Alien Covenant
Posted: Wed May 24, 2017 3:47 pm
I started talking about this in my collection thread, but thought maybe it would be better in it's own thread to generate conversation. I'm going to put spoiler tags in this post, but figure after this that the thread will be spoiler-tastic. You're warned, discuss!
I can't say I didn't like it, because I absolutely did. But it's one goal (to me) ends up being it's greatest strength and greatest weakness: laying out in black and white, the Xenomorph's (as we know them) origin. The way they did it was good, but not what I expected and now the mystery (which is part of the horror) is gone.
Basically, the android David from Prometheus, for lack of better description, created the Xenomorph we know through selective engineering. What he calls a "perfect organism". He and Shaw found the "Engineers" home planet(?), I assume he'd already killed Shaw, and unleashes the bio-weapon onboard to their populace, decimating them. He then remains there (because he's stuck? I'm not sure) for 10 years before a new wayward crew of humans find him by accident. They land to investigate and through cause and event instigate the awakening of some other primitive versions of Xenomorph's and are picked off one by one. A handful remain and run into David, he gives them shelter appearing to be a nice fella (even to another David unit named Walter) until he's revealed to be the architect of this new string of Xenomorph. Walter and David fight while the humans scramble to escape, and they pull a switcharoo just before they're all safely away. I'm leaving a lot out, but it end with David escaping the planet and in charge of the human ship, and stowing away a handful of Xeno embryos, on the way to some planet the crew was originally intending to terroform.
I was left with a few questions....
-The "primitive" Xeno was spread and impregnated through cracking small eggs and being air-born. How is that less perfect than David's creation? My niece (who I saw it with) pointed out that the facehugger can go straight through a space helmet (ie: Alien 1) but still. Airborn things seem much scarier no?
-They show David releasing the bioweapon in the Engineers city square, a successful sneak attack since it's one of their ships, they don't fight back so the ship must still be functional, but the ship is found by the terrorforming crew up in the mountains pretty far away from the city. Why did he move it? Why did he not leave? If the ship works then he's not stranded, but he stays there for 10 years?
-It's clear that David was disillusioned with his creators, but what did he have against the Engineers?
-Did the Engineers only have one settlement on this entire planet? Or did David do this to whatever cities they had there? If so then it seems like that would be a too big of a campaign for him to handle.
Honestly, I was hoping to find out more about the Engineers (they were literally a foot note) and not the Androids. So again, great movie, but not what I was expecting.
I can't say I didn't like it, because I absolutely did. But it's one goal (to me) ends up being it's greatest strength and greatest weakness: laying out in black and white, the Xenomorph's (as we know them) origin. The way they did it was good, but not what I expected and now the mystery (which is part of the horror) is gone.
Basically, the android David from Prometheus, for lack of better description, created the Xenomorph we know through selective engineering. What he calls a "perfect organism". He and Shaw found the "Engineers" home planet(?), I assume he'd already killed Shaw, and unleashes the bio-weapon onboard to their populace, decimating them. He then remains there (because he's stuck? I'm not sure) for 10 years before a new wayward crew of humans find him by accident. They land to investigate and through cause and event instigate the awakening of some other primitive versions of Xenomorph's and are picked off one by one. A handful remain and run into David, he gives them shelter appearing to be a nice fella (even to another David unit named Walter) until he's revealed to be the architect of this new string of Xenomorph. Walter and David fight while the humans scramble to escape, and they pull a switcharoo just before they're all safely away. I'm leaving a lot out, but it end with David escaping the planet and in charge of the human ship, and stowing away a handful of Xeno embryos, on the way to some planet the crew was originally intending to terroform.
I was left with a few questions....
-The "primitive" Xeno was spread and impregnated through cracking small eggs and being air-born. How is that less perfect than David's creation? My niece (who I saw it with) pointed out that the facehugger can go straight through a space helmet (ie: Alien 1) but still. Airborn things seem much scarier no?
-They show David releasing the bioweapon in the Engineers city square, a successful sneak attack since it's one of their ships, they don't fight back so the ship must still be functional, but the ship is found by the terrorforming crew up in the mountains pretty far away from the city. Why did he move it? Why did he not leave? If the ship works then he's not stranded, but he stays there for 10 years?
-It's clear that David was disillusioned with his creators, but what did he have against the Engineers?
-Did the Engineers only have one settlement on this entire planet? Or did David do this to whatever cities they had there? If so then it seems like that would be a too big of a campaign for him to handle.
Honestly, I was hoping to find out more about the Engineers (they were literally a foot note) and not the Androids. So again, great movie, but not what I was expecting.