Alien resurrection movie review

“200 years after her death, Ellen Ripley is revived as a powerful human/alien hybrid clone. Along with a crew of space pirates, she must again battle the deadly aliens and stop them from reaching Earth.”

— imdb

In a lot of ways the premise for Alien Resurrection is ludicrous. Ripley, burnt in a gigantic furnace at the end of Alien 3, has been cloned back into existence. Where exactly did they got her DNA from is anyone’s guess and the subject is wisely avoided in the screenplay.

Putting aside the fact that Alien 3 gave Ripley’s character a fitting end to her character - sacrificing herself to save humanity taking an alien queen with her - Alien Resurrection does at least give Ripley’s character an interesting wrinkle: how much of her is human or Alien after the cloning. They play with this in the script for a short time but it is jettisoned in favour of action and comedy.

Written by Joss Whedon who would go on to make Buffy the vampire slayer and Avengers and directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet (delicatessen) as a dark action comedy.

It is probably fair to say that Alien Resurrection is the least interesting in the franchise of movies. It relies more on humour than atmosphere and dread which are the hallmarks of the alien series. Not as visually striking as the other movies in the series despite some nice sets and a bigger budget. Perhaps due to the choice of grungy aesthetics which worked better in the previous films. It’s a very mixed bag - heavy on gore and slime and weak on story and characterisation. The only character given anything to work with is Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) the others are slight and single dimensional.

Winona Ryder and Dan Hadeya should get special mention here, one playing an android like her charisma batteries had run dangerously low and the other auditioning for Spaceballs the movie - his death scene hilarious for all the wrong reasons.

Not to say that its terrible, it's not. It does have some interesting sequences primarily the underwater chase which is really good. The biggest issue besides the ott one liner approach is the fact that the movie isn't remotely scary or really that intense. Gone are the sweaty intense sequences being replaced by something more predicable and by the numbers. It feels more like a series of scenes cobbled together than a cohesive story.

The ending where the ship is on course to land back on earth releasing aliens on an unsuspecting populace is halfheartedly explored almost to the point that we don’t care. It’s an after thought to get characters from set A to set B with a few wisecracks thrown in for good measure.

I read Joss whedons original screenplay before the movie even came out in the late 90s. There was some very interesting sequences that didn't make the cut: an extended chase through a biosphere where aliens were attacking left and right and the hybrid alien which was a bizarre, albino blood sucking spider Alien. The script had potential but it was constructed the same as the eventual film. So despite Whedon claiming that they (The filmmakers) ruined his screenplay I would wager that it is largely intact. The only notable change being the ending which was much better in the screenplay than the movie.

Speaking of which the hybrid alien human match up when it is eventually revealed is very underwhelming. As a design it’s neither scary nor particularly articulate. Its a wonder this design wasn’t scrapped in favour of something better. The original screenplay called for something more interesting - a hybrid alien/human spider with distinct red markings.

Which brings us back to the budget - perhaps it was too expensive, jettisoned along with the other action sequences from the script. Taking with it a sense of originality. At its core there was an interesting premise: Ripley as a hybrid - part alien part human.

Which sort of sums up the movie really. A watchable mess that has interesting elements coupled with eye rolling moments.

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Alien 3 Movie Review

“After her last encounter, Ellen Ripley crash-lands on Fiorina 161, a maximum security prison. When a series of strange and deadly events occur shortly after her arrival, Ripley realizes that she has brought along an unwelcome visitor.”

— imdb

Very few movies have had the troubled start that Alien 3 had. Multiple screenplays - some more bizarre than others including a reportedly weird fairy tale echoing the seven dwarfs, a western influenced space station and a planet made out of wood inhabited by monks.

It’s little wonder that the film is disjointed and incomplete as it is. Without a cohesive screenplay as a road map its difficult to bring stories like these to screen. It’s nigh on impossible if you aren’t backed as a director and the studio you work for has no faith in your ability to deliver. David Fincher was in an untenable position, trying to deliver a Gothic and very bleak take on an alien movie while being constantly undermined and questioned.

