BREAKING: Official Poster and New Release Date for Alien: Covenant Revealed!

Oh sweet may!!!!! Yes!!!! An earlier release date too...it's like Christmas came early!!!

Oh my God!!! This is so awesome, I can't even:D

May update that countdown... this is fantastic news

 By the way, is it me or there is actually something written on the Xeno's head?..

I would imagine a trailer will be soon behind this....maybe this week.

It seem there is some writing on the head.
But its unreadable.

Updating the countdown as we speak... lol this came out of nowhere!

Oh. My. God. What a cracking start. I'm updating my Google Calendar now!

Looks like numbers to me... 148, 19 etc., but I can be wrong.

Makes sense....August was really a placeholder.

So close! Yeah!

Holy crap!  It's within reach!  I like the message too.  Simple, effective.  

OMG...OMG...OMG...OMG...OMG...OMG!!!!!!!!!!

I think it is just the lighting of it making it seem like there is something there but there is not. 

We should then see a trailer within a few days. A teaser that is at least a minute and some seconds. 

Expect a trailer before or attached to Rogue One.

YES!

This Alien has a more rough look to him, not as smooth as the original in Alien 79. 

I also love the teeth. They are definitely different from the "conventional" look.

Most likely came from that of a poor unsuspecting crew member...

Another fantastic beast for Katherine Waterston...:D

Saints alive! That is utterly fantastic! I adore the simple "RUN" atop the image! I can not wait for this film! :)

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LORD TYRANT - Your platform seems to be malfunctioning. What were you attempting to convey? :)

I would like to wake up tomorrow and see a trailer...it would be like Christmas day!

I just shared a topic with a lightened version of the poster, here. There's something under the Xenomorph, but it's not a rib cage.

I think that is just the body that is out of focus...seems to have a different skeletal design then the 79 version. Maybe its Shaw. 

Just now saw this!  Very exciting news! I have to say I'm somewhat surprised by the approach they're taking with this poster release.  Much more direct and to the point compared to the original Alien poster and Prometheus which were more ambiguous and had the aura of mystery surrounding them.

Seems like the marketing for this is very much going against the way Ridley wanted to keep the monster in the dark and not fully shown in the original.  However, it has been 30+years I figure they aren't going to beat around the bush on what this movie is about. 

Regardless, I'm very excited to see the release date moved up to May!! Early Christmas indeed!!!

HUDSON25 - Hahaha! Your avatar is quite humorous! I like it a great deal! :)

I have yet to see an official website though I imagine they will commission one soon or it be nice if they update the Weyland site to include Yutani and an invite to join a colony ship to find a new planet.

I too am surprised they decided to show the Alien, blatantly. I would have expected them to keep at least some of the creature reveals a secret. It's also very clearly the iconic Xenomorph. Not the Neomorph, or any other version we may see in the film.

So much for "the beast is done, it's cooked" eh, Ridley? Hahaha

CHRIS PICARD - I believe Sir Scott was just a bit down when he made that statement - perhaps from seeing Alien vs. Predator. ;)

We have yet to see the rest of the creatures and the demise of the engineers and Shaw's fate. Plenty to ponder about. 

We so need a trailer

Thanks Something Real!  Yeah I found it one day and for some reason was entranced by Bill Paxton's goofy mug.  Love that guy! Lol

@Chris, I thought the same exact thing.  Beast is cooked!  I think he had a sudden change of heart.  

HUDSON25 - Hahaha! Is that image not of the moment in which Hudson asks "How do I get out of this chicken**** operation?"? :)

The trailer is definitely inbound soon, however I have yet to see it announced on any classification websites. I'm keeping an eye out, though! 

Thanks for the updates Chris. I'm looking forward to the discussions about the trailer.

@Something Real-It is indeed!  Lol

Thanks for the updates as usual Chris!  Will definitely keep my eyes peeled for the upcoming trailer!

@David007-Ditto! Can't wait to begin the theorizing and deconstruction of the new trailer when it arrives!

