Alien: Covenant reviewed by Mark Kermode

Фильм және анимация

Mark Kermode reviews Alien: Covenant. The crew of the colony ship Covenant, heading to a distant planet, pick up a strange signal coming from a seemingly idyllic world. When they land to investigate, they uncover a deadly nightmare.
Please tell us what you think of the film -- or Mark’s review of the film - below. We love to include your views on the show every Friday.
www.bbc.co.uk/5live
Fridays at 2pm on BBC 5 live.

Пікірлер: 654

  • @cancerparty
    @cancerparty6 жыл бұрын

    Alien Covenant script meeting: Exec 1: "The crew members are indistinguishable from one another." Exec 2: "Give one of them a hat." Both light cigars. End of meeting.

  • @DarkBath

    @DarkBath

    5 жыл бұрын

    )))

  • @rekunta

    @rekunta

    4 жыл бұрын

    Yeah. Characters were as cookie cutter and forgettable as could be. Just there as slaughter fodder.

  • @paulaburrows8660
    @paulaburrows86607 жыл бұрын

    I remember being totally captivated by the Derelict and the space jockey in Alien. The mystery behind what it was, why it was there and what happened added so much to the original Alien. All that has been stripped away because films these days have to explain everything and have to come full circle with what has gone before.

  • @StephenGraves
    @StephenGraves7 жыл бұрын

    My beef with Alien Covenant (and Prometheus, too) is this. In Alien, the human race is unimportant in the grand scheme of things. The alien is utterly indifferent to our suffering, in the same way that a parasitic wasp doesn't care about the feelings of a spider that it implants its larva into. In Alien, we are supplanted at the top of the food chain; the film's horror is the primal fear of the prey animal, confronted by the reality of "nature, red in tooth and claw". In Prometheus, suddenly we *are* important. We were created by the Engineers*, and were deemed sufficiently important to be sterilised by them. Even if humanity is considered a failure by the Engineers, it is *considered* by them; we are the subject of special attention, we're not just the product of random chance. Humans are consequential. It completely inverts the message of Alien, and cheapens it in the process. Basically: Alien is about evolution, Prometheus and Alien Covenant are about creationism. *EDIT: or some other alien race, Scott is a bit ambiguous about that.

  • @DarkBath

    @DarkBath

    5 жыл бұрын

    Yeah, also Alien/s plays on the fear of the unknown and that was an awesome thing about first movies, that they never explained the origins of aliens, and the way aliens were presented to the viewer, with their complex life cycle or how we first meet them - some strange eggs laying in ruined and forsaken alien space ship. All of that made them much more interesting and "real". Trying to tell everything we didnt know about them kills the mystery. Kinda like what Star Wars prequels did to the OT.

  • @kaseryn

    @kaseryn

    5 жыл бұрын

    @@DarkBath Yes... so agree with what both of you just said. I rather repeated it above before i read these comments. How about giving Denis Villeneueve a shot at the franchise now?

  • @DarkBath

    @DarkBath

    5 жыл бұрын

    @@kaseryn Let Villeneueve make all the movies

  • @kaseryn

    @kaseryn

    5 жыл бұрын

    @@DarkBath Yesss... so far so good from that man. Expected far worse from BR2049 (i.e. loved it but didn't expect it to be so good) and i was very much moved by Arrival.

  • @Flypidge

    @Flypidge

    5 жыл бұрын

    I actually really like the engineers and would have liked to know more about there story. I also like that something so intelligent as a droid creates the perfect organism an organism that's design was purely to be top of the food chain. Not a design that was in anyone's image or to anyone's gain just to be efficient powerful quick and to be top. Where as the humans are created much like religious belief in todays reality, we were created in there image not to be a perfect organism but to represent a there species. We were an experiment nothing more. The two motives for design were so different and that's what I like about it.

  • @jonathanmelia
    @jonathanmelia7 жыл бұрын

    ALIEN is great: one of the reasons is the overlapping, semi-improvised dialogue you get throughout the film, which gives it a sense of authenticity. We'd got used to that in the 1970s since early Altman, Coppola and Scorsese. Now everything has to be scripted and emoted within an inch of its life.

  • @jackryan9183

    @jackryan9183

    7 жыл бұрын

    Overlapping dialogue was the hallmark of Howard Hawks. He was the Master. Hawks made films in almost every single genre including Comedy, Western, Sci-Fi, Action, War, Thriller, Gangster & Drama and in every single one of his films you'll find his trademark overlapping dialogue. And if you watch "The Thing From Another World" (widely recognized to be directed by Hawks) the overlapping dialogue is one of the things that make that film such a classic. Moreover, that film actually paved the way for films like "Alien", "Jaws" and many others..