I for one, would have been interested to see his completed vision. In some ways it’s present in the ‘assembly cut’ which features some of what Fincher had intended for the movie but is missing the scope and the spectacle. As reported in the making of documentary for the film he wasn’t allowed to film sequences because they were too expensive. Which is bizarre considering they had to do six weeks of additional filming when production wrapped in the UK which incurred more expense I would wager.

But such is the problem when ego, creativity and commerce clash. It is never going to end well for the film.

As it is the film looks great for the most part, (apart from the terrible optical effects work) sweeping wide angle shots filled with smoke and shadow. There is a creative vision at play. An oppressive world filled with bleak characters living out their days in the arse end of space. These ‘lifers’ choosing God and celibacy until their day ends. Enter Ripley, a female offering temptation and a glimpse of a world they have chosen to forget unwittingly bringing an Alien creature whose sole purpose is to wreak havoc with the lonely inhabitants.

Closer to the original Alien in tone, Alien 3 is a weirdly disjointed movie. Bleak, sometimes stunning and others infuriating. Its a mixed bag that never really takes off. Which is a shame as it had potential with its signature style of low angle shots and incredible industrial Gothic sets.

The physical effects work is great as well as the alien costume. It’s major failing is the optical effects by Richard Edlund which at the time I thought looked fake never mind nearly thirty years later. The ‘dog alien’ a challenge to make look real as well as do actions that we’re beyond the puppetry and fx capabilities at the time. It’s clear to see the flaws with matte lines around the alien from compositing issues.

Whenever you cut between live action and optical puppet the differences are night and day. The issue with scale apparent in the above shot compared to the life size animatronic head used for the iconic close up. In today’s CGI environment it would be much easier to achieve the desired look and blend both together almost seamlessly.

The cast deliver committed performances under what I would imagine was quite a difficult situation - Daily changes to script being one of the more demanding. Charles Dutten (Dillen) is a highlight as the ring leader of the inmates as is Sigourney Weaver and Charles Dance.

Overall it’s an enjoyable movie perhaps not quite as engaging or exciting as the previous two but certainly a worthy entry into the franchise. It is an often asked question: what would the movie have been if Fincher had been given more time to prep and left to create his vision? In that regard we will never know but suffice to say that it would have been a tonally more cohesive effort and perhaps grander in scale. What is clear is it would have been a more interesting movie as a result. As it stands, its frustrating, at times brilliantly conceived and others a bit sloppy and incoherent.

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Aliens 1986 movie review

“Ellen Ripley is rescued by a deep salvage team after being in hypersleep for 57 years. The moon that the Nostromo visited has been colonized, but contact is lost. This time, colonial marines have impressive firepower, but will that be enough?”

— IMDB

Marginalised by a corporation that is only interested in the bottom line, Ripley is once again thrown, quite literally, to the wolves. Partnered with a group of Gung-ho colonial marines they embark on a rescue mission to LV-426 where contact has been lost with terra-forming colonists.

Made for an impressive limited budget (By today’s standards) of 18 million Dollars Aliens is the muscular sequel to the more sedate and measured Alien. With only a minor increase in budget from the original, James Cameron manages to infuse the movie with tension driven action while still keeping the underlying sense of dread that was pervasive in the original Alien.

Not an easy thing to do considering you’re already dealing with the dreaded sequel-itis where lovers of the original movie will be looking for more of the same. It’s testament to Cameron’s ability to know his strengths as a skilled action director that he took the franchise in this direction.

There’s a certain madness to film directing especially when there isn’t enough time nor budget to do what you really want to do and compromise is unfortunately the only option. Couple that with facing a crew who didn’t necessarily share Cameron’s vision or for his abrupt mannerisms and you have tensions that mirror those of the onscreen characters. It’s a wonder the film turned out as good as it has.

Ripley’s character is fully fleshed out making her strong and vulnerable at the same time. It is undoubtedly Ripley’s movie even with all the machismo on display, Cameron deftly infuses the story with consistent echos to motherhood, loss and family. Ripley’s strength as a character lies in her humanity equally with her ability to wield a weapon. She is a surrogate mother to Newt having lost her own child - a scene that should never have been cut from the theatrical release* - marooned in hypersleep for 57 years to find that life has quite literally moved on without her and promises have not been kept to her own child. She is a stranger in a strange new land, traumatised as much by her own choices as those enforced on her by an alien creature that kills ruthlessly without remorse.

