Time to scream in space again!
Thanks to Fox Home Entertainment for providing me with this free advance copy of #AlienCovenant Blu-ray which already hits the streets everywhere, and the opinions I share here are my own. I was probably one of the few that actually liked this film when it was out in theaters but I understand all the hate surrounding it, so let me break it down for you in this review of this blu-ray which contains secrets of the “Alien” universe unlocked with over 90 minutes of revealing extras.
Scripted by John Logan and Dante Harper with story by Jack Pagan and Michael Green and directed by the man who helmed the first original “Alien” film, “Alien: Covenant” is essentially the sequel to “Prometheus.” You get to see the aftermath of Elizabeth Shaw and David while at the same time there’s a crew of a colony ship arriving on a remote planet that they think is an uncharted paradise but the reality is far more sinister. They then must fight their way to escape the ever present threat.
The 1979 classic sci-fi horror treats the mythology in a way that the film including the filmmaker himself, Ridley Scott, didn’t care about the xenomorph’s backstory, he just unleashed it to the world and because it was unlike anything anybody had ever seen at the time, it became one of all-time most amazing films, rightfully so. So the challenge with “Alien: Covenant” is trying to make us care about how these vicious beasts came to be. A lot of critics and fans didn’t like “Alien: Covenant” when they saw it in the theaters for reasons many of which have been parodied in Screen Junkies’ “Honest Trailers” segment. I don’t deny the fact that this film has too many flaws to count not to mention the characters tripping up on the floor making this look like a B-rated sci-fi comedy, and yes, the characters despite being supposedly intelligent scientists, are some of the dumbest you’ve seen on screen. So yes, all the hatred directed towards this film are quite justified.
But I still defend this film for the very same reasons I stated in my review earlier this summer. Because it did what it was supposed to do. Scott himself had said that with this latest installment, he just aimed to scare the shit out of you, maybe it would work on some fans but maybe it wouldn’t but it sure as hella scarier than that sleep inducer called “Prometheus.” I also enjoy the dynamic between Michel Fassbender’s dual roles and this whole wrestle with the created wanting to be more than the sole purpose of his design. Granted, for a so-called “Alien” franchise prequel, this installment does lack imagination especially in terms of the ending, it’s the same type of ending again and again, thrown out into space, but if you’ve come just to see terror and screaming and blood-piercing gore, you’ll get exactly that. Ridley Scott is a mixed bag, sometimes he can be a masterful storyteller, like what he did with “Thelma & Louise,” and “The Martian” but other times it seems that he makes movies just out of wanting to see if those said movies could be made.
This blu-ray is worth collecting if you claim to be a die-hard “Alien” franchise fan. This one in particular has tons of interesting bonus features in addition to deleted and extended scenes. Ridley Scott actually filmed a bunch of scenes that didn’t make it in the film including a long clip of the crew going through their psychological training/preparation which puts their emotional reactions to the test and there’s a clip that lets you see more of James Franco’s character, Jacob, who in the film is barely there. There’s David’s illustration a.k.a image gallery because if you’ve seen the film, you’d recall how busy David gets at his artistic skills, mainly drawings of his beloved beastly creations and anything that has to do with anatomy and physiology and dissection. The longest featurette in the film is “Master Class: Ridley Scott” which is basically an extended documentary on the making of “Alien: Covenant,” it goes from the story, the storyboards, the cast, all the way to the set designs, creature design and the visual effects, this is a featurette that leaves no stone unturned. Everything you want to know about “Alien: Covenant” will be answered in this one long master class that also takes you into how Ridley Scott’s genius mind works. You the fans can also pick up exclusive editions of “Alien: Covenant” at Walmart (Alien Day fan art designed T-shirt), Target (36-page book packaging featuring an inside look at David’s lab and the creatures of “Alien: Covenant), and Best Buy (Alien baby Xenomorph steelbook)
To conclude, fans may see “Alien: Covenant” as some kind of a rehash in the same way that “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” may have been a rehash of the original “Star Wars” film in that the fans will be able to point out similarities, after all Ridley Scott did reuse many of the same old elements. But just like in that case, in that same manner, “Alien: Covenant”s purpose is to bring back that fright, to bring back that scare factor and to reinvigorate this franchise once more.
ALIEN: COVENANT 4K Ultra HD™
Street Date: August 15, 2017
Prebook Date: July 12, 2017
Screen Format: Widescreen 16:9 (2.40:1)
Audio: English Dolby Atmos / English Descriptive Audio 5.1 / Spanish DD 5.1 / French DTS 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH / Spanish / French
Total Run Time: Approximately 122 minutes
U.S. Rating: R
Closed Captioned: No
ALIEN: COVENANT Blu-ray™
Street Date: August 15, 2017
Prebook Date: July 12, 2017
Screen Format: Widescreen 16:9 (2.40:1)
Audio: English DTS-HD-MA 7.1 / English Descriptive Audio 5.1 / Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 /French Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English / Spanish / French
Total Run Time: Approximately 122 minutes
U.S. Rating: R
Closed Captioned: No
ALIEN: COVENANT DVD
Street Date: August 15, 2017
Prebook Date: July 12, 2017
Screen Format: Widescreen 16:9 (2.40:1)
Audio: English DD 5.1 / English Descriptive Audio 5.1 / Spanish DD 2.0 Surround / French DD 2.0 Surround
Subtitles: English / Spanish / French
Total Run Time: Approximately 122 minutes
U.S. Rating: R
Closed Captioned: Yes
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