At the stroke of midnight on Christmas Day, 20th Century Fox dropped the first full-length trailer for Alien: Covenant — which is both a sequel to Prometheus (2012) and a prequel to Alien (1979). Based on the footage (shown out of order), as well as interviews and the film’s synopsis, we have a rough idea as to how the film will begin.
Covenant, a colony ship, arrives at a remote and uncharted planet. It appears ideal at first glance, but looks can be deceiving. Most of the crew board a shuttle to go investigate the planet’s surface. After a short but rough flight, they decide to take a look around (without their spacesuits). During their exploration, they come across the crash site of the Juggernaut — the Engineer spacecraft that David (Michael Fassbender) and Shaw (Noomi Rapace) were last seen aboard. While inspecting the interior of the ship, the captain (played by Billy Crudup) discovers an alien egg. It opens up and a facehugger springs out, attaching itself to the captain’s face and laying eggs inside of him. At another point in the film (before or after the facehugger moment), another crew member is infected by an alien spore that travels into his ear canal. Along the way, they encounter David, who has been reassembled; however, Shaw is nowhere in sight. This all sets up the havok that will be wreaked upon the crew.
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So, what were the five best moments from the trailer? Click on “Start Slideshow” to find out!
Director Ridley Scott returns to the universe he created, with ALIEN: COVENANT, a new chapter in his groundbreaking ALIEN franchise. The crew of the colony ship Covenant, bound for a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy, discovers what they think is an uncharted paradise, but is actually a dark, dangerous world — whose sole inhabitant is the “synthetic” David (Michael Fassbender), survivor of the doomed Prometheus expedition. When they uncover a threat beyond their imagination, they must attempt a harrowing escape.
The cast features Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, Demián Bichir, Carmen Ejogo, Amy Seimetz, Jussie Smollett, Callie Hernandez, Nathaniel Dean, Alexander England, and Benjamin Rigby.
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Alien: Covenant opens in theaters on May 19, 2017.
Opening Backburster Scene
The red band trailer begins with shot of a bloody trail of footprints stretching along a long corridor in the what is presumably the Colony’s shuttle. We then see a female crew member (played by Amy Seimetz) hustling down the corridor. She peers into a room where two crewmembers — one male (Benjamin Rigby), one female (played by Carmen Ejogo) — are being quarantined. The male is infected with an alien creature (known as a neomorph) that is in the process of bursting through his back. As you would suspect, the female crew member lock in the room with him is freaking out and demanding to be released. Reluctantly, Seimetz holds her ground, citing quarantine regulations (a callback to an Alien scene with Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley).
Both women completely lose their minds when they look back and see the creature break skin (and bones). We then get quick shots of a frightened Seimetz running away and Ejogo preparing to defend herself with a knife that she nervously points at the creature.
David Meets Walter (Both Played by Michael Fassbender)?
After that intense and frightening opening scene, the trailer then gives us a glimpse of David (Fassbender) encountering android Walter (Fassbender), who is a newer and more humane model of David. Walter, who is dressed in all-white, and David have a conversation while looking at a majestic moutainscape from the comfort of a ship.
However, this could be completely wrong as we never get a good look at the two androids interacting. And some sites are reporting that this is actually a flashback sequence involving a young Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce) having his first conversation with David.
Spores!
While exploring the planet, Benjamin Rigby’s character steps on a small, round pod. The disturbance causes the pod to disperse spores and one of them travels into his ear canal. We get a really nice close-up shot of this sequence. Now that he’s infected, the spore will grow into a Neomorph, and as I mentioned in the intro, it will burst through his back and cause havoc on the shuttle and its crew.
So, are spores a natural part of the planet’s ecosystem? Or, are they a creation of David experimenting with alien DNA and the planet’s ecosystem? I think it’s the latter.
Katherine Waterston & Danny McBride Join the Alien Franchise
Alien: Covenant features an impressive cast, but something tells us Katherine Waterson — best known for playing Tina in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them — and Danny McBride — best known for playing Kenny Powers in HBO’s Eastbound & Down — are going to steal the show.
Waterson is playing Daniels, the Colony’s chief terraformist. Clearly she has some common sense as we see her question the captain’s decision to go down and explore the planet. “We don’t know what the f–k is out there!” she exasperatedly shouts.
Rumor has it, she will turn out to be Ripley’s mother. And like her daughter (a warrant officer aboard the Nostromo) in the original, she too will “find that she has guts that she didn’t know she had.” Throughout the trailer, we see her ditch the scientist-mentality and become a warrior.
McBride is playing Tennessee, the ship’s pilot. His best moment in the trailer is when he hands off a gun to Waterston like its a baton, and they spring into action. The comedian might just end up being as badass a character as Michael Biehn’s Hicks was in Aliens (1986). That’s incredibly exciting!
Shower Sex Gone Wrong
The trailer concludes with shower sex gone horribly wrong. A male (Jussie Smollet) and female (Callie Hernandez) crewmember are engaging in shower sex when a fully-grown Xenomorph creeps up behind them. They are having such a good time that they don’t even notice the alien’s tail going between their legs and inching upward, toward their groins (what is this Japanese tentacle porn?).
The creature eventually makes its presence known by attacking Smollet, whose blood and guts blanket a terrified Hernandez. Now that’s a money shot!