Aliens is a tour-de force of design, action and suspense. Filled to the brim with a grungy used aesthetic borrowed from the first alien movie and enhanced. The sets are excellent and everything feels real. It’s impressive world building from costume design, art direction and cinematography. The late great cinematographer Adrian Biddle taking over duties after Cameron dismissed the first DOP.

Tinged with a metallic blue, harsh highlights and contrasty shadows. The grain in the film stock enhancing the used feel of the world, adding to the heavy smoke and atmospherics. James Horner’s score is excellent, foreboding and bombastic. Coupled that with the fact that almost every effect is practical, the acting is brilliant especially from Weaver and you have a winning combination.

The first half of the movie is all about the slow build up of tension. Arguably without this the subsequent action scenes wouldn’t have the punch or power that they do have. We’re along for the ride with these characters, stranded like they are, facing a legion of almost indestructible foes.

It’s very effective, building to a reveal in the finale that added to the original alien origin and ratcheted it up to ninety. The puppetry is brilliant as is the design of the creatures themselves especially the queen. We’re there along with Ripley - adoptive mother and daughter - determined not to repeat the mistakes of the past and keep her promise this time to newt..

When all is said and done Aliens is quite rightly heralded as a classic of the genre. Often copied but never outdone. The flip side of alien, it’s bombastic cousin. This time it’s war.

*included in the extended cut of the movie.

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SEA FEVER MOVIE REVIEW

“The crew of a West of Ireland trawler, marooned at sea, struggle for their lives against a growing parasite in their water supply.”

— imdb

**Warning spoilers ahead**

Siobhan (Harmione Corfield) is an introverted scientist who struggles to interact with people. Her college charters a fishing vessel to monitor something (isn’t exactly made clear what - perhaps I didn’t hear because the dialogue mix isn’t the clearest) for statistical modelling. A rag tag bunch of life-long fishermen and women are initially thrown by Siobhan’s red hair - a curse of doom for fishermen - superstitious of red heads. They set sail off the west coast of Ireland to trawl for fish. Straying off course into a restricted zone they encounter a creature which latches onto the haul of the ship…

Siobhan - Sea Fever

Where do I start reviewing the movie Sea Fever? A sea faring B movie which borrows heavily from far better movies like ‘The thing' and Invasion of the body snatchers.

I had hoped it would at least attempt to add something different to the mix besides having it located in the west of Ireland (although it didn't look like Galway bay despite a fishing map showing otherwise - probably Sweden considering the investors). The biggest problem is it offered little in the way of tension. The opportunity was there to have a really tight, claustrophobic movie. All the details we're there: A crew afraid of the newcomer who happens to have red hair. The old sea faring superstitions coming to the fore. A bio luminescent creature which spreads parasites that finds humans to be the perfect host. Which is a shame really that the movie is executed in such an uninteresting way.

The screenplay offered little in the way of surprises. It was inconsistent, choc full of silly character motivations and stilted dialogue. In the end it was a bit of a bore. You’re hoping it picks up but it never really does nor does it help that some of the editing choices leave the movie feeling flat and lifeless, highlighting some of the less than steller acting. To be fair the screenplay doesn’t give the actors really much to work with - the characters for what they are are single dimensional. It’s all ‘oirish ' accents dipping and resurfacing, screaming at one another and saying nothing of interest.

In the end I didn't buy many of the characters for example: Siobhan (Harmione Corfield) is supposed to be a scientist yet it takes her to nearly half way through the movie to look at slime under a microscope despite taking a sample in a petri dish. When she first encounters the sea creature which incidentally has eaten through the hull of the ship - she purposely rubs slime between her fingers - good contamination control there. At one point she also argues that bleach wont kill the parasites. Why? She knew nothing about them. They are a new type of organism. Instead opting to electrocute the ship to kill them. Interesting idea - poorly executed in the film. It just happens. A few sparks and the mast head of the ship bursts into smoke. That’s it.