  • @jonathanmelia

    @jonathanmelia

    7 жыл бұрын

    Yes, I'd forgotten about The Thing From Another World. Very odd, slightly incongruous dialogue. "Anyone want some coffee?" " No, but you can come in..."

  • @vMaxHeadroom

    @vMaxHeadroom

    7 жыл бұрын

    Agreed, it's like they have dumbed everything down, as though they do not think the audience is as capable of understanding. It's as though they are writing for kids. I wonder who is at fault, the audience, the studio's or the writers? I re-watched Alien and boy does that stand head and shoulders of Covenant...in pretty much all areas..the writing, the pacing, the subtext...the good old days.

  • @herbg4866

    @herbg4866

    3 жыл бұрын

    Glad you liked Uncut Gems 😆

  • @lrodger2486
    @lrodger24867 жыл бұрын

    If Ridley Scott was to ever just watch one review of his movie .... I would demand that he watch this one ..... mark your review was spot on ..... simplicity is the key to the Alien movies and it's now drenched in plot holes and clutter ....

  • @otterpoet
    @otterpoet4 жыл бұрын

    "The Da Vinci Code is space...." Literally, shot coffee out my nose XD

  • @missmiko1
    @missmiko17 жыл бұрын

    Why can't the American critics be as honest as this? They're too busy trying to get hits on youtube and to get invited to screenings. Love Kermode!

  • @alexjaybrady
    @alexjaybrady7 жыл бұрын

    One of my favourite elements of Alien was the implication that the company HQ had inferred what the signal might be and sent the Nostromo crew in as a sort of canary in the coalmine. So dark, so relevant.

  • @mattred7710
    @mattred77107 жыл бұрын

    2020: Jaws: Creation. The backstory of a failure of sea man who creates the ultimate shark!

  • @tjenahoj

    @tjenahoj

    3 жыл бұрын

    Brilliant!

  • @jamiewindsor
    @jamiewindsor7 жыл бұрын

    Oh no. I was really looking forward to this.

  • @LoganGalt8810
    @LoganGalt88107 жыл бұрын

    Oh my god. Finally. Of all the reviews which try to say that the presence of Aliens will satisfy fans, it is SUCH a relief to see someone ACTUALLY state what the problem was with this movie. Thank You! You are 100%, objectively right. It takes the mysterious coincidences of the first movie and UNDERMINES them by giving it a tiny, anthropocentric backstory to explain it. Prometheus already reduced the mysterious fossilised space jockey to a big white dude with human DNA. Now the xeno's themselves are no longer this mysterious, unknown but presumably naturally occurring species. Thank you for the fair, balanced review. You put into words what I struggled to.

  • @nancybryce92

    @nancybryce92

    2 жыл бұрын

    Anthropcentric back story should have been ditched right away....just NOPE

  • @joshuaprice3965
    @joshuaprice39657 жыл бұрын

    "Alien was a horror movie, Aliens was a war movie, Alien 3 was a....disaster". Lol.

  • @JayRK777

    @JayRK777

    7 жыл бұрын

    .....an interesting disaster tho :)

  • @reimerbard1552

    @reimerbard1552

    7 жыл бұрын

    A3 is damn good...amazingly good considering the circumstances of its production. I bet this new one isn't a patch on it.

  • @Sabir_DelNorte

    @Sabir_DelNorte

    7 жыл бұрын

    Joshua Price I fell out laughing at that same part! "Alien 3 was a..... disaster" 😂 love it

  • @wysiwyg2006

    @wysiwyg2006

    7 жыл бұрын

    Joshua Price I love the atmosphere of alien 3.the bleakness, the gothicness. It was all doom and gloom which the xenomorphs should be about. Resurrection was too cartoony. Maybe ridley should have kept the origins of the xenomorphs a mystery as our own imaginations often make it more mysterious and haunted than a Hollywood script can

  • @ddha0000

    @ddha0000

    7 жыл бұрын

    funny how he said it......but just to be sure everyone understands he was saying a disaster movie, 3 is pretty good overall, it has the tension of the 1st movie.

  • @HerbieChuckNorris
    @HerbieChuckNorris7 жыл бұрын

    He's nailed it.

  • @stevemitchell3464
    @stevemitchell34644 жыл бұрын

    Da Vinci code in space. 😂😂😂😂

  • @anubusx

    @anubusx

    4 жыл бұрын

    Scott has ruined the Xenomorph.

  • @HopeMonkey
    @HopeMonkey7 жыл бұрын

    Kermode is spot on with this film. For me this felt ordinary and tensionless , tries to hit the greatest Aliens hit and doesn't quite get there and you can see the ending coming a mile off. There is absolutely no surprises or real shock.

