Are people really surprised how dumb this movie is?

Rating: 5/10 (19 May 2017)

Let's be real here Ridley Scott did NOT need to make a prequel to Alien. Just like Peter Jackson did not need to make the Hobbit trilogy. And just like how George Lucas did NOT need to make a prequel to Star Wars. Yet they did why? Because they know we're gonna eat it up and see it. Ridley Scott is clearly running out of steam here and continues to find ways to continue the Alien saga when it's just unnecessary. The mystery element to the original and even James Cameron's Aliens was what kept the creature so interesting. We didn't need to know where the Xenomorph came from it was just a product of nature, and space from the great unknown. It's terrifying, and it's arguably one of the most iconic monsters in cinema. I've never actually reviewed Prometheus and I didn't want to, it left me super disappointed and confused, especially because the plot was really engaging for me. By the end it was fine, and I knew at that point whatever Scott cooks up is most likely filler to get back to the original movie. Alien Covenant is exactly that, it's filler. There's no reason for this movie to exist in the story it just does. I knew that going in, and you know what? I enjoyed it! It's not original or groundbreaking, but rather just a dumb B horror movie. It works, it surprisingly worked for me. There's plenty of scares, gore, and Xenomorph action to keep you satisfied if you're willing to see it for what it is. It's trying to be a sequel to Prometheus, a prequel to Alien, and really a remake of Alien itself. It's like what Jurassic World did for Jurassic Park, or The Force Awakens did for a New Hope. It relies on old familiar beats and sequences to keep you invested in what's going on. I wasn't mad at it for that, I really enjoyed seeing the Xenomorphs in CGI for the first time in the theatre, they looked pretty good. Mostly good performances, in particular Michael Fasbender who I truly believe his David from Prometheus and this new Alien Covenant will go down as one of the greatest sci fi villains in history. He's so awful I love it, every time he's on screen. Just eerie, creepy and psychotic I really liked him. The crew just lacks any logic and fumbles through these horrible situations and it's massively entertaining. Of course the characters make dumb decisions it's a dumb movie! Apparently the sequel to this movie will happen before this one. It's a midquel between Prometheus and Covenant. What sense does that make? That's what I'm getting at there's no rhyme or reason for this movie to actually exist, but it does and you have to enjoy it for what it is. I apologize if you were expecting something intelligent or groundbreaking from Ridley Scott but the reality is he's lost his way as a great filmmaker. That's the honest truth. He sees dollar signs and nothing more. If anything he should've let Fox give Neil Blomkamp permission to move forward with his Alien film since it sounds like the majority of people want to see a real sequel to Aliens. Knowing Scott though, sounds like we're stuck with his goofy nonsense of twenty more prequels. Hopefully the new Blade Runner 2049 can retain some of the original magic in a new exciting way and I have faith Dennis Villanueve can pull it off. Bottom line is if your expectations are high you might wanna lower them. If your expectations are low, you might actually really enjoy it! Go find out for yourself everyone's a critic. I'll say it's a good time.