Looking for Parasites - Sea Fever

Speaking of the story: 1. The Captain’s decisions albeit driven by greed and the fact that they are behind in crew payments are completely nonsensical - once they escape the clutches of the sea creature they decide to catch fish despite the creature following them. They could have easily gone back out the very next day. It begs the question how far exactly did they travel to trawl for fish the whole point of the story is the fact that they’re 36 hours away from land yet the map looks like it shows them off the west coast of Ireland - I’ve been on a scientific fishing trawler off the west coast of Ireland, trawled for fish and been back in port by the evening. Sixteen hours tops. It just didn’t make sense to me. 2. Siobhan’s sudden insistence that the creature must be saved under the guise of a frail eco-friendly excuse then suddenly electrocuting the ship when the script needed a boost. The list goes on and on..

For a director as experienced as Neasa Hardiman I was expecting more really. Her script never really explores the body horror aspect despite the one really good scene where a fisherman’s eyes explode unexpectedly. After that it becomes a bit of damp squib. It doesn't know what movie it wants to be instead opting to be middle of the road never committing fully to anything.

On a positive note the bio-luminescent creature looks really nice and the effects of the creature are all quite well done. The cinematography for the most part is solid.

It’s just a shame the movie wasn’t claustrophobic, filled with anxiety, tension and fear. That’s the movie it should have been.

In the end would I watch Sea Fever again? No, probably not.

'Alien' movie review

Alien poster - movie review blog - maldeegan.com/blog

“After a space merchant vessel perceives an unknown transmission as a distress call, its landing on the source moon finds one of the crew attacked by a mysterious lifeform, and they soon realize that its life cycle has merely begun.”

— imdb

I came to the party late watching ‘Alien’ initially in the early 90’s having watched ‘Aliens’ many years before it and thoroughly enjoying it’s action and tension. Perhaps this coloured my opinion as I was initially a little underwhelmed by ‘Alien’ when I first seen it. I did appreciate it’s dense visual tapestry something all Ridley Scott’s movie’s have in common but it lacked something in terms of character - a type of distancing approach which counterpointed ‘Aliens’ in your face aesthetics. (By that stage there had been any number of inferior ‘copies’.) Indeed you could say that the characters themselves are mostly one-dimensional bar Dallas and Ripley who play off one another with equal love and tension.

What mostly got me was the sense of claustrophobia and gradual build up of tension. It practically drips with it. Every scene a mixture of elements and atmospherics. Light and darkness, smoke and hidden shadows. It is a potent mix designed to draw you into this grunge-filled world. No more so than in the final 20 minutes where you can literally feel the sweat dripping down Ripley’s face when she comes face to face with her nemesis. This scene would be less impactful had there not been such a long build up introducing mundane tasks and underlying tensions amongst the group of space truckers. The cinematography is brilliant, designed to be looked at on the biggest screen possible and perfectly captures the claustrophobic feel.

As a designer Ridley Scott is unparalleled. He has spawned many copy cats but none have been quite able to match him in terms of aesthetics. ‘Alien’ was considered a hackneyed B-movie by executives and perhaps it could have been in another directors hands. Indeed Tom Skerrit was initially skeptical about the project citing issues with the budget. The initial budget for the project was projected at 4 million which gave you an idea of the thoughts of Fox executives. Make a low budget ‘Corman rip off’ and release it on the cheap to capitalise on the success of ‘Star wars’.

Ridley had other ideas creating a world filled with a terrifying monster from the twisted mind of H.R Giger. A creature that is silently menacing, stalking its prey in the shadows. The scene where Dallas is trapped in the airlocks a particular highlight.

Thankfully the budget increased and finally settled on 14 million. It’s small wonder what it would have been like had Fox not bought Ridley Scott’s vision for the project. What is quite clear is the fact that we wouldn’t be talking about the movie 40 years later nor have it appear on ‘best of’ lists.

Not that the movie doesn’t show the occasional minor flaw grown from the use of a man in a suit. Mostly these exchanges are clever punctuated by quick cutaways which hides the suit only occasionally can you see the alien in its entirety. But these are few and far between.

For the most part it is a slow burning ride, gradually building in tension and suspense. In space no-one can hear you scream.

