(Image credit: 20th Century Studios)
It’s arguably never been a better time to be a fan of the “Alien” franchise. 2024’s “Alien: Romulus” reinvigorated the sci-fi series on the big screen, “Alien: Earth” season 2 is in production for Hulu, and Alien: Isolation 2 is in active development, a sequel to the best Alien video game ever.As a superfan of the Xenomorph, who ranks “Alien” as their favorite movie, I should be on cloud nine at present. But the news last week that Ridley Scott, director of “Alien,” “Prometheus” and “Alien: Covenant,” is returning to the franchise, because in his words, he “thinks it needs some help,” has sent a cold shiver down my spine. Sorry, Ridley, but I wish you’d stay away.I have so much respect for what Ridley Scott has given "Alien" fans; after all, he helmed the untouchable masterpiece that kick-started the franchise I hold so close to my heart, but in the modern era, a clean break was needed. “Romulus” represented a fresh start, but now things look more precarious than ever. Here’s why I’m very worried for the future of “Alien.”Covenant put the franchise on the brink
Alien: Covenant | Official Trailer [HD] | 20th Century FOX - YouTube
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Released in the spring of 2017, “Alien: Covenant” did quite significant brand damage to “Alien.” That’s a little hard for me to admit. I spent a great many years defending the movie. It was the first named “Alien” flick I saw on the big screen (discounting “Prometheus”). I was born in 1995, so I was either not alive yet or too young to see the previous “Alien” movies in theaters.But the numbers don’t lie; viewers didn’t warm to this sixth mainline entry in the franchise. It holds a weak 55% viewer score on Rotten Tomatoes, and even if you discount that, the box office figures ($240 million worldwide on a $110 million budget) paint a stark picture. "Covenant" underwhelmed.Almost a decade on, my defence has fallen, and I can admit that “Alien: Covenant” just isn’t a particularly good movie. Its narrative is conflicted, trying to be both a follow-up to “Prometheus,” which was a prequel set in the universe but sans the Xeno, and also a full-blooded “Alien” movie. Its characters make frustratingly illogical decisions all too often, its screenplay is muddled (the infamous flute scene is mocked for good reason), and the chilling terror of the Xenomorph itself is blunted as it becomes something more akin to a relentless Terminator rather than a stalking alien creature.
