#ALIEN: COVENANT
Anthony McCarthy, email Soooo disappointed with it…. Prometheus was so much better, just more sophisticated and vast in its approach compared to the sci-fi-thriller-by-numbers approach of Covenant.
Keith Tudor, Romsey An excellent continuation of the story which began with Prometheus. I loved that the pace was quicker than the last film. The characters were a bit generic, though, and made stupid decisions, such as walking out onto a newly discovered planet and breathing the air without checking for airborne pathogens. The evolution of the Xenomorph was nicely established, and it was unfortunate to discover what had happened to Dr Elizabeth Shaw. On a side-note, was Shaw named after Jon Pertwee’s first assistant from classic Doctor Who? SFX It was either that or Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart…
Ashley Beeching, Facebook It borrowed far too much material from previous instalments, almost ending up as a homage rather than an original entry into the franchise. It was still intermittently entertaining though.
Matthew Strachan, email Prometheus to me was a frustrating and somewhat pretentious mess of a film, whereas Covenant (despite its flaws) was a far more enjoyable watch. Some of it did play like a “greatest hits” but at the same time there were great original moments with the first Neomorph birth and also Fassbender’s performance as a kind of mad professor. The film slots in behind Alien and Aliens for me.
Stuart, email It’s like the film went in the opposite direction from Prometheus. Whereas the first film was more about questions and less about action/horror, this one is all about the action/horror with little focus on the philosophy and world building. Ultimately this means the film is a good, fun ride that works supremely well as a singular story, though not so much in terms of a world-building, multiple arc story, leaving viewers who were expecting answers unfulfilled but not feeling cheated.
John Burton, email I came away from the movie underwhelmed, feeling like Ridley Scott
The concepts and story enrich the mythology of Alien’s universe
completely sold out. The effects were really good – and the acting – but I thought the plot was terrible and full of holes. Did Scott come up with this origin for the Xenos because he felt threatened that Neill Blomkamp was going to come up with a better origin story than him? I felt like Scott didn’t want to share his toys so just wrecked it for everyone else. Move over and let someone else have a go. SFX I’d be intrigued to see a Denis Villeneuve Alien movie. Maybe an Alien/Arrival crossover where mankind learns to speak Xenomorph and everyone avoids a lot of unnecessary bother.
Tom Blake, email Michael Fassbender’s performance made the film for me, absolutely spellbinding in it, a truly chilling, insidious performance. A nigh-on Oscar worthy performance in my view. Loved Katherine Waterston as Daniels too, perfect for the role. I can see why some wouldn’t like it though. If you wanted an Alien film in the original mould – stuck on a space ship/station with an Alien – then I can see how you could be disappointed. But for me this was a much fresher, more original film than repeating the Alien/Alien 3 setup again. Also want to mention the music. Love the sparse, mysterious interludes with sometimes classical nods to the original film.
Matt Duthie, Facebook Ridley said he wanted to give the fans what they want, but he’s so out of touch about what the fans want. Life would have been fine if he’d kept his ideas to himself and not besmirched the franchise with these last two outings. Neill Blomkamp’s supposed vision for a direct sequel to Aliens could have been so much more (and was even endorsed by Sigourney Weaver). This is just tripe.
Jason Hooker, email While I do think it had many flaws and missed opportunities, it provided concepts and a story which enriched the mythology of the Alien universe, gave the Xenomorph a philosophically deeper meaning to exist, and also perfectly blended Prometheus into the rest of the saga.
Look out for the next SFX Hot Topic at bit.ly/SFXhottopic
#DISCOVERY CHANNELLING
The Llama God, email There’s been a lot of criticism about the look of Star Trek Discovery, especially the new-look Klingons. But I can overlook this, because Star Trek, at heart, shouldn’t be about looks – it’s about the meaning and ideas behind the show. Besides, is it really reasonable to think that the Klingon race kept the same uniform for nearly 100 years? Where’s the honour and glory in not rotating your wardrobe regularly?
No, what’s got me concerned is the emphasis on action. In the current political climate, what we really need right now is a sci-fi show that demonstrates compassion, intelligence, and understanding between peoples. Just as the original series and The Next Generation did. We don’t need another Abrams Trek where the answer to all mankind’s problems is to shoot everything.
Still, trailers are just trailers. And a focus on action is what’s going to draw the audience in. There’s clearly a commitment to diversity, so I’ll still be giving Discovery a chance. After all, as with every Star Trek series, you gotta have faith, of the heart... SFX Oh, Llama God… just when I thought I’d finally shifted that particular earworm. I even stuffed some Ceti Alpha eels down my lugholes to get rid of it. #DO THE TIME WARP AGAIN
Susannah Bell, London When my copy of SFX arrived in the post, I had to nail* together the Buffy pages [SFX 285] so that my daughter wouldn’t read them! When she hit her teens, we began watching Buffy together and she has made an effort not to find out what’s going to happen. Trying to avoid spoilers has been a full time occupation for me! Naturally I’ve seen every episode at least three times (some many more) but I want my daughter to experience Buffy the way we all did back in the days of Old-Fashioned TV: we watch one episode a week, perhaps two if the suspense is unbearable. So while we don’t binge watch, neither do we wait six months between seasons. We’re on the fourth season now and the first season of Angel. So the new copy of SFX will have to be preserved for a while! *Actually paper clips all around the edges did the job just as well… SFX I like your style, Susannah. And you’re watching the episodes on your old VHS tapes, right, fast-forwarding through the end credits of Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air?
#NOT-SO-AWESOME MIX
Chris Wilkes, email For the first 15 minutes of Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2, I thought I was watching a classic. Baby Groot