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The Hidden (1987) Movie Review

the hidden - movie review blog - maldeegan.com/blog

“Law abiding people suddenly become violent criminals. A cop and an FBI agent race for answers in this sci-fi thriller.”

— Imdb

Produced by New Line cinema who delivered classic movies like A nightmare on elm street and The lord of the rings trilogy, The Hidden is a mish-mash of different genres echoing films like Invasion of the body snatchers, Star Man and The Terminator.

We open in California where a stranger walks into a bank and coolly opens fire on security guards transporting money. Shown in blurry CCTV camera footage, the figure turns to camera after he has slain his victims peering at us the viewer, an insidious smile grows across his face before he turns the weapon on the CCTV camera obliterating it.

It’s a compelling opening. Turns out the figures name is Jack De fries (Chris Mulkey) and he is being pursued by police for a number of robberies. From here the movie launches into a car chase across town where Jack Defries is pursued by the police. Causing destruction along route, even shamelessly knocking over a wheel chair bound pedestrian all to the tune of 80s rock music. It’s fast paced with a slight tongue in cheek, nihilistic persona. Defries pictured as a cold faced killer, eagerly causing mayhem and destruction.

The chase ends with Defries being cornered by police. They open fire decimating Defries vehicle, sending him skyward in flames. Hideously burned he is transported to hospital.

Enter FBI agent Lloyd Gallagher played by Kyle MacLachlan who is teamed up with the straight-nosed no nonsense cop called Tom Beck played by Michael Nouri, who was supposedly set to play the character of Martin Riggs in Lethal weapon but chose to do this movie instead.

Together they visit the hospital to find that their victim has died. If you haven’t seen the movie before and don’t want to know any spoilers then stop reading now. But its fair to say that its pretty obvious from the get go where the movie goes.

Echoing invasion of the body snatchers the movie turns to SCI-FI/Horror mode as ‘The hidden’ inside Defries body transports itself to another host in the bed across from him. It’s a nicely grotesque sequence as this slug-like parasite enters his next victim through his mouth. Shot in stop animation, this sequence is a practical FX treat. Still highly effective and nicely handled.

With a new body to play with ‘The hidden’ goes on a spree gleefully killing if he needs to taking whatever it fancies from a Ferrari to a ghetto blaster, shamelessly ignorant to niceties of earth. We get the distinct feeling that this creature enters bodies to drain them of whatever life force is left, having to regularly change hosts when the current one becomes redundant.

The movie is very funny at times. There is a recurring Joke involving Gallagher and Alka seltzer that made me chuckle. At times its pitch black and others tongue in cheek. ‘The hidden’ changing into a stripper body gleefully shagging a john to death to take his car. It is rumored that the producers didn’t quite like Claudia Christian’s (who played Brenda the stripper) breast shape choosing to emphasize her ass in the clothing choices for the character. At one point her character wears a very revealing dress designed to show her derrière.

Switching tone easily, it never really becomes boring. Putting aside the fact that it was shot in the 80s which has some of that eras shooting style it still looks quite good. The action is constant more or less from the get go where countless die from bullet wounds. In a riff on the terminator, a lengthy action scene taking place in a police station where ‘the hidden’ riddled with bullets still keeps on going. Also In the musical score, with its pulsing electronic base trying to emulate Brad Fiedel’s iconic Terminator score.

The movie isn’t perfect but it is still worth a watch, even though many movies have been made now which use a similar approach. The police investigation scenes somewhat redundant as well as the occasional shoot out.

The practical effects are nicely handled, the slug-like creature a particular highlight. Not everything fx wise is perfect however, the exception the somewhat dodgy animated laser beam near the end of the movie.

Overall worth checking out. Enjoy!

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Midsommar movie review

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“A couple travels to Sweden to visit a rural hometown’s fabled mid-summer festival. What begins as an idyllic retreat quickly devolves into an increasingly violent and bizarre competition at the hands of a pagan cult.”

— imdb

Midsommer is the follow up feature film from writer/director Ari Astor who directed the chilling ‘Hereditory’ last year. Dani (Florence Pugh in a brilliant performance) is a troubled young women, trapped into a cycle of mental abuse by her sister with Bipolar who constantly threatens to end her life via e-mail and text message.