HUDSON25 - Hahaha! Excellent! :)

Hmm..I wonder if it would be a safe wager to assume that we might get a trailer tomorrow for Thanksgiving...? :)

I wonder since there are multiple football games on tomorrow for Thanksgiving that we might get a trailer. It's a good marketing day for it. 

No problem guys! I'm extremely stoked for this film. I can't wait to dissect every detail with you all.

DAVID007 - That is an excellent point, my friend! Well-spotted! :)

CHRIS PICARD - Hear, hear! :)

Do u guys think the trailer will be a fast pace, fast beat like Prometheus, Alien or slower..kind of looks like Paradise, starts off pleasant and then erupts into chaos. 

Thats how I would edit the trailer...

DAVID007 - I happen to think it might be a combination of your vision and the original Alien theatrical trailer. That would be quite fantastic! :)

It will be good to see this go back to a Alien Horror film with that suspense. 

DAVID007 - I could not agree more. I want to feel a sense of dread building as the "Big Chap" lurks just out of sight! :)

I also like the poster because we know that the alien will be there but what we don't know is what else will be hatched...such as the "big chap". It will be interesting to see the relationship between the Alien and the other creatures.

I am so madly happy , i was checking every 6 hours, just waiting for alien covenant news , and my dream came truth , i just can't wait to august , but may is perfect.

Hell Yes! I can't wait. And I love the tag line. It's so simple and yet so serious.

Incredibly happy to see this as Truth awesome! ^+^

I squealed like a  little girlshen I saw this and ***zed everywhere...  Love it...!  3 month early release date and classic xenomorph...  Run!    so much win 

so good

What a fantastic news.

I think there is an eye on the left side of the head !?

cheers

I'm so excited! First thought it's a fake because the poster looks so simple and there's just a xenomorph... You guys think the Trailer will be released this year?

Oh **** yeah!! Haha!!

Well there was some backlash by how little prometheus connected with Alien.

I guess they're showing right away what's up this time.

Wonder if we will get a leaked trailer like the good old Prometheus days.

Yesssss May 19th,and its the good old Big chap!

Looks like Ridley,Fassbender and McBride weren't lying and that AC is really going to scare the living s*** out of us.

RUN

@123Engineer, the trailer will debut before 2017. It could drop anytime between now and mid-December. Fox will likely push it with Assassin's Creed and Rogue One. But digital copies release online before theatrical.

@Engineer Tech Brett, I wish! Haha I remember when we had that scoop from that one cinema owner who relayed us a play-by-play of the Prometheus trailer screening. That was a blast. I'm not sure we'll get a serious leak this time though. But we'll see!

@Durp, yeah it certainly seems that way.

DARK NEBULA - Hahaha! That image is fantastic! :)

I like it, let's hope that the movie will be as good. Hopefully there will be a trailer soon.

Chris: Before 2017, that means that it won't be far from now which is good.

What if "RUN" is a hint at runners being in this film?

Hmm...I wonder what would happen if FOX decided to not release a trailer - just to make us squirm all the way to the theater! :)

Something Real: Well that would suck. I want to have some idea of what to expect although it is not very smart to judge a movie from its trailer.

They wouldn't do that. Showing trailers in cinemas/on TV is one of the traditional and effective ways of film-marketing.

If I was marketing...tonight during the many football games would be a good placement since there will be many viewers or next week on a Wednesday.

Awe . . . freakin . . . some :) 

Cool looking poster - a classic in the making?

I had a feeling they may go with a pretty clear link to the xeno, I think on a topic about trailer expectations I said something like 'imagine it ending with those familiar growl and teeth being exposed in a close up'.  Looks like the poster people heard me ;) 

Don't blame them either, they were always pretty open about this being a xeno film, just not a 'traditional' one.  It will get bums on seats no doubt!

Seriously cannot wait - to quote a popular series on TV

"It's gonna be pee pee pants city here real soon" :) 

@Dark Nebula - love your 'amendment' :) !!! ha ha

Oh hell yes! May! No we definitely need a trailer soon! Love the design of the alien, looks like a cross between the creature from Alien and Alien 3, only with bad teeth.

