my opinion, we had been given a couple of moments to truly take in the pure presence of the alien. Perhaps a practical model of the alien’s head for a shot lasting up to 3 seconds intergrated with the general CG would have been more effective. I was surprised to see that after the incredible practical effects pioneered in the original films for the titular alien have been left behind, but I understand that he needs to be able to catch up to, grab onto and crawl all over flying vehicles these days, so it’s a tricky scenario.

The film’s pacing and tone is inconsistent, especially with the third act, which is essentially the original Alien condensed into 10 minutes with a very predictable twist ending (which I wasn’t mad at, actually. It didn’t need to be shocking, but it was needed to serve the story and, again, David’s storyline is arguably the best part of the new films.)

Too many characters. Although the couples dynamic works to give them a latching-on point and emotional core to react to when the bodies start to pile up, I didn’t know half of their names and the film takes too long killing the crew off to get to the focal point of the story, which isn’t the Covenant - it’s David.

Daniels isn’t utilised effectively as the story’s protagonist. Her joint fragility and resilience are interesting qualities that could work very well for the nature of a film in the Alien franchise, but there’s too much going on around her and too few scenes with her character to see her as much more than a Ripley stand-in, especially when it comes to balls-out Alien-style confrontations with the Alien. Which brings me to...

No one mentions the monumental fact that the Covenant crew has- to their knowledge - encountered alien life for the first time in human history. Not only that, but they are running around the ruins of an ancient and godly race. In Prometheus, that was kind of the whole point, and everyone had something to say about the concept of life outside of Earth.

The alien is just too easy to beat, considering it actually appears more ferocious than ever.

Well that was a long post. I think I’ve got most of the Alien in my system out for now.

All mixed feelings aside, I do recommend you go see Alien: Covenant. It’s visually arresting, a bit familiar but with a few new delightfully horrific twist and some big ideas carried over from Prometheus in something of a more stripped-back and human story, for all its grandiose themes and references to the prodigies of old. If you want the xeno, which you do, you get it. But this is the sequel to Prometheus. Don’t expect to see everything you want to see - try and think of the big picture, and keep your fingers crossed that Scott keeps going weirder and gorier with each new twist in the Alien tale. Its braver than a lot of famous franchises with the same level of popularity, no doubt about it.

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Some more portfolio shots of my His Dark Materials trilogy book cover designs, including Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman

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Ghost in the Shell

movie poster - prints / posters / merch at society6.com/danfrench

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Winter is Coming - House Stark

Sigil pencil illustration for House Stark (Game of Thrones)

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What a lovely day.

Get your Mad Max Fury Road - Black & Chrome or full-colour print at society6.com/danfrench

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Mad Max Fury Road - Black & Chrome Edition for today’s limited theatre release of the new version. Certainly my favourite film of 2015 - wish I could see the B&C on the big screen!

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Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Prints / movie posters / merch at society6.com/danfrench  //  teepublic.com/users/cosmicstories

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The Amber Spyglass - His Dark Materials: Book 3, Philip Pullman

‘Tell them stories.’

Original book cover design

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The Subtle Knife - His Dark Materials: Book 2, Philip Pullman

‘Matter and spirit are one.’

Original book cover design

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Northern Lights - His Dark Materials: Book 1, Philip Pullman

‘You speak of destiny as if it were fixed...’

Original book cover design

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Fire and Blood - House Targaryen

prints / posters / merch at society6com/danfrench

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Pan’s Labyrinth

posters/prints/merch at society6.com/danfrench

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Mad Max Fury Road

posters/prints/merch at society6.com/danfrench 

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Happy Alien Day! 👽 🎂

It’s probably no secret I’m a massive fan. Here’s a shot of most of my Alien collection complete with: ‘Aliens’ metal print poster framed, original ink illustration, original ‘Alien Queen’ ink & markers illustration, POP Funko xeno & xeno queen + ‘Alien’ Anthology Blu-Ray box-set. 

Get all your Alien posters/prints/merch at society6.com/danfrench / teepublic.com/user/cosmicstories

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Innocence has a power evil cannot imagine…

Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) Guillermo Del Toro

Illustrated movie poster - prints @society6.com

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Revised Rogue One: A Star Wars Story movie poster

prints at society6.com/danfrench