Aliens

Alien: Covenant is Fun, as Long as You Don’t Think Too Hard About it

Posted on by andrewpatrickvolk

For almost four decades, the Alien franchise has kept audiences intrigued through its combination of complex science-fiction ideas and intense action and horror sequences. But as later sequels put more emphasis on action and suspense, rather then high concepts and storytelling, a noticeable drop in quality began. 2012’s Prometheus was supposed to refocus the franchise back in the direction that made the first 2 films great, but the bad writing and trope-ladened plot combined to create one of the most intellectually inept blockbusters in recent memory. With so many problems to overcome,  that Alien: Covenant manages to feel fresh and enjoyable despite its many shortcomings is almost an accomplishment, however sad that may be.

Picking up where Prometheus left off, Covenant pulls double duty as both a prequel to the original Alien, as well as a continuation of the story Prometheus began. As such, the film tries to reflect this by calling upon the more scientific and inquisitive approach of its predecessor, while also delivering upon the expected gore and violence the series made its claim upon. It’s in these areas where the film tends to exceed expectations, presenting an interesting mystery that helps bring audiences in before the body count starts adding up. It’s clear that director Ridley Scott spent a great deal of time thinking of how the Xenomorphs came to be, and how to construct a story that both centers around this and simultaneously continues the themes and ideas introduced in Prometheus.

This combining of identities shines brightest when Covenant turns into a full-on creature feature. The classic Xenomorph returns, portrayed as a merciless killing machine, with a number of scenes during the third act showcasing the agility and ferocity that made this classic movie monster so scary the first time around. Brought to life through a combination of practical and digital effects, the Xenomorph is a more agile being when compared to previous incarnations, giving Covenant a more action-thriller tone, as opposed to the typical horror tone in previous films.

Covenant‘s main new addition to the franchise is the Neomorph, a new creature meant to highlight the evolutionary chain that led to the Xenomorphs inception. The primary antagonist for most of the film, the neomorph manages to be terrifying thanks in part to it’s more feral nature, lashing out uncontrollably at our protagonists, with numerous violent results. Several scenes that explore how the Neomorph thinks and acts help add depth to the creature, and grounds both it and the threat it poses in the film’s world in a tangible way. This doesn’t, however, forgive the blatantly identical birthing sequence and design comparisons to the Xenomorph that can’t help but come off a bit lazy.

On the non-alien side of things, Covenant is one of the best looking and sounding blockbusters in recent memory. Much like in Prometheus, director Ridley Scott’s eye for cinematography hasn’t been lost, portraying even gorey and disturbing images with a strange semblance of beauty. The ship and equipment the crew of the Covenant Inhabbit feel appropriately dirty and lived in, and their designs fall close to that of the ships in the original film. Soundwise, composer Jed Kurzel’s score strikes a more subdued and Insidious tone, helping keep early scenes of exploring the mysterious planet tense. The inclusion of the Prometheus theme may periodically come in and clash with the rest of the scores sound, but it all comes together to form an interesting enhancement to (and extension of) the film as a whole.

Sadly, the attention given to these facets of the film were not paid to the characters, Covenant’s biggest problem. Much like Prometheus before it, we are presented with supposedly handpicked, experts in their field scientists, all of whom make idiotic decisions that get people Killed. These aren’t simple mistakes either, as several characters are more then willing to stick their faces in completely foreign and potentially hostile Objects, leading to deaths and events that are more frustrating then they are tragic. While the actors do their best with the material they are given, the characters are often written as stereotypes of the franchise (short haired femme fatal, captain in over his head, comedic relief, grunt cannon fodder, etc.). This is nothing to say of the plot device (directly begun because of the poorly written characters) which brings our crew to the film’s main setting, and the numerous gaps in logic that  hold back what could have been a spectacular return to form for the franchise.

