The sequel to Ridley Scott's 2012 sci-fi epic Prometheus finally has a title and its being dubbed Alien: Covenant. Along with the film's official title came a rough plot synopsis and official logo, suggesting homage to Scott's original 1979 Alien. Fans of the franchise have so far been fairly receptive of the new title, though some of us wonder - why stray from Prometheus? This decision likely came from Fox, not Ridley himself, given Prometheus' polarized reviews upon its release - gearing the sequel towards a wider audience more familiar with the Alien films is a safe bet that the film will generate more income. Not only this, going with an Alien structured title suggests that fans will get more of what they're familiar with and less of the unknown - which Prometheus was littered with.
Since Damon Lindelof came on to revise the Alien: Engineers script by Jon Spaihts, it was always the plan to explore two parallel storylines - one leading off into an expanded universe of Engineers, black goo and whatever else may lie beyond. The other would round out the Alien franchise and circle back to the first film, explaining how the Space Jockey arrived at his destination on LV-426. It would seem, given Alien: Covenant's current plot synopsis that Ridley and 20th Century Fox are going with the latter storyline for the first sequel. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, since it will likely generate more revenue as mentioned previously, which would secure a safety net for Scott, letting him pursue his full story and expand the franchise's cinematic universe without limits.
With that in mind, below are 5 key elements Alien: Covenant requires if it is to succeed.
1. Suspense
Unlike gore and horror, what made 1979's Alien so terrifying was the SUSPENSE! Not knowing if Jonesy or a Xenomorph was going to come at you was part of what kept you on the edge of your seat. You didn't know what the Xenomorph looked like, how big it was, what sounds it made until nearly half way into the film. This suspenseful filmmaking is what made Alien so iconic. The chest burst scene was scary, sure, but audiences have become so desensitized over the decades with an abundance of gore, that having something burst from your chest just doesn't scare you anymore (just watch Alien vs. Predator). Even when the Xenomorph was revealed, you lost track of it, it could be anywhere. Alien was about not knowing what was going to happen and that created an insecurity in all of us who watched it; it kept the heart racing and the eyes peeled. Alien: Covenant needs to ensure it has enough suspense to keep us guessing, never should we feel safe.
2. Open Concepts
People who complain about religion in Prometheus are the same people who complain about religion in Star Wars. Like it or not, religion has played a massive role in society and storytelling. Before politics, before government, religion is what we based our civilization around. Prometheus did an amazing job at incorporating BOTH the scientific and religious aspects of life into one, believable story. do away with the religious concepts and only focus on science, will result in the same problems science faces today - eventually you won't be able to "explain" past a certain point. By incorporating religion and the essence of unexplainable phenomenon, you have more potential to expand the mind and expand the story. Alien: Covenant needs to continue the incorporation of both science and religion in its plot as not doing so will only reach dead-ends. No more spoon-feeding, we want to use our minds and think, not drool over popcorn and admire the pretty lights.
3. Xenomorph...like creatures
Just another bug hunt? No thank you. We know what the Xenomorph looks like, we know how it acts, we've seen it look the same in 7 films. Why do you think Scott recently said "It's cooked, the beast is dead"? Because it is. The Deacon alien shown at the end of Prometheus was close enough to the Xenomorph to please fans, but different enough to keep our imagination wondering what it might look like. We even ran a Design the Adult Deacon contest back in 2012 - the entries were phenomenal and just went to show how one slight design change could elicit such a creative response from fans. Ask anyone what a Xenomorph looks like and BAM, a thousand drawings of the same thing. We want something fresh, something new, while still being distinct enough that we can make connections, but again - don't spoon feed us!
4. Clues to Alien’s Mysteries, Not Answers
Who is the Space Jockey? How did his ship crash on LV-426? Where did his chest-bursted spawn run off to? Honestly, I don’t want to know exactly how all those circumstances came to be. However, I’ll gladly take a million clues that let me put the puzzle pieces together myself. Prometheus opened many doors and didn’t really close any of them. Sure, Alien: Covenant can answer or hint to some of the answers to questions posed in Prometheus and even Alien but to blatantly answer why the Derelict was carrying eggs versus why the Juggernaut was carrying urns? That will be one short-lived pleasure for many of us. Another reason why Alien became so iconic was its immense mystery. It, like Prometheus posed so many open-ended questions that to this day, 36 years later, we’re still pondering the answers to. If Alien: Covenant is to succeed, it needs to keep some questions open-ended, make the audience think. Prometheus may be criticized right now, but expect it to be revered in the same light at Alien 36 years down the road, when recycled plots and ideas are all you see and originality is scarce. We know how Alien ends, we’ve seen the movie. Suggest how Alien began and let us fill in the gaps with our own imagination.
5. Elizabeth Shaw
After reading the plot synopsis for Alien: Covenant you were probably thinking… “Where the hell is Shaw?!”. There’s reason for that and the simplest answer is likely that Alien: Covenant is NOT a direct sequel to Prometheus. Rather, it’s a sequel to the sequel to Prometheus which will come later on. Shaw and David set off to discover Paradise, the Engineer home world in search for answers to mankind’s creation and purpose. Something definitely happens between then and where Alien: Covenant begins and we likely won’t know what exactly that is, until later on. Sure, we might see references or a few clues to what happened to Shaw, but don’t expect a blatant explanation.
Like Star Wars, Ridley Scott seems to be separating his story into non-chronological segments and like Star Wars, this will leave many questions unanswered but that’s okay because true Alien fans will know, this is how the first film was designed as well. Unfortunately, not everyone has the pleasure of seeing Alien before they see James Cameron’s Aliens or dare I even say… Alien vs. Predator. So, the expectations put on Scott and his ‘Alien’ film may be skewed a bit, but for those of us who grew up watching Alien before the sequels and spin-offs, having a number of unanswered questions and mysterious plot elements is okay – and better yet, welcomed!
If Alien: Covenant is to succeed, it needs to keep to its roots and not settle to please the masses. It needs to push for new territory, open more doors and expand a brilliant franchise. Ridley Scott has the same brain in his head today that he did back in 1979, so don’t worry, he knows what he’s doing.
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