ALIEN has probably the best sequel ever (ALIENS). Besides that awesome title, ALIENS was a sequel that both successfully took the franchise to a new genre (action instead of horror), but also continued (and actually concluded) Ripley's story in a believable and satisfactory way. Which is ironic that the ALIEN franchise is also famously known for having shitty sequels (the overly dour ALIEN 3, the goofy ALIEN: RESURRECTION, the shitty ALIEN VS. PREDATOR films, and the at best divisive PROMETHEUS). At this point it's batting a 2-7, which is not bad for a horror franchise, but still not great.
This is all to say that I'm worried about ALIEN: COVENANT. With the onslaught of photos coming our way in the last few days, it is almost enough to get your hopes up. Almost. But the scars of PROMETHEUS are still TOO raw for me (I mean, seriously, how can the guy WHO MADE THE MAP GET LOST!!!! AND WHY DOES A CORPSE SCARE YOU, BUT NOT AN ALIEN SNAKE MONSTER!!!! OR…Okay, I digress…)
Anyway, here are some more photos from the film to get us hyped once more:
Okay, a picture of bloody glass. Definitely looks like the room behind the glass is evoking the same aesthetic as the original film, which is a good sign at least. Also, you know, gore. That's always cool too.
Wait, is this an iPhone ad in the middle of an ALIEN movie?
And here's a behind-the-scenes look, via Empire, that shows Ridley Scott with star Katherine Waterston as the new character Daniels. Here's what she had to say about the experience:
Unlike Sigourney in ALIENS, [Daniels] is in a survival mode of sorts from the beginning. She’s not the captain, but she’s a natural leader so in times of crisis she falls into that position quite easily.
I mean, that certainly sounds like Ripley to me. However, at the same time I'm just glad to see more badass female protagonists in the franchise, so I'm not complaining.
But what do you guys think? You excited for another ALIEN film? Sound off below!
ALIEN: COVENANT will stalk the dark halls of a theater near you May 19th, 2017.