  • @anubusx
    @anubusx7 жыл бұрын

    The cgi for thr aliens were awful. The aliens looked better back in Aliens.

  • @HopeMonkey
    @HopeMonkey7 жыл бұрын

    this doesn't ruin the legacy of the first two films. this film doesn't have the size to challenge them.

  • @br_a1n161
    @br_a1n1617 жыл бұрын

    One of things I love about the earlier films is the sense of mystery surrounding the origin of the Xenomorph. Another of the things I enjoy about Alien and Aliens is the simplicity of the Alien life cycle. This film, along with Prometheus, really muddies the waters in both regards and that frustrates me, sometimes less really is more...

  • @RobSef6
    @RobSef67 жыл бұрын

    Completely agree with Mr Kermode. I also thought the ask of David being "big bad robot man" was actually pretty lame and just felt like Blade Runner territory. What would have been interesting, is if David was still working to directives given to him by the Weyland-Yutani Corp, i.e. "Find us a weapon." But no... David is the next Terminator... meh.

  • @thegoodjinn8065
    @thegoodjinn80657 жыл бұрын

    Ridley is a great visualist, but terrible story teller, a bit like an architect who isn't an engineer being allowed to build a bridge, then people wonder why it collapses.

  • @moshosihole4185

    @moshosihole4185

    7 жыл бұрын

    man of onyx agreed

  • @ernestolombardo5811

    @ernestolombardo5811

    5 жыл бұрын

    Oh, but that bridge looked fabulous while it was standing!

  • @MostlyPennyCat

    @MostlyPennyCat

    5 жыл бұрын

    I'd say he's the other way round. He's the engineer with no eye for beauty. The architect (script writer) gives him a script and he, the engineer (director) brings it to life. He has no idea what a good bridge looks like our how it functions. But he can build them real good.

  • @levmyshkin8366

    @levmyshkin8366

    5 жыл бұрын

    The story is more well crafted than you give credit for.

  • @cjblair2586

    @cjblair2586

    4 жыл бұрын

    Spot on

  • @Celestialrob
    @Celestialrob2 жыл бұрын

    Quite brilliant review. Thanks Mark!

  • @scottieturner.
    @scottieturner.4 жыл бұрын

    " I wish i liked it more... But i thought it was silly. "

  • @katkag.1799
    @katkag.17994 жыл бұрын

    I saw Alien for the first time when I was 11. It was a lesson for me from my parents, because I was always questioning their rules about what we can and cannot watch on TV (as opposed to other children at school). After that I stopped questioning them and had some sleepless nights :D . But to this day, Alien and Aliens are one of my favourite sci-fi films of all times. I kind of like the new reboot, but there are many things that doesn't make any sense to me. Visually though, it's great. Whether good or bad, I will watch every single new film from this franchise.

  • @masseysmoviemadness1411
    @masseysmoviemadness14117 жыл бұрын

    This is my favourite of all the Kermode reviews I've ever heard. He really summed it up perfectly.

  • @niallh4194
    @niallh41947 жыл бұрын

    Fassbender probably the only reason I would watch well and the aliens

  • @TheBlackSpiral
    @TheBlackSpiral7 жыл бұрын

    I've been saying and thinking this for a while now.. Alien was never about "where did it come from", unlike what Ridley Scott says.. If anything, all these prequels can do is take away from the mysterious majesty of the creature.

  • @MrDemonicDan
    @MrDemonicDan7 жыл бұрын

    "Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" That line takes on new meaning when applied to Ridley's latest efforts.

  • @NPThirteen
    @NPThirteen7 жыл бұрын

    Saw it last night. Thought it was irritatingly bland for the most part (to the point that I honestly didn't realise that was supposed to be the big climax), and then the last ten minutes were almost insulting. Also, the violent moments had no impact, due to the horrendous shaky cam, and frenetic cutting.

  • @nicholasdickens2801
    @nicholasdickens28017 жыл бұрын

    I bet the scene is the Alien Chestburster scene. I wanted to cry. "Awww. So cute." Oh dear.

  • @lewischenery1884

    @lewischenery1884

    7 жыл бұрын

    Nicholas Dickens What the hell was that about? David raises he's arms and the alien copies him. Like baby groot dancing. embarrassing.

  • @ion_iot

    @ion_iot

    7 жыл бұрын

    +THEremiXFACTOR hey dude thanks for the spoiler. you are a considerate douche!!

