A marauding Xenomorph is on the loose in this all-new clip for Alien: Covenant (via BBC), Ridley Scott’s R-rated horror flick that’s out to tie his high-concept Prometheus saga closer to the Alien movie that started it all back in ’79.
If you’ve been keeping track of the film’s development cycle, watching on with hushed excitement for the moment when Covenant will inevitably burst free and slither into theaters, you’ve no doubt seen the film’s eerie prologue in which Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and the warped synthetic David (Michael Fassbender) journey toward Paradise, home of the Engineers. It’s all part of Ridley Scott’s mission to weave his franchise into one, semi-coherent whole – at the expense of Neill Blomkamp’s mooted Alien 5, it seems.
And though the term ‘film franchise’ tends to evoke a chorus of moans and groans from a vocal corner of the industry, Scott himself rushed to the defense of franchises while speaking with The Guardian.
Franchise always sounds like a vaguely not-very-nice word, because it means making money. And there’s nothing wrong with making money in the film industry – in fact it’s what it’s all about. If there’s a big film that’s a disaster, it’s bad for everybody. If there’s a little film that’s a huge success, it’s good for everybody. That’s the industry we’re in.
That being said, Alien: Covenant is a different beast to its forebear in that Ridley Scott’s latest creative venture makes a concerted effort to recapture the franchise’s gruesome horror and perpetual sense of dread – even if it comes up short. The critical consensus for Covenant is admittedly mixed – so far, at least – so we’re intrigued to discover how the prequel-sequel fares at the box office.
Here’s what Scott had to say about tackling R-rated horror once more:
I wanted to really scare the shit out of people. Totally, that’s the job. It’s like if I’m a comedian, I want to make you laugh like hell. My day job is to be an entertainer. Some of it is art, but fundamentally I entertain – never forget that.
Alien: Covenant claws its way into theaters on May 19th. Our review found Ridley Scott’s prequel-sequel to be a gripping, blood-drenched thrill ride, even if its incessant world-building comes at the expense of the story at hand. Whether those lukewarm reviews have much of a bearing on the film’s box office total, though, will be told in time.