Things should be moving along fast soon then ;)

Not long after my Birthday too... when i first released my post about Source leaks in March 2015 the Source did say a May 2017 date was about the aim and that from October but surely in November to expect official news and details start to come that would back up their claims...  Maybe Coincidence?

But not long now..  6 Months.... if so WOW... cant wait and to be fair.. the production time etc and shooting that ended in the Summer  even a August Release seemed bit long..

Now the marketing machine kicks in. I wonder if they will do the same as Prometheus and directly release the trailer through iTunes or go the common route of teaser trailer for the trailer. What ever the case, being that they released the teaser poster, a trailer will soon follow route. 

Rather exciting.

@Chris,  that was a great time. Can't wait for the trailer.

Shotguns??!!! F@#% that!  I want a Type 2 Phaser set to kill!

...It's the dry heat man.... !    

Oboyoboyoboy. I can hardly believe this is happening. That thing is MORBILICIOUS!

Theories for bumped up release date anyone? Potentially:

-Confidence from studio about projected performance (most important, really)

-Trying to beat the release of "Life", the plot of which more-than-echoes Alien

-Hoping to greenlight Blomkamp's Ripley-Alien sequel 

-Simply, a marketing tactic to keep buzz going

Could be all of them I guess!

It's a Christmas miracle 

Yes!!!! The real deal (hopefully) Prometheus sucked no matter how much people tried to make up explanations for the bad writing.

Give us more of this and less giant albinos! Give us smart explorers instead of idiots! 

If anything I think the trailer will come out with Fassbender's new Assain Creed film. 

@bambi, It's likely all of the above haha. Clearly Fox are feeling confident which is great. I'm sure, after seeing the success Star Wars is generating for Disney, they want to push their own properties to similar heights. Alien and Predator are a couple staples for Fox, so it makes sense that they would want to greenlight Blomkamp's Alien 5 asap.

I don't have high hopes for Alien 5 considering how bad Blomkamp's two latest films were. The only thing he gets right though is probably the best CGI effects.

I get that it's also a strong marketing brand that should use the momentum of Covenant for greater potential financial success with a close release date.

In the end I'm just glad that the franchise is revived! 

@Neomorph, true but both of Blomkamp's recent works were personal and original stories. Alien has so much pre-existing material to draw from, I feel as though it'd be hard to mess up.

Sigourney too, seemed quite thrilled with the script and confident in Blomkamp's ability.

I'll remain optimistic for now, until we have some official information on its plot to judge.

But definitely, great to see ALIEN making a serious comeback!

Yep although Blomkamp is more of a visual artist than a storyteller, he has extensive background in special effects just like Jim Cameron, although the latter is a better director.

Part of me really miss the ambiguity of Alien, the clever and beautiful extension of alternative lore in Aliens, and Alien 3 and Resurrection were OK in my book because of Sigourney Weaver's presence. This is the sole reason why I'm looking forward to Alien 5 because she's always amazing and seem to be such a sweetheart in interviews.

This is just my opinion but I know many agree on this; I feel like Prometheus ruined the mystery of the first film, and I wished that the Space Jockey would be left alone then and there from that scene in Alien.

The reason why I don't think this applies to 'Aliens' is because they didn't delve into the lore too deeply with such an exaggerated scope as with Prometheus, that had unnecessary undertones of religion and life/death/creation etc.

The sequels kept it simple yet good.

Another part of me sees Covenant as a great opportunity to fix the mess of Prometheus and restore faith in the franchise now that that Lindelof is gone (who I partly blame for Prometheus).

I was initially angry with Prometheus but I'm happy it didn't have "Alien" in the title, only vague connections with the franchise.

It did have good aspects though imo, like Fassbender's performance, cinematography (thanks to Ridley) the trademark gore and the use of practical effects.

Seeing this poster makes me genuinely happy, and I can't wait too see the first teaser trailer!