  • @ajpennypacker
    @ajpennypacker7 жыл бұрын

    Saw it last night. Just dire, like a bad parody of an Alien movie. Stunned how poor it was. Only positive is (as expected), it's beautifully shot.

  • @rhysthomas6380

    @rhysthomas6380

    6 жыл бұрын

    Alien Covenant is a comedy! Fassbinder is a robot a la Robby from Lost in Space! Hilarious! But you need to be in the mood...😂😂😂😂😂

  • @programclu1
    @programclu17 жыл бұрын

    Mark absolutely nailed this review. Like he said, if you're invested in the earlier films and Alien had that effect on you then Covenant does make you leave with a heavy heart. I was absolutely gutted after walking out of the cinema as a great lover of the mystery and depth the original had. I'll never stop loving that film but this is one of the rare times it does feel like it's undermined its predecessor massively. To the point where I honestly do not know what was going through Ridley's head.

  • @Egg-mr7np
    @Egg-mr7np7 жыл бұрын

    'The Da Vinci Code in space' I LOLIRL'd.

  • @QueensLadyDay
    @QueensLadyDay7 жыл бұрын

    Excellent review!

  • @roathripper
    @roathripper7 жыл бұрын

    scott seems determined to tarnish his legacy.

  • @richarde26

    @richarde26

    7 жыл бұрын

    RoathRipper going full George Lucas... Never go full....

  • @davidlean1060

    @davidlean1060

    7 жыл бұрын

    Say what you like about the derided Star Wars prequels, at least the mistakes were Lucas' own. Thanks to 'extended universes' (pass the sick bucket!) directors, who are supposed to be visionaries, include or exclude content based on what fans want. That is not art. Ridley scott admits to this in an interview and a man of his experience should be making the films he wants and not the film the fans want. Lucas made bad movies, but at least he made them according to his vision.

  • @ds37

    @ds37

    7 жыл бұрын

    Rather than leaving that universe to Neil Blomkamp I mean with Prometheus and now this, how low can you go Mr. Scott?

  • @bebaguette766

    @bebaguette766

    7 жыл бұрын

    ds37 Neil Blomkamp is a one - hit wonder, Mr. Scott is still making good films on a semi - regular basis.

  • @shaggyalonso

    @shaggyalonso

    7 жыл бұрын

    Starting to wonder if he's lost the plot, like literally is becoming a bit senile?

  • @dbrown8698
    @dbrown86987 жыл бұрын

    Absolutely spot on. Watched it last night...left with a heavy heart.

  • @porcu12345
    @porcu123456 жыл бұрын

    I think the best option for the franchise now, is to go as low budget as possble. Horror movies make a TON of money, because they get made on incredibly low budgets of 10 to 15 million when compared to covenants 150+ million. The genre is too niche for budgets that high. No more spanning vistas or giant set pieces, as gorgeous as they are. My proposed idea If they were to do a Covenant sequel would be to keep the movie ON the Covenant, just like the original spent almost the entire movie on one ship. Hear me out. The ship is relatively large, it has 2000 colonists on it, a rogue synthetic and at least 2 aliens. We saw during covenant that the Alien was somewhat disobedient when it tried to attack David through the monitor, so have something go wrong during one of his experiments and have the two (or possibly more) aliens break free and cause havoc. A handful of the colonists wake up somehow, the Aliens are on the loose stalking the vents and hallways and David is among the colonists trying to be Walter and remain hidden until he becomes a protagonist at the end. It's contained, it's claustrophobic, It's dark, it's scary, it's Alien.

  • @H1RFULT
    @H1RFULT7 жыл бұрын

    I acc thought 'Life' was way more thrilling and a bit more a plot. This film was literally a alien concept in the most simplest form. A bunch of people reaching a planet getting infected and then scouring back to safety

  • @Texus8
    @Texus87 жыл бұрын

    Love hearing Kermode's opinions but I personally really enjoyed Covenant. I'm also a huge fan of the original Alien and to me the backstory that Scott is creating here in no way undermines the original movie and xenomorph because it doesn't really change the nature of the creature as being this highly evolved "perfect organism". So the story of the humans randomly intersecting with this terrifying thing in Alien still holds just as it did before. I'm also a little surprised that more people haven't mentioned the connection of these new Alien movies, and Covenant in particular, to Blade Runner. The themes that Scott is exploring in the Alien universe now are very similar and reminiscent of that movie. I really like this direction because while Alien is great in its simplicity, it was also pretty formulaic and would've been boring for Scott to just repeat the same simple story, so I'd rather he try to expand the universe in new ways. One criticism of Covenant that I think is valid is that the characters and cast are not particularly engaging. Just rewatched the original before going into Covenant and the dynamic of the crew is a big part of what makes that movie work so well. I actually thought the characters were engaging in Prometheus too, and by contrast the Covenant's crew is very bland. Part of this could be the story, since a key event right at the beginning sets a pretty bleak tone. Anyways, I'd highly recommend it, but it seems like it will be divisive just like Prometheus.