When she actually follows through with her latest threat, taking Dani’s parents along with her in a shocking scene, Dani’s world threatens to fall apart. Relying on an unsympathetic boyfriend Christian played astutely by Jack Reynor, who secretly really just wants to dump her but doesn’t have the heart to do so, to help put her back together. Dani invites herself onto a trip to Sweden that Christian didn’t tell her about to visit a remote village for a few weeks of relaxation and to take her mind off of her woes.

Shot in a very bright and distancing fashion, it Cooley contrasts the vibrant photography to create a quietly unsettling tone. Echoing movies like ‘The wicker man’ we are dropped into a remote cult whose practices are weird and distorted. For a while we are visitors casually witnessing a gradual deception take place. This slow pace could easily polarize viewers. I would say if you prefer your movie going experience to be constantly in your face then this movie isn’t for you. If, however you prefer a slow burn there are weirdly enjoyable moments to be had. The fact that there are genuine scenes of macabre laughter along the way helps a great deal.

Not scary in the slightest, ‘Midsommar’ prefers to play out in a vibrantly unsettling manner. Utilizing a bright summer colour palette of greens and yellows glossing over the darkness hidden within. Its a clever conceit which does hold your attention. I did however feel that most of the characters where disposable, reacting somewhat unrealistically when some of their fellow travel companions begin to disappear. The explanations given by the elder inhabitants are at best suspicious. But maybe that is the point of their characters: selfishness. Certainly I would agree when it comes to the character of Christian who is somewhat self centred and a little devious. The other disappointing aspect is the plot which follows a very predicable line. It left a little feeling of ‘its very pretty to look at but where are the surprises in the plot?’.

Near the end a scene involving a coerced sexual ritual is played for weirdness and laughter. It is a darkly comical scene that had the audience in my screening in fits of laughter. It could have so easily fallen apart but Jack Reynor plays it perfectly, his facial expressions comic gold. I must admit I wasn’t expecting the movie to have any humour in it but I’m happy to say it did.

In the end ‘Midsommar’ isn’t perfect but it is enjoyable. Not for everyone like his previous movie ‘Hereditory’. There are some unexplained details that might confuse some. Taken as a whole it was a little on the long side. If you find slow burn movies a slog then you wont find this movie any different. However, if you enjoy weird goings on with a touch of ‘The wicker man’ then you might enjoy this. I would, however, say don’t expect it to break the mold and necessarily add anything new to that movie trope.

***1/2 out of *****

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'The Hallow' movie review

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“A family who moved into a remote mill house in Ireland finds themselves in a fight for survival with demonic creatures living in the woods.”

— imdb synopsis

Set in contemporary rural ireland, a young couple Adam and Claire move into a disused mill house in the centre of an ancient forest, where Adam (A british conservationist)has been tasked with selecting trees to be felled by a logging company.

During his innitial survey (as a viewer we later discover it’s his third visit) Adam selects trees for felling and stumbles upon an abandoned house where he enters with his infant son strapped to his back. Once inside he happens upon a deer which has been murdered and propped by a wall. Upon closer inspection Adam notices black fungus growths eminating from the skull of the deer and proceeds to take a sample of it. He brings it home and we witness that this fungus seems quite violent in nature.

At this point is where I began to have problems with the movie. Would you bring your infant son near a dead animal which could have died any number of ways and expose him to potential danger? Indeed having seen this fungus dribble down from the ceiling into the babies cot they do nothing about it. This set the scene for any number of idiotic decisions by the parents to randomly leave their child when a hint of danger was called for in the script.

To say that the main protagonists where characters is being generous. As the setup goes you have to guess that Adam is there working for a logging company it is only briefly hinted at and then confirmed in the very last scene of the movie as the credits roll over top of it. It’s difficult to keep your interest when the world of the story isn’t exactly explained clearly.

I can understand the need for mystery and having an ambigious beginning can work but when characters are as wafer thin as these I felt you needed to clarify the world so at least we care enough to watch.

