Movie Man Darian Watching All Night Long

Alien : Covenant
This film is ok it has major plot holes but is an ok film. This is a sequel to the prequel Prometheus. That's also where the film goes wrong for me the film had a hard time establishing the crossover of Alien and Prometheus and it just couldn't really find its firm ground which resulted in at times confusing plot and slow paced film. That's another issue I had was the pacing when you watch an Alien film it's pulse pounding action extravaganza. But this film is not what made the original so great it had a very slow build up to the main Storyline and really dragged out and didn't get entertaining until the last twenty minutes of the film. Also the marketing for this film was very poorly done the posters and trailers marketed this film as a Alien film where in the actual truth when you see the film you probably only see the Alien's for 15 minutes which is a pretty sly marketing tactic to get you in the theatre thinking you'll see a lot of the Alien when really you don't.

For what I liked I thought Danny McBride was terrific in this film I thought he gave one of his best performance's of his career in this film with his fantastic supporting role in the movie. As well the direction was ok by Scott I will be honest I was a bit let down by the guy who brought Alien to screen in the 70's and has given great work to deliver a messy film that this is. But at the same time I think that was due to a lot of the writing and directing having different visions for the film so I will say Scott did the best with what he had but didn't top the direction he gave no the original.

As well the visual aspect of the film was incredible the score, cinematography, set design and costumes were fantastic it's a stunning film to look at its just the plot that brought the weight of the positives down and had more flaws then enjoyment. Which is why I'm saying this is a ok film it's not the best Alien entry in the series by far it's simply ok.

The film is a follow up to Prometheus and when a crew's ship is damaged they land on a planet after receiving a transmission but what waits for them is something they never would of expected.

Rated R : sci-if violence, bloody images, language, and some sexuality nudity

Danny McBride : Danny gives a surprisingly brilliant career turning performance in this film. Danny is known for his comedic work in films like Pineapple Express, This is the end and land of the lost. So when I heard he was in this I was thinking ok he's playing the comic relief character. When in fact I was pleasantly surprised and he didn't go in that direction at all he took the serious route and really gave a powerful performance that really stands out in this film. In the film he plays one of the crew mates and steals the show by his ability to showcase his emotional range and go places we haven't seen from him before. Their is a scene where he receives tragic news and the sheer impact it makes on him was like a wave smashing himself in the chest he is just rattled with emotion to the point he breaks down in tears and it feels so genuine and real it's simply fantastic to see onscreen. Danny gave so many different layers to his character which I also loved one minute he's joking the next he's in tears so you really get to see him play so many emotions and it is done so well. Overall Danny surprised me by in every sense stealing the show with his truly fantastic supporting performance in this film.

Ridley Scott : Scott gave good direction in the film. So first off I want to say when I first heard Scott was returning to the franchise that launched his career by helming it and directing the picture I was beyond excited. Now what I thought he did with this film was good it really was but not as good as his direction on the first film. The film here he helms he brings his signature style to he makes great eye candy for the viewers by giving it a big scope and a beautiful film to look at. As well whenever he directs Sci-fi horror he always is the best and that's where things get complicated. So for me I think Scott was trying to bring what the audiences loved from the original to this film which I could see when watching it he tried to get his vision and concept he envisioned onscreen. But the writing was so layered and relayed so much on the other film Prometheus to connect everything together the writing just went in a whole different direction and wanted to go to more deeper meanings which is why I think the direction and writing clashed resulting in a film trying to show two completely different things. Scott wanted to bring the great bloody gore of Alien and the writer went a different route then what Scott visioned so that's why it's unbalanced and theirs so much different styles going on.

So that's why I can't blame Scott for the film being a mess at times because he did try to get that visual horror heart pounding Alien feel we have come to love in the film onscreen bad sadly the writing and his style didn't match up. So I will say Scott did the best with what he had and he gave good direction no doubt no other director could of done this franchise or this film if not for Scott's vision on the project. I also loved how Scott was able to amp up the bloody death scenes and really go for it I loved that instead of going for the PG rating which it easily could have. As well he really immerses the audience in this world by his ability to pay attention to every small detail of the set and the universe it's set in and really make it truly authentic and get you to feel like your in that world which I love. He also was able to get me to jump and get the pulse pounding thrills at points in the film which I loved he was able to scare you without it feeling cheesy Overall Scott gave great direction in this film.

The Lighting : The tones we're simply fantastic! The colour pallet this film had was truly terrific it had this green Erie tone to the picture which really made the frame pop out and get the hairs on the back of your neck to stand up it fit the mood and the setting perfectly. The lighting was great in the film great job guys.

The Cinematography : The camerawork was breathtaking! The use of overhead shots was brilliant it was used in a way that it captured the full scope of the scene and it was so smooth in its movements. It tried angles I haven't seen for a while like the wide shots were fantastic too it just had top notch camerawork which shouldn't go unoticed.

The Sets and costumes : the production design and costumes were amazing! What really was a positive in the film was its ability to immerse you in the world by the set design and paying attention to every detail and it feeling so real and authentic onscreen. It engages you and dose a fantastic job at its production and set design it's marvellous. Same can be said doe the costumes each costume represented each character perfectly giving me a better understanding of who they are by their costumes also the costumes brought another layer of realism to the film as if I was in that world. Overall great set and costumes in this film truly brilliant.

The Score : The music in this film is haunting! The music in the film is very much like the one in the first one which is great. The music had this loud brooding sound to it then it would go so quiet that your on the edge of your seat not knowing what to expect and I loved that overall the composed music was so beautifully done and crafted it's worth a listen.