"Alien Covenant", Ridley Scott's sequel to "Prometheus," opened in Europe to mixed opinion last night, adding to the build up for its release here in the states. The film, which had its official premiere at Leicester Square on 4th May, sees "Prometheus" star Michael Fassbender return amongst a relatively unknown cast.
Isn't 'Alien Covenant' just Prometheus 2?
Ever since "Prometheus" hit the big screen back in 2012, talk of a sequel, or even sequels, was never a secret for the fans. The Alien franchise is big business, and "Prometheus and "Alien: Covenant" are set to be part of an ongoing series that depict the origins of the Alien story.
Ridley Scott originally implied that the "Prometheus" films would not contain any Xenomorphs — the original "Alien" creature — when he said back in 2015 that "The beast is done. Cooked." However, as the recent teaser trailers attest, there is clearly a Xenomorph in the shower.
The four-minute prologue teaser released in February shows that Scott isn't likely to stray too far away from the Alien canon or its tenets. The scene is a complete humorous rehash of the dinner scene from the first "Alien" movie, indicating that the same old scenes are no doubt around the corner. While the lack of obvious Alien quirks was one of the better qualities from the first "Prometheus" movie, it seems "Alien: Covenant" may rely too heavily on trying to recreate it's canon's previous moments of glory.
Even the virtual reality teaser entitled "Alien: Covenant In Utero", released by 20th Century fox for Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR, allows you to play the role of a Xenomorph — which was also, incidentally, overseen and produced by Ridley Scott.
When is 'Alien Covenant' released?
"Alien Covenant" hits theaters here next Friday on 19th May.
The reviews so far have been mixed, with one critic calling it "a greatest-hits compilation of the other Alien films’ freaky moments".
Others have been more favourable, with Empire describing it as an "upgrade from Prometheus". The New York Daily News puts it rather more enticingly, especially for those intrigued to see how the story pans out: "Anyone on board with Scott's attempt to tell an origin story for the famed "xenomorph" from "Alien" should appreciate the movie"
It seems "Alien Covenant" will certainly make an impact one way or another.
As devout fans of the original movies are naturally curious to see where Scott takes the origin story for better or worse, newer viewers will get to experience elements from the space horror's cinematic lineage for the first time.
