Although it lacks the powerful thrills from the 1979 original, Ridley Scott’s third “Alien” outing still manages to keep the prequel series quite intriguing.
Pros:
Visuals:
The visuals are undeniably stunning, especially the space setting and the titular aliens of course, however, and this is traditionalist talking but, unlike the 1979 classic when it was just the use of an alien suit, it looks like the aliens are this time CGI which is not bad but personally the 1979 suit is better. I will not be surprised if the visuals get an Oscar nomination in the next Academy Awards.
Cast: A good cast assembled with Oscar nominee Michael Fassbender leading the film, Danny McBride as an interesting casting choice since he’s usually known for comedic roles, Katherine Waterston, who you might know from “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” and Billy Crudup from films like “Almost Famous” (2000) and “20th Century Women” (2016).Performances:Like “Prometheus” (2012), the film’s predecessor, Michael Fassbender delivers an excellent dual performance as two respective androids, Walter and David with each having different personalities and motives. Katherine Waterston is not Ellen Ripley but still an intriguing character. Danny McBride superbly changes his range from comedic to serious in this outing. Billy Crudup excellently plays a character who reluctantly becomes a captain and represents greed in the film which will not be spoiled here.
Cinematography:
Both beautiful and scary as the camera changes from gorgeous scenery of, according to my research, shots of New Zealand and Sydney, to shakiness to add the horror of particular moments.
Inspiration from “Paradise Lost”:The film seems to take inspiration from John Milton’s Paradise Lost. For those unfamiliar to this work, it mostly deals with religion such as God witnessing Adam and Eve’s disobedience etc.
Production Design:
Beautiful and looks futuristic. I will not be surprised if the production designer gets Oscar-nominated in the next Academy Awards.
Cons:
Story:
The story is unoriginal as it seems to be similar to Alien with a few changes in direction and characters. Both is about mainly trying to escape from a terrifying extraterrestrial.
Thrills:
As aforementioned before, the thrills lack the punch from the original but presents itself in its own effect nonetheless.
Predictability:
Part of the story feels predictable such as the feeling that one can imagine what will happen once the crew land on an inhabitable planet and later close to the ending with one of the characters, which again will not be spoiled here.
Overall, a good Alien outing with some flaws but can be overlooked by the aforementioned pros.