The individual parts for Alien: Covenant could be combined to make something epic and grandiose, and it’s easy to see how it could have come together. But through the framework of forgettable/badly written characters, and a number of poorly thought out plot points, Covenant tends to be only a good sci-fi thriller, when it could have been a great Alien film. This distinction may not bother some, but when a film such as this comes so short of joining the likes of Alien and Aliens, it’s hard not to come down a little harder on it. Otherwise, Alien: Covenant goes all in when it’s shooting for the stars, even if it doesn’t quite break orbit.
Arbitrary Numerical Rating: 8 Screams You Don’t Hear in Space out of 10

Life almost finds a way

Posted on by andrewpatrickvolk

Everyone wants to come up with an original idea for a movie, but good execution can usually make up for a lack of innovation. After all, many genre classics came from following popular trends or aping the revolutionary works that came before them. This is the problem facing Life, a film that does so much well that it’s flaws tend to hold it back further from greatness.

One part Gravity and one part Alien, Life is a horror film that tries to pair fantastical horrors like murderous extra terrestrials, with the real threats of living in space. The film’s environment is a living character, with corridors darkened by the blackness of space and the constant threat of losing oxygen creating a palpable tension throughout most of the film. Earlier scenes help illustrate the strenuous mental and environmental challenges that astronauts face, giving an early sense that even routine things could place the crew further at risk. The crew behind the film seems to have paid close attention to making sure the space details were as accurate as possible, and their efforts add a lot to films sense of isolation and tension.

Life is often at its best when it focuses in on the science part of science fiction, thanks in part to its efforts to ground the films creature (lovingly dubbed “Calvin”). The first act explores the finding of biological material from the dirt on mars, uncovering an organism and exploring the environmental factors that such a creature needs to live in. The staging of these scenes help the audience and cast of the film learn about Calvin at the same time, heightening the intrigue surrounding the creature, and the film benefits from taking time to explore the biology behind Calvin. Once things take a dangerous turn for the worst, the film calls back to these early moments of learning how Calvin survives to help ground it with some rules that add a semblance of realism to even something as fantastical as alien terrors.

With so much of the film hinges on its portrayal of Calvin, it’s the strong CGI that ultimately holds Life’s stronger elements together. Calvin is beautifully realized, with each different form animating differently enough to distinguish them, but share small   Traits between the forms to Get a real sense of progression. The design also benefits from several sources, such as aquatic life and a few influences from other popular alien films, that help Calvin stand out from similar creatures. The space effects hold up fine as well, but Life is first and foremost a creature feature, and the effort put into the effects reflects this accurately.

Sadly, the cast stuck with Calvin aren’t able to stand up to the same level of quality. No one necessarily delivers a bad performance, but the cast never gets the chance to break out of their cliche’d roles. Ryan Reynolds once again plays a charming smartass, Jake Gyellenhall is intense throughout, while the rest of the cast serves only as fodder for Calvin. The situation they are in is interesting, as is their alien antagonist, but nothing the cast gives ever matches this. What results is there not much to attach yourself to emotionally, making the deaths feel less tragic, and it ultimately harder to be worried for anyone’s fate.

These problems with the cast are only amplified when paired with Life’s biggest issue, it’s script. For all the attention and detail the films script gives Calvin and the space details, there’s little in the way of memorable dialogue or surprising twists. Outside of one twist death early on, it’s easy to predict which characters are going to bite it, and often in what order. Further hindering the film is the lack of explanation towards Calvin in the second half, with the script never explaining the creatures actions, likely holding out for a sequel to explain major plot points. This not only is lazy writing, but it ends up hurting the film’s best element, Calvin, by switching from a grounded creature to a nondescript threat that does whatever the writers want it to.

Life could have been another Source Code or 10 Cloverfield Lane, genre films whose strong production aspect help ignore the familiarity inherent in their plots. But such things require a film fire on all cylinders, rather then rest on its few achievements. Wether it’s the barebones characters, or the script lacking in surprise or intrigue, Life sadly misses the praise it clearly thinks it deserves. But it can still be an enjoyable Creature Feature that’s not devoid of entertainment, even if it’s unlikely to grow on you over time.
Arbitrary Numerical Rating: 7 Asshole Calvins out of 10