How can prometheus be a prequel

As such, the news that Scott was returning to the Alien franchise to direct a long-delayed prequel in was an exciting development for fans of the series—which made the eventual arrival of Prometheus all the more disappointing. Bloated and unfocused, Prometheus was a victim of its hype and ambition that failed to marry gory body horror and attempts at thoughtful philosophical lore with grace or style, instead opting to throw the disparate elements together and hope they might coalesce to no avail.

Although Prometheus had its moments Michael Fassbender stole the show with his turn as an android firmly inhabiting the creepiest end of the uncanny valley and performed impressively at the box office, among critics the prequel was mostly viewed as a let-down for fans who were expecting a follow-up that could match the intensity of Alien and large-scale horror of Aliens. In contrast, from the outset the smaller-scale Alien: Covenant was interested in introducing its small cast of characters, introducing new and strange monsters that riff on the titular Xenomorph, and then letting the magic happen.

It's hard to imagine that all but the most obsessive fans were wondering about the origin of the space jockey; the creature mainly serves to suggest context—were the xenomorph eggs being transported somewhere? Knowing anything about the space jockey, even retroactively, diminishes the effectiveness of the scene. The viewer should know about as much about this creepy, mysterious ship as the characters in the scene—i. The humans are stumbling upon something; the unanswered questions amp up the dread.

It is, after all, a horror movie. Prequels like Prometheus make the mistake of assuming that knowing could ever be as exciting and psychologically powerful as not knowing. The xenomorph in particular is resonant because it is so very alien—we don't know exactly what it is or where it comes from, and its life cycle and physical form upends our expectation of safe, easily understood gender binaries.

Its very existence calls into question the significance of mankind, which is at least part of the point of the first Alien film, which presented a lonely, melancholy vision of vulnerable humans traveling through a cold, indifferent universe. May 18, pm. Logo text. Related Stories. Read More About: Alien: Covenant. All Rights reserved. Close the menu Logo text. But as far back as early last year Sky Movies were reporting that there would be plentiful Xenomorph action, and the rumors still persist.

Scott also confirmed that original "Alien" designer Giger is "doing a little bit of work for me. He's been doing some murals, big murals, which we'll see in almost one of the first chambers we encounter when we land where we're gonna go. For our xenobiology, we brought in new elements that are not necessarily backward from those in Alien, but are of a similar DNA. Many of Ridley's references are derived from nature — plants, vegetables, sea creatures and other animals. Nothing is invented.

In a "Paul is dead" moment, Fox released a scary chunk of audio via Bleeding Cool which, when played backwards, reveals what sounds like one truly demonic medical operation. There's a lot of flappy, squishy sounds and some dude screaming "Cut it off, cut it off, cut it off! From the sounds of it, this might just be scary enough to have the impact of the original's legendary "chestburster" scene.

Well, basically. Having not seen the whole enchilada yet, we must confess that Scott and his screenwriters Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof may have built in a few curveballs which detour wildly from the "Alien" mythology. That is, after all, what makes "Prometheus" so much more enticing than your average prequel: the glimmer of a truly original summer blockbuster. So spring that trap, fellas, and give us the thrill of the unexpected once again.

Our chests are bursting with anticipation. Consider Weyland the lynch pin that holds the whole "Alien" universe together.