  • @BHCha-

    @BHCha-

    7 жыл бұрын

    Completely agree.

  • @charliepanayiotou4305
    @charliepanayiotou43057 жыл бұрын

    It's been over 30 years since the last good Alien film, no idea how people still have any optimism for them

  • @TheTonyEntertainment

    @TheTonyEntertainment

    7 жыл бұрын

    Charlie Panayiotou yeah this is like the Terminator saga all over again by now

  • @charliepanayiotou4305

    @charliepanayiotou4305

    7 жыл бұрын

    Even David Fincher doesn't like Alien 3, and he directed it.

  • @ddha0000

    @ddha0000

    7 жыл бұрын

    alien 3 was pretty good, but not as good as the previous 2, overall a great trilogy of they left it there.

  • @lewischenery1884

    @lewischenery1884

    7 жыл бұрын

    Why can't they leave things alone! look what happened to terminator. should of ended after 2.

  • @TheSnoozeFox

    @TheSnoozeFox

    7 жыл бұрын

    Even if you don't play videogames Alien Isolation is essential, it's the only thing that captures the originals atmosphere

  • @tomjepson2295
    @tomjepson22957 жыл бұрын

    This pretty much sums up my viewing of it, too. I *really* wanted to love it, I really did. Some of the sequences and set pieces were genuinely good watching - the whole planet landing/alien vegetation part had me gripped - but the rest did fall a little short for me. Pacing issues were abundant as Mr K says and the dialogue felt like it was trying to aim for something bigger, even more grandiose than it had in its lap; space monsters... in space! I don't know what I was expecting from 'Covenant, but it wasn't quite this. It felt like it had been tee'd up for more tension, more horror (in spite of bits coming off people and lots of things popping out of bodies!), and more thematic links to it's predecessors. If/when there is a follow up, I really hope that they can pull it back and bring the tension, the awe, and the feeling of the unknown back in as the stories of Daniels and then the Nostromo cross over. I haven't watched Prometheus since I saw it at the pictures and I really doubt I'll give this one another go any time soon.

  • @EvanTomiko
    @EvanTomiko7 жыл бұрын

    The movie has a lot of references from the first Alien movie. The soundtrack, the images in the dock ship's screens, some sounds effects. Even the bird that drinks water. The reference when the captain died and the trow the body to space. The medical facility looks a lot like the first movie.

  • @dannypalin9583
    @dannypalin95836 жыл бұрын

    The original teaser trailer for Alien featured mostly blackness and soldiers running through corridors whilst a siren blared throughout the chaos. And yet this is more unnerving than a movie made nearly forty years later.

  • @kingkong5483
    @kingkong54836 жыл бұрын

    Great review

  • @amcaesar
    @amcaesar7 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for this, sirs.

  • @michaeljcallaghan78
    @michaeljcallaghan787 жыл бұрын

    Great review. I felt hollow inside when I was walking out the cinema at the end. Not sure I'm interested in where part 3 is going. Thought the ending of Covenant was ridiculous.

  • @lukasjohnson8385
    @lukasjohnson83857 жыл бұрын

    I can't agree more with Marks summary there. Especially the experience he mentions when first watching Alien. I kind of want to weep.

  • @purerlogic4811
    @purerlogic48117 жыл бұрын

    I've noticed with many modern movies, that it is almost as if scenes are somewhat sequential, and specific and it's noticeable. Let me explain. Before I went to watch the movie yesterday, I watched half of Aliens (the 2nd Alien movie). Later on I watched the Alien: Covenant in Imax (yes lovely quality and sound), and then today I just finished watching Aliens. So with Aliens, I got a sense of the actors being in a massive environment. Multiple things going on, multiple scenes, multiple places, emotions, environments often at the same time (less sequential/specific). I get that movies try to be 'scenes', a bit like going to a theatre. A theatre doesn't really have much to work with, it can't switch constantly between scenes. The world of Alien: Covenant was pretty big, even compared to Aliens which was somewhat claustrophobic and yet felt big. But A:C didn't feel big, it didn't feel epic. The city? Big, but small in perception. It was this scene, and then that scene, and try to add an emotional scene, next scene. I don't know what it is with modern movies (not all of them), but unlike real classics, they appear to be more specific, in a way that you can see it's design, rather than subtle amalgamation of parts to make a real and believable movie that we will remember forever. I heard that this film was going to be more horrifying that all the others. Well nothing compares to the scene in Aliens where the one colonist is supposedly dead and then opens their eyes and says 'kill me' just before an alien bursts out of her stomach. And the music was completely a part of that, expertly done. See in that scene, it was kind of the emotional horror about it. In the backburster scene of A:C, it was merely a glorified scene without much emotion in it. A person died horrifically, hey, nice fx right? Other than that... What made the Alien a truly horrifying entity, is that it seemed to have some kind of intelligence. In A:C, the NeoMorph and XenoMorph, just seemed like monsters in any monster movie. Did anyone notice the Aliens music added to it? It brought a little nostalgia, but certainly didn't live up to it. But didn't do poorly either. It was good 'entertainment', I wouldn't really see it again I don't think. Where as Aliens I would probably rate 9.5/10 (because nothing can be perfect!), I would probably rate this 6.5/10. Prometheus was refreshing because it made a more modern concept albeit a different one, even though it moved away somewhat from the franchise. I have watched Prometheus again because it is one of those movies, interesting to a degree. I'd probably give it 7/10 for being original.

