Movie reviews

ALIEN: COVENANT

Watchable. It's a sequel of a prequel. While I remember "Prometheus" as outstanding, "Alien: Covenant" is just a time gap filler, just like "Alien" was ground-breaking and "Aliens" were no match. When you see the title on the screen, there's no semi-colon so that implies an "alien covenant" - an agreement between non-humans and the subsequent plot is quite in line with this interpretation. It starts with "I am your father" and after the conversation comes the hard SF of the spacecraft. The middle is some mumbo jumbo on the planet where the escapees the Prometheus crash site (doctor Elisabeth Shaw and android David) landed in the Engineers' spaceship. Shot in New South Wales, Australia and totally deprived of the beautiful Icelandic landscapes and the atmosphere of "Prometheus". The highlight is the personality/software clash between the two androids. The movie reveals plot elements too fast, giving no time to feel any tension. The intrigue in the very ending is really good.  All in all, it's just a filling, lacks the force of the real tooth.

MISS SLOANE

Recommended. An excellent political thriller. "Lobbying is a nice word for what?", as a character in the movie asks. The trailer announces a few surprises, including one after the trump card's been drawn. It fulfills the promise. A surpise follows another, the tension never releases and there are twists and turns you can't foresee. Jake Lacy memorably features as Forde.


NIGHT FILM MARATHON - MARATHON WITH ALIEN WITH PREMIERE

PROMETHEUS

Watchable. While I no longer felt the admiration, the awe or the tension I did the first time, I'm still impressed with the completeness of the created world.

ALIEN: COVENANT

Watchable. In the ending of "Prometheus" doctor Shaw and the android take off to the planet the Engineers came from. This film leaves a gap again. The events take place 10 years after the escape, leaving the mystery of the missing time period. While David, the immortal android, recounts the landing or the crash, we know he's a lying beast so the puzzle remains. The film makes perfect sense filling the story but it's little more than a missing link.

Still, these two, recent instalments, are at least eventful and well-paced in comparison to the old ones:

ALIEN - DIRECTOR'S CUT

Watchable. Feels archaic and lacks the tension of the regular, theatrical release. While blood dripping onto Parker from the ventilation shaft is a nice addition, several scenes have been changed which somehow interferes with the dynamics of the movie. It may also be just me having seen so much more modern space opera since that now it makes no impression on me.

ALIENS - DIRECTOR'S CUT

Watchable. The hearing at the beginning of the film is an interesting dramatic edition. Ripley daughter's death is played too sentimentally. The colony view is run-of-the-mill with the children played too sentimentally again, completely needlessly added. The troopers' introduction is exaggeratedly rough. The conversation about having children, relaccing Ripley daughter's death is tacky.
The movie's mostly interesting in the term of technological advancements between the 1979 "Alien" and 21st century "Prometheus" and "Alien: Covenant". The fight part of the film is as boring as in the original.

No post-credits scenes in either of the two series.


PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: SALAZAR'S REVENGE

I've seen it already. But, due to the publication ban, my review will appear on 22nd May.