Alien : Covenant

I have to wait a few years down the line for next biggie screen at least 70" ..a lot of films are letterboxed on a 55" look like 40"..70" TV( letterboxed ) should look about 65".

 

yes, I see your point...

 

When you ( if you ) get a 55" after a while you'll want a bigger screen.

 

human nature...LOL

 

Terminator 2: Judgment Day

 

That was produced in 1991. Apple meet orange.

 

I admire the fact that Scott wanted to revisit his original film and take it in a different, more philosophical direction. But when you have a script in which a biologist encounters what looks like a scrotum-headed water moccasin and then decides to literally play cootchie-coo with it instead of screaming like a girl... check, please.

Although his most famous forays have been into sci-fi, I find that modern-day Scott has fared far better outside that genre. BLACK RAIN is criminally underrated, and BLACK HAWK DOWN is now a classic war movie... he needs to play what his strengths are now, not what they were 30+ years ago.

 

I don't think it was a smart move at all. This movie was awful, imo. I saw the first movie when it had its theatrical release, and have maintained my fandom down the years, but honestly, the thing has totally gone off the rails now, imo.

Basically, if he wanted a "more complex origin story", then maybe he should have delivered one. Instead we get this. The fact remains, Alien IS a xenomorph. If you want to make an origin of man movie - and the last two have been heavier on the origin of man than they've been origin of the xenomorph - then why make them in the Alien universe? Just make a whole other movie!

I've not read this entire thread, but I'm sure the plot has been dissected plenty. Much of it is just terrible. I never thought I'd get bored watching an Alien movie, but this really took the biscuit, as they say. It's dull, lifeless, lacks passion and energy. At this point I've no idea where this is going - but can someone make a Xenomorph picture please? I know you may think there's only so far you can go with it, but Hollywood is a city full of writers, I'm sure they can make a story that's interesting, is more coherent than this, and doesn't make me laugh (that flute playing scene is pure Monty Python).

Erm, not a fan.

 

Wouldn't disagree. It was a stupid scene.

 

Well, as you know, the film began as a question--Who were the occupants of the ship in "Alien" and did they land there? Originally, Scott indicated that there wasn't a direct connection. I kind of believe him--I think that Scott didn't want to include any xenomorph but was asked to by Fox to insure that the film did well at the box office.

I really can't see how they can do much more with the xenomorph even with some great writers unless you want the xenomorph to start talking, put on a top hat and sing "Hello my baby" (i.e. Michigan K. Frog). Personally, I think that Scott should have stuck to his original idea. I didn't care where the to necessarily find out who the aliens were but I did think that "Prometheus" have some interesting ideas (pilfered from "Chariots of the Gods"). Scott compromising on the story has been part of the problem.

 

Had Hill and Giler stuck to earlier drafts, even that wouldn't be original now - the alien was supposed to use Ripley's head for a tootsie roll pop, and then mimic her voice sending out an SOS...

 

Indeed. I don't recall if that Hill and Giler's idea originally (or O'Bannon or Scott's) but it was....silly. It would have been hard to pull off although "Annihilation" found a way to use somewhat of a similar idea (not at the end though).

 

What demand? The home 3D market is essentially dead. The movie was a commercial disappointment.

The idea that Fox will decide a year later to do an expensive 3D conversion for "Covenant" when they wouldn't bother with one in the first place makes absolutely zero sense.

"T2" got a conversion because a) it's a still-loved classic and b) its director wanted it.

"Covenant" is a borderline flop whose director couldn't muster the energy to push for 3D when he still had some pre-release clout.

I said it before: 0% chance a 3D "Covenant" happens.

You come up with some genuinely perplexing arguments about a wide range of topics, and this is another...

 

When "T2" came out, there was no commercial market for 3D. Look at 1991 - 3D was dead as a doornail in that year. No one released 3D movies.

When "Covenant" came out, 3D was an active, ongoing concern in theaters. In fact, the prior movie in the series was even shot 3D!

If they'd wanted a 3D "Covenant", it would've happened last year. Whether due to budgetary concerns or artistic choice, they elected not to shoot a 3D "Covenant".

I honestly can't figure out if you put up posts like this to troll or if you really don't see the difference...

 

Terminator 2: was converted to 3D last year. Also, Predator( 1987) was also converted from 2D to 3D. So it can be possible, after the fact!!!

 

Yes but both of those movies are commercial successes.

Name one movie which had a later 3D conversation despite being a commercial flop.

 

why would that be considered?

 

Was Alien Covenant a flop?
Aesthetically I prefer T2 & Predator, I'm just saying its possible it can be converted to 3D at a later date, regardless of Ridley Scott's conception.

 

The original film was hugely philosophical. It explored "the other" on many levels, including race, species, gender, machine, and of course extraterrestrial. And Scott didn't revisit it so much as use its popularity as a platform to tackle questions that were more important to him as an older man. The scientists being idiots was the point. I have a bio degree and worked at many prestigious scientific organizations. I assure you that biologists are no brighter than anyone else.

Yes, BHD is probably my favorite Scott movie, but I also like Gladiator a lot.

 

Kingdom Of Heaven is my favourite Ridley Scott film.

 

Fair points, but here's the thing - Scott abandoned this franchise after the first film, no less than 40+ years ago. A such, it's all well and good wanting to get back to his original idea, but the bird has flown long ago. The audience have had many films since, all using the Alien name, which are based around the Xenomorph. Coming back after all this time and trying to tell the story seems strange and ill-judged, imo.

Of course, that's easy to say when we've have Covenant. Convenant is a vacuous waste of celluloid. Judging by the box office, it suited no-one. An Alien film should never drag, but this one did. So again, it's difficult for me to accept this is what Scott intended. If it was, perhaps it's simply a bad idea?

I think I'm in the minority on this - but Alien Resurrection was a fascinating evolution for the series. A cloned Ripley, with part Alien DNA - who knows where that could have gone? I think it's terrific. The ending, the mother/child thing, is also heart-rending. Again, surely this is fertile (sic) ground?

All that aside, even if I accept this is w2hat Scott wanted, Convenant has virtually no positive points, imo.

ps: 3D. Wah? My question would be - what would be gained from releasing Convenant in 3D? It'd be the same movie. For 3D to work it needs to be value-add. Otherwise it's a tired gimmick. I don't see any value-add in this case. It's a bad movie, and if there's one thing a bad 2D doesn't need, it's another D.

 

I can't believe I'm having to explain this.

Why would they spend money on the expensive process of 3D conversion when the market interest isn't there?

 

When did I say it couldn't be done? There have been a bunch of 2D to 3D conversions of older movies.

However, none of those movies came out when 3D was a popular format.

One more time: "Covenant" came out when movies commonly got 3D releases. "T2" and "Predator" didn't.

"Covenant" was made by someone who shot its predecessor in 3D. Whether due to cost or other reasons, they chose not to make "Covenant" 3D.

And as noted multiple times, "Covenant" didn't do very well financially and isn't much liked by fans.

I still can't figure out if these posts are sincere or some sort of weird ruse. Your arguments make zero sense - if they'd wanted "Covenant" to be 3D, they would've made it 3D in the first place...

 

Just because the original intent was 2D there's no reason at a later date. 10-20 years time of doing a 3D conversion that's all I'm saying.

 

No. It's absolutely impossible. Alien: Covenant cannot be converted to 3D. Everyone who understands film knows this.