  • @philipallen4106
    @philipallen41067 жыл бұрын

    Oh no... :(

  • @sheepception2049

    @sheepception2049

    7 жыл бұрын

    Damn...

  • @wendymiller3364
    @wendymiller33645 жыл бұрын

    "Earscraping dialog " hilarious

  • @Ben_Mdws
    @Ben_Mdws4 жыл бұрын

    Mark thoughtfully deconstructing his disappointment in a film is always interesting to watch.

  • @edwardbrennan1915
    @edwardbrennan19157 жыл бұрын

    Just back after avoiding pretty much all discussion and Mark nailed it, this isn't just an unwieldy mess, it actively harms the sense of awe and mystery of the original film, and actually makes the folks in Prometheus look smart.

  • @TheGrenfellRatio
    @TheGrenfellRatio5 жыл бұрын

    That bone flute the robots play...its from her leg isnt it? Two fighting brothers...a mad creator with thousands of drawings of a tortured woman...this is ridleys most personal film

  • @Methuselem
    @Methuselem7 жыл бұрын

    " I thought it was silly" Say no more...Thanks Mark, you've just saved me the price of a cinema ticket. I shall however, look forward to picking up a copy for £3 in Asda's bargain DVD section, ...hmm, probably November.

  • @lamkin9188
    @lamkin91887 жыл бұрын

    couldn't agree more. saw the original again recently, hard to believe it was from the same director.

  • @simonxag
    @simonxag7 жыл бұрын

    I haven't seen this film, but it's good to hear Kermode coming round to the position most people had on seeing the awful Prometheus.

  • @topeuph
    @topeuph7 жыл бұрын

    Hmm, interesting review. I really enjoyed it. Certainly a step up from Prometheus, which I also liked.

  • @kimsimmonds7880
    @kimsimmonds78807 жыл бұрын

    I was thinking that this franchise could ruin the original film. It's a sad state that this film leaves the franchise in. You could at least excuse the AvP films as nonsense and pretend they weren't canon!

  • @lewischenery1884

    @lewischenery1884

    7 жыл бұрын

    Kim Simmonds Gunna have to do the same with these ones I'm afraid

  • @pillsareyummy
    @pillsareyummy7 жыл бұрын

    Alien (the title) was supposed to be both a noun (Xenomorph) and an adjective (the environment being 'alien'). In my opinion, they ruined the franchise when they started trying to explain the origins of both the Xenomorphs and Engineers. The mystery that filled the first two Alien films is what made those films great. Too many times Hollywood has 'pulled back the curtain', however what we see never lives up to our expectations.

  • @discobiscuit99
    @discobiscuit997 жыл бұрын

    Couldn't agree more! Well said

  • @rb6749
    @rb67497 жыл бұрын

    I can't be the only one who actually enjoyed Alien: Covenant. Can I?

  • @Jesse3beards
    @Jesse3beards7 жыл бұрын

    Sad to hear it. I'm probably still going to check it out though, cause I liked Prometheus when a lot of my friends, and a big part of the internet community didn't like it. I hope I'll have a similar experience with this one.

  • @BatteryExhausted
    @BatteryExhausted7 жыл бұрын

    Looking forward to this so I suppose it is good to have my expectations lowered...

  • @wysiwyg2006
    @wysiwyg20067 жыл бұрын

    IV booked to see the film on Sunday but as an alien, aliens and alien 3 fan I'm extremely gutted about the reviews coming out for covenant.

