Film Preview: Alien: Covenant (2017)

Page Revisions:

(December 25, 2016) Original
(March 5, 2017) New Trailer (#3) / New Poster (#2)
(May 14, 2017) New Posters (#3-#12)

Release Date:

May 19, 2017

Synopsis:

From IMDb: “The crew of the colony ship Covenant discover what they think is an uncharted paradise, but it is actually a dark, dangerous world, whose sole inhabitant is the synthetic David, survivor of the doomed Prometheus expedition. ”

Poster Rating: B / B+ / C+ / B+ / B- / C- / B / C (3) / C- / D+

SEE ALL POSTERS BELOW
Review: (#1) All you need to sell this film is a poster this simple. That doesn’t make it a good poster, but it works. The simple tagline “RUN” is probably the most compelling element, but the alien face works just as well.

(#2) The lighting on this is fitting for the film, and those who love the franchise will certainly find appeal in it, but the overall design is a bit too dark.

(#3) A page out of the A.I. manual is a fitting, though unimpressive poster option. (#4) This bas relief carving is a most fascinating image, depicting a dominant species even including subjugated humans. It’s a fascinating, detailed design. (#5) There’s a light feeling of dread in this design, which suits the franchise well. (#6) An uninteresting, simplistic design light on detail and creativity. (#7) If it weren’t for the vast amount of blank white space here, it might be a more compelling design. It’s a rich, detailed design that is otherwise noteworthy.

(#8-#10) This series of posters, “Pray,” “Hide,” and “Scream,” are interesting in terms of terminology, but rather dull in terms of visual content. They also don’t match that well. (#11) The birth of a new era for this franchise is epitomized in this deign, but it’s largely uninventive. (#12) This design features the David character who looks an awful look like Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation, which is a bit distracting.

Trailer Rating: B (2) / C+

SEE ALL TRAILERS BELOW
Review: (#1 & #2) Someone may have screwed up the trailer as the Red Band and the Green Band trailer are identical, right down to the word “fuck.” I suspect someone mislabeled the Green Band one and uploaded it. Hopefully, the right ones were sent to the individual theaters. Anyway, this is a very effective trailer, which should get the blood going of any fans of the franchise.

(#3) This trailer looks like what the non-tense parts of any Alien film feel like. There’s some tension here, but certainly not enough. It definitely feels like a part of the franchise, but I want something a bit more frightening.

Oscar Prospects:

It’s certainly a contender for Best Sound Mixing and Best Sound Editing, and will likely compete in Best Visual Effects, but it could also be in contention for Best Production Design and Best Original Score.