Which is its biggest problem. I just didn’t care. The characters don’t have to be likeable to be watcheable they just have to have ‘character’. Adam is perhaps the worst of the pair, given the most screen time and guilty of being pig headed to the detriment of his own child. That setup would have been interesting if it indeed had have been setup as his character from the get go. As it stands it just comes across as stupidity and totally throws you out of the movie.

When we join them they are in a battle with the strange neighbour who wishes to warn them about the dangers lurking in the forest telling them to ‘stay away’. If the danger was so great why didn’t he say more? Why does he just need to speak to Adam, he could have easily given his warning to Claire. Indeed later on in the movie he presents her with a very elaborate book on the forest including its dangers (Designed very  similarly to the book out of the evil dead). And this is after they have been attacked. Surely you would just up sticks and leave. Especially as there isn’t any compelling case given for them to stay.

Very little makes sense in the world of the movie. Light at one point frightens the creatures away when it is used again they don’t fear it, then at the end daylight kills them. Consistency of its own rules is a problem. The other is the fact that we aren’t exactly told what the creatures are. I’m guessing they are a type of demonic faery when Adam mentions that his own son is a ‘changling’ but that isn’t entirely clear.

The creatures design themselves are quite good. I really liked the fact that most of the effects involving them where practical which made them tangeable and real. The forest location is great and the lighting is suitiably errie. The special effects are quite good too. There are a number of effective set pieces with the creatures so that’s a plus. So the only real flaw is the script.

In the end I just didn’t care. I felt myself bored with the movie as there wasn’t enough there to invest fully in it. Forgiving the familiarity of certain shots borrowed from other better movies, I just couldn’t forgive the motivations of the characters and that alone hurt my enjoyment of it.

** out of *****

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Hereditary movie review

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“After the family matriarch passes away, a grieving family is haunted by tragic and disturbing occurrences, and begin to unravel dark secrets.”

— imdb

**Warning there will be spoilers**

From the very first opening minute there is a creepy atmosphere to the psychological horror 'Hereditary'. We are introduced to Annie played with great conviction by Toni Collette who is just about to bury her mother. We get the distinct feeling that Annie didn't particularly see eye to eye with her and is struggling to grieve for her loss.

Through the course of this we get introduced to her slightly strained family. With her put upon husband Steve (Gabriel Byrne) and her estranged son Peter (Alex Wolff) and Strange daughter Charlie (The underutilised Milly Shapiro). The creepy connotations build slowly - this movie is definitely a slow burn so if you like your horror fast paced it might not be for you - where we witness Annie creating life like miniature dioramas replete with tiny people and furniture. A production design that is used again and again in both setting and cinematography. At times it appears the characters are living in a real life doll house and we are viewing them first hand. Its a clever and weird device.

The movie is quite atmospheric and tension slowly builds. At first you aren't sure where the movie is going, building up the supernatural elements slowly. Only when Charlie is horrifically decapitated by her brother Peter by accident - a scene that's brilliantly handled - does the movie show any real momentum. From here there is some terrific scenes with Annie as her downward spiral where it is heavily implied that she had a breakdown of some sort and has never quite recovered all of her mental capacity. In one shocking revelation she admits to her son Peter that she never wanted him as a child in fact she tried to abort him on numerous occasions but failed primarily because her overbearing mother wanted him and not her herself.

As tensions rise and the family unit deteriorates old secrets rise to the surface and home truths that are pushed from the surface come back to haunt you and that trust that was once there suddenly evaporates and you can never really get it back. To say any more would spoil the movie.

I would say that Hereditory is two thirds of a great movie with the final third the least satisfying. When you learn the 'truth' of why the supernatural occurrences are happening it deteriorates ever so slightly into parody. Not to say that its bad, its not it just didn't have the same level of tension and the final reveal is a little bit on the silly side which might raise a few titters more than shock.

But still there is much to be enjoyed about Hereditary if, of course, you enjoy slow burning psychological horror. From a purely performance stand point Toni Collette is terrific and gives a powerful performance. All in all I quite enjoyed 'Hereditary' while not perfect it is worth watching.

**** out of *****  

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Alien: Covenant review

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“The crew of a colony ship, bound for a remote planet, discover an uncharted paradise with a threat beyond their imagination, and must attempt a harrowing escape.”