  • @WAAAAAAAAAAAY
    @WAAAAAAAAAAAY7 жыл бұрын

    Can't wait for the Legend prequel :)

  • @asmrgobshite9163
    @asmrgobshite91637 жыл бұрын

    Mark, it's me, Quinlank, remember? Are we still on for that Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach night over at my place? - Simon

  • @reniisgod
    @reniisgod2 жыл бұрын

    I rewatched Alien3 (Assembly Cut) a few weeks ago and was pleasantly surprised how good it was. Considering Fincher went through hell making it - I feel it’s aged pretty well - bar the CGI Alien scenes. There’s some fantastic performances - Charles Dutton, Pete Postlethwaite (R.I.P) and of course Charles Dance.

  • @jamess854

    @jamess854

    Жыл бұрын

    There were actually no CGI shots used in Alien 3. All puppets and stop motion. But I agree that the stop motion does look quite jarring and dated.

  • @petergare4766

    @petergare4766

    Жыл бұрын

    @@jamess854 they've redone some effects in the anthology release on blu ray. They look much better. There still needs to be colour correction when it's running through the tunnels in my opinion though. Originally there was a tiny amount of CGI in the original edition. It's used when the carapace of the creature cracks when the cold water hits it.

  • @syntaxed2
    @syntaxed27 жыл бұрын

    I usually start at 10/10 for a movie review and just subtract a point whenever there is something I dont like: * I'll do the fingering (Such dialogue has no place in a dark and serious alien movie) 9/10 * Breaching quarantine when u can see a hostile lifeform inside, (and then slipping on the blood like a teenager) not pro 8/10 * Shaw offscreen death, no satisfying explanation (slap in the face) 7/10 * No satisfying explanation for the prometheus cliffhanger (slap in the face) 6/10 * Friday the 13th cliche shower scene (sex under music when all your friends just died?) 5/10 * Illogical behaviour of characters (You dont follow an android ANYWHERE after your wife and friends just got killed by his creations and he admitted it) 4/10 * Illogical behaviour (You dont split up after being attacked by hostile aliens) 3/10 * David is the creator of the xenomorph? (Nah not buying that) 2/10 Theres probably more but I cant be arsed :D

  • @blackpantah4893
    @blackpantah48937 жыл бұрын

    what a way to end the video. "I thought it was silly". 😂😂

  • @Wayner71
    @Wayner717 ай бұрын

    A truly great review. He said it all.

  • @TheFatblob25
    @TheFatblob252 жыл бұрын

    Could not agree more. It starts undermining the entire mystery of Alien, even if it's plausibly bring it full circle, the story didn't need it!

  • @michaelcox8820
    @michaelcox88204 жыл бұрын

    The baby groot chest burster scene is where I profaned out loud in disgust. Ridley Scott must have been tipsy whilst making this, because Ridley Scott circa 1982 would have been uninpressed by such average fare.

  • @Warp75
    @Warp757 жыл бұрын

    I'm going in there not expecting much & that will do

  • @snorhyveln
    @snorhyveln7 жыл бұрын

    You're absolutely right!

  • @timothycurtis4744
    @timothycurtis47445 жыл бұрын

    You're totally right. Every time I see Alien I am totally arrested from the moment Goldsmith's score breathes its way in and then I am engrossed for the duration. I have the same reaction to Aliens; they are two of the most powerful films ever made. I like Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection. Prometheus and Alien Covenant are derivative of Alien, as if amateur philosopher fanboys of the franchise made them to get revenge on the makers of the less demanding AVP films.

  • @Waitingoutside
    @Waitingoutside7 жыл бұрын

    Perfectly and eloquently said. I felt exactly the same as Mark.

  • @montybrewster7
    @montybrewster77 жыл бұрын

    I had a huge problem with the rushed nature of the evolution of the xenomorph like creatures too as Mark mentioned as well as a number of "why would you do that?" moments. I kind of enjoyed the film in a throw away sort of way & I'm fine with that. But I guess I came out of the film feeling a little underwhelmed. Maybe that's the problem with us as modern film goers, the marketing machine makes us hope for so much more than films often deliver. I wonder sometimes if we just expect every film to be a classic rather than just going in & hoping for a good film. Thanks for the review guys.

  • @BHCha-
    @BHCha-7 жыл бұрын

    I understand Marks points completely and agree with them to some extent. However I really enjoyed the film.

  • @lectrifyin1
    @lectrifyin17 жыл бұрын

    I wanted to burst out laughing several times during Alien Covenant, so I know where he's coming from. When a sci-fi horror movie is attempting to scare you but instead prompts you to laugh there's something really wrong.

