When Ridley Scott released the original Alien movie in 1979, it took the sci-fi world by storm. At that time science fiction films were particularly hip with the huge success of Star Wars two years earlier.
Five years ago Scott directed Prometheus was released to explore the Alien universe he had created in 1979. Later on when he agreed to make another Alien film it naturally aroused interest in the original aficionados and drew attention of the sci-fi loving film audience. As Cineplex in Bashundhara City started showing the film this week, we take a look at what the critics are saying about the film:
“An upgrade from Prometheus, Alien: Covenant amps up the thrills but doesn’t deliver a memorable crew member or the full-on onslaught of the series at its height.” - Ian Freer, empireonline.com
“In Alien: Covenant, the sixth film in the series, a crew sniffs after a mysterious ping and sticks their collective nose in a deadly larva pod. Are our astronauts learning? God no — they’re still hell-bent on their own extinction. And if the audience expected a different plot, we’re not learning, either.” - Amy Nicholson, MTV
“What Scott delivers in “Alien: Covenant” is the simulacrum of seriousness without the sense of self-conscious silliness, a grim earnestness that’s reinforced by a thudding, grandiose aesthetic that utterly lacks originality. His movie offers no release of laughter or wonder. Rather, Scott is a dour minister who preaches in heavy and sludgy rhetoric, posing commonplace conundrums as grand philosophical ponderings.” - Richard Brody, New Yorker
“This may not be a movie that reinvents the wheel. But it’s one that knows how to make it roll.” - Christopher Orr, The Atlantic
“It’s an Alien movie for our times, one in which mankind isn’t just under the thumb of an oppressive corporation but sowing the seeds of its own destruction on a more sweeping scale.” - Alison Willmore, BuzzFeed News
“Alien: Covenant combines high-minded sci-fi ideas with the visceral horror-inspired shock aspects of a slasher movie. Unable to wed these disparate elements with the competence he showed 38 years ago, Scott risks tonal whiplash. At its best, this film echoes the creepiness and tension of Alien. At its worst, it sinks into the pretentiousness that at times threatened to derail Prometheus.” - James Berardinelli, reelviews.net
“An upgrade from Prometheus, Alien: Covenant amps up the thrills but doesn’t deliver a memorable crew member or the full-on onslaught of the series at its height.” - Ian Freer, empireonline.com
“In Alien: Covenant, the sixth film in the series, a crew sniffs after a mysterious ping and sticks their collective nose in a deadly larva pod. Are our astronauts learning? God no — they’re still hell-bent on their own extinction. And if the audience expected a different plot, we’re not learning, either.” - Amy Nicholson, MTV
“What Scott delivers in “Alien: Covenant” is the simulacrum of seriousness without the sense of self-conscious silliness, a grim earnestness that’s reinforced by a thudding, grandiose aesthetic that utterly lacks originality. His movie offers no release of laughter or wonder. Rather, Scott is a dour minister who preaches in heavy and sludgy rhetoric, posing commonplace conundrums as grand philosophical ponderings.” - Richard Brody, New Yorker
“This may not be a movie that reinvents the wheel. But it’s one that knows how to make it roll.” - Christopher Orr, The Atlantic
“It’s an Alien movie for our times, one in which mankind isn’t just under the thumb of an oppressive corporation but sowing the seeds of its own destruction on a more sweeping scale.” - Alison Willmore, BuzzFeed News
“Alien: Covenant combines high-minded sci-fi ideas with the visceral horror-inspired shock aspects of a slasher movie. Unable to wed these disparate elements with the competence he showed 38 years ago, Scott risks tonal whiplash. At its best, this film echoes the creepiness and tension of Alien. At its worst, it sinks into the pretentiousness that at times threatened to derail Prometheus.” - James Berardinelli, reelviews.net