— imdb

As one of those people who grew up watching - and enjoying - the first two of the Alien movies (The third I really enjoyed visually with its grimy, grungy atmosphere but it lacked some aspects in story which where somewhat fixed by the release of the 'assembly cut' which made it a better iteration but still not perfect. The fourth movie lets just say it was very 'meh'.) I could appreciate the opening title sequence for what it was. A resetting of tone back to the traditional roots of the 'Alien' movies with its riff on Jerry Goldsmiths opening title score for 'Alien'.

However, after this brief interlude we appear back into 'Prometheus' territory with its sterile white backgrounds and talk of 'god' and 'creation' with a very appealing turn by Michael Fassbender as the android with aspirations of being a type of 'creationist' himself as he talks with his 'Father' played with intensity by Guy Pearce. It is the 'setting up' of David as a villain if we didn't already gleam that from the first movie 'Prometheus'.

I seem to be in a minority of those that quite enjoyed 'Prometheus' upon its release. While far from a perfect film it did, however, offer a visual feast for the eyes that carries on into 'Alien: Covenent'. Even though the story was lacking it did at least offer a somewhat different approach to the material.

We are firmly back in 'Alien' territory with bulkheads and long corridors, moody lighting and an ensemble cast of characters. It is these characters - mostly one dimensional - that join us on our journey to Origae-6 a habitable planet that has been ear marked for a settlement of colonists aboard the ship. A tragedy strikes aboard the ship and 'mother' is forced to wake the weary crew seven years before arriving to Origae-6. In a blink and you miss it cameo James Franco's character dies horribly in stasis setting forth the angst that Karen Waterston's character portrays for most of the running time.

The crew intercepts a transmission from another habitable planet which is closer to them so the newly appointed captain - played by Billy crudup, not relishing seven more years in stasis - sends a landing party to take surface samples and to survey it as an alternative colonising site for their mission.

From here the atmosphere builds with a terrific looking setting as a back drop. The inevitable infection happens which sets in motion a tense sequence involving small alien hybrids that are menacing in their intensity and blood letting. The culmination of which sees the crew stranded from the mother ship with only the android 'David' for company who may have sinister intentions for them.

It is here that the movie will either lose momentum for you or have you intrigued. We spend a long time in cinematic terms visiting with 'David' as he proceeds to teach 'Walter' the new upgraded version of himself to play the flute - played admiringly with menace by Fassbender - who makes playing both roles seem effortless.

When the inevevitable set up happens and David's plan is revealed (Spoiled bizarrely by the teaser prologue released a week before the film opened) there is a race against time to abandon the planet and regroup with the mother ship.

The tension rises again when the full 'Alien' finally reveals itself and tries with all of its prowess and skill to thwart the escape. It is a skilled sequence that was somewhat sullied by showing a portion of it in the official trailer. I don't quite understand the necessity to do that. It seems to be a current trend in the marketing departments for big tent pole movies.

In essence Alien: Covenant is a hybrid movie not quite a full 'Alien' movie nor 'Prometheus'. It is a bastard child that tries to mesh the best of both movies and doesn't quite succeed. However, where it does succeed it does so quite well. In other areas you may feel slightly aggrieved as it plays as a 'best of' compilation from other 'Alien' movies without adding enough new things to the mix to make it truly great. For instants, I would say that the movie isn't scary. Gone are the long lingering build up of tension scenes. Instead there is fast cuts and quick kills purely for shock value. Ultimately, you need to build tension in order for these shock kills to really hit home. Without that its just some quick blood letting without context.

There seemed to be a few odd editing choices, ending scenes abruptly either for rating or time - the shower scene immediately springs to mind as one scene which does this - to the detriment of the movie for me. I will be interested to see if a directors cut of the movie improves on some of these scenes. 

There is hope for the franchise as the end coda does potentially set in motion an interesting story for the next installment. I am hopeful that Ridley Scott may build on this and hopefully try to create tension aswell as spectacle as I don't believe they are mutually exclusive.  

Ultimately like Prometheus before it Alien: Covenant is not perfect but it is very worthy of viewing on the big screen and does offer some interesting sequences. Good but had potential to be great.