  • @IMOReviews
    @IMOReviews4 жыл бұрын

    I’m guessing he lost his patience at the flamethrower scene... I too, sat back and thought, oh give over 😒

  • @grantandrews4826
    @grantandrews48267 жыл бұрын

    Ridley, like so many of the greats before him, has fallen prey to his own hype.

  • @tylerdurden5303
    @tylerdurden53037 жыл бұрын

    Where did David get the scissors from?!

  • @CMDR_Verm
    @CMDR_Verm3 жыл бұрын

    Kermode hits the nail on the head here. Many of us who are old enough to have seen Alien on its release in the cinema were very affected by it for many reasons. The dialogue, the realistic ship, Giger's nightmarish style; this was adult SF and at the time it was a revelation. By comparison Alien: Covenant is a joke and I find it insulting. Shame on you Mr. Scott.

  • @applepye87
    @applepye877 жыл бұрын

    "The Da Vinci Code in space" - I'm not sure I can imagine just how bad that would be.

  • @parrogakaparadise9477

    @parrogakaparadise9477

    4 жыл бұрын

    applepye87 On the plus side, nobody including yourself would be able to hear your screams 😉

  • @eln0rte
    @eln0rte7 жыл бұрын

    What specific part do we think Mark was referring when he felt it began to undermine Alien?

  • @defection
    @defection7 жыл бұрын

    I'm watching this with my mates, everything hat mark is saying is true to the story, so much has been overlooked and left behind, my friend just shouted 'yes!!!' because mark said that the main bits have been left out of his movie, its a compilation f cool bits from alien...

  • @Claidheambmor
    @Claidheambmor6 ай бұрын

    The best review of Alien Covenant out there

  • @gloryboxful
    @gloryboxful7 жыл бұрын

    Alien is my favorite film. I didn't like Prometheus at all but I enjoyed the heck out of this Movie! I loved it from start to finish. It's a fiendishly dark piece of filmmaking.

  • @anubusx

    @anubusx

    4 жыл бұрын

    Awful.

  • @gloryboxful

    @gloryboxful

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@anubusx you're awful

  • @jameslphoward
    @jameslphoward7 жыл бұрын

    I just come from watching this at the cinema. I did like it. I can see what direction they are taking it into. I wish'd that they didn't use cgi for the alien.

  • @lewiscranston881
    @lewiscranston8817 жыл бұрын

    I'm going to see it anyway but I always knew it would cliched and without the atmosphere of Alien.

  • @andrewgwilliam4831
    @andrewgwilliam48317 жыл бұрын

    I'm tempted to go and see this somewhere cheap, if only to be almost unique in having seen this but not "Prometheus"!

  • @cinemar
    @cinemar6 жыл бұрын

    Making a film worse than Prometheus is quite an achievement.

  • @Darantino
    @Darantino7 жыл бұрын

    Maybe I just got Mark wrong, but Alien wasn't really a coincidence encounter with the xenomorph because they kind of get led on the planet by the science chief? Or did he got the instructions after they found the ship? I thought he new this was no emergency call.

  • @Aceimus1066
    @Aceimus10667 жыл бұрын

    totally agree. what has happened to Ridley Scott?

  • @markmccallum475
    @markmccallum4757 жыл бұрын

    mark grew up with the greatest hits of aliens so when he heard they were making a film of it at triple speed, he was very interested.

  • @MrJosten72
    @MrJosten7229 күн бұрын

    The most interesting thing in Prometheus for me - which I thought was poor otherwise - was the Engineer(s). So I was really looking forward to learning more about them. As such, Covenant, for me, was a disaster.

  • @michaelcox8820
    @michaelcox88204 жыл бұрын

    I was thoroughly underwhelmed by the planet design. The Engineers are supposed to be this high tech, mysterious race of giant humanoids, yet all we are treated to is bland Rome-lite architecture. It was such an underwhelming landscape. Very unlike the original where LV-216 has that eerie unrecognisable spikey natural environment

  • @TheLemps2012
    @TheLemps20127 жыл бұрын

    Couldn't agree more!!

  • @cne1975
    @cne19757 жыл бұрын

    Kermode is the only movie reviewer who is worth listening to

  • @thomashcullen8669
    @thomashcullen86697 жыл бұрын

    Alien Covenant is a corporate vision of a sequel; the story of Elizabeth Shaw was the way to follow from Prometheus, but Fox decided to not make that effort. Also, the issue that Alien Covenant suffers from is its plausibility as a prequel to Alien: the events of Covenant are logical, and philosophical, but at the same time those events don't seem a reasonable precursor to the allegorical story of the 1979 Alien

  • @nathandrake8320
    @nathandrake83207 жыл бұрын

    Just watched it and I thought it was great.

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