I've never been that interested in the Alien franchise, but I would like to see when it comes out.

Hi Guys great news on the rush release 

@Neomorph your view is well expressed and shared by many. But curiously my pals who have stayed with their interests from their formative years (I was 24 when A L I E N was released) share Ridleys view "no one dealt with the question of the Jockey" and are thrilled by the reverse engineering (excuse the pun) that is going on. On this site, unlike others, the contextualising of what they call the Morb is by many considered to be deeply fascinating.

I agree with Ridley the beast is cooked as a monster in a tin can. However you can probably go one or two more rounds exposing the world in which it came into and the poster for me is clear evidence that he is keeping on that track. The very fact that he has revealed it in the very first poster is clear evidence that the surprise is not in the monster at all, but how the monster came to be "why would you make such a thing".

I think a lot of people will go to the cinema because of the poster and the fact that Fox want to rush release and get a return on their investment as quickly as possible is a great sign. If you have watched Quadrilogy you will know Fox's view of more movies after A L I E N S was not exactly full of passion and conviction and they were right. A 3 in the Assembly cut is a great film but it makes the monster texture and the Alien Ripley and Resurrection should never have been made, so my interest in a second resurrection and a fork in the road with Sigourney is no where near as high as the Alien Prequel notion which gives room to go beyond monsters in a tin can.   

One element that anyone studying this franchise will know is there are two major challenges to coming up with a fresh take.

1) The crew. We have now had (Blue Collar cynics, Nam Marines, Mentally and Sexually disturbed inmates and a Black Friday group of chancers in Prometheus). Resurrection went with made in hollywood proto. marvel comic stereotypes. Now we have colonists out to thrive and procreate.

2) Making the beast interesting. Those first four films show how incredibly hard that was until descending into AVP.

You can of course hand on the torch reboot for a new audience, ignoring the old one, but Ridley at 78 is trying to hold all of his audiences together and whilst I hope the 3rd terror act is entertaining my hope lies with the first two. I hope beasts in tin can lovers are not to bored with the first two acts and get what they want in the terror act.      

Forgive me if those categorisations are slightly self contained but you only have to read the posts to see where peoples centre of gravity lies and at one end is intellectual and thematic curiosity and at the other is  arguments about is it Morphing or David or Queens that create Eggs and which ones suck and which ones are cool. (Actually I think Eggs will have their origins in Norse eco systems rituals but we shall see).

I hope you get from the movie what you are looking for. 

Back to purdah.  

If it's done right in terms of filming, the H.R Giger Alien, given that it receives a few esthetical updates and improved practical and/or top notch CGI- will still be as scary as a sci-fi monster can possibly be. If Ridley continues with his "not what you see but the effect of what you think you saw" formula, this "cooked" creature can still scare the s*** out of audiences. 

As for the "beast in a tin can lovers", I'm sure Alien fans appreciated the suspension in Alien leading up to the terror act and also preferred it compared to the downright action parts of Prometheus. Here with scenes of white snakes, zombie-like Fifield (now THAT'S a overused creature) and Tentacle beast (50s cliché) monsters that had basically no suspension prior to the brief terror scenes. 

Regarding the "crew challenge", I feel as if they should just make it simple and realistic.

In Alien, we met a bunch of disgruntled miners (we can relate to that) and an android with a secret agenda sent by Weyland.

In Aliens, we followed tough Colonial Marines who had never faced something like the Xenos before, and it was believable.

The inmates in A3 were convincing as ultra-criminals who had to overcome adversity to survive the onslaught of a Xeno running amok. 

As for Resurrection, I could buy the "Marvel" stereotype characters because it was written by comic fan Joss Whedon and the Betty crew were basically space pirates who executed that perfectly imo. This film wasn't aiming to be a masterpiece.

Now we get to Prometheus, which had a perfect introduction in a super advanced spaceship that leads you to believe that we'll have a team of scientists and archaeologists who know what they're doing and wouldn't be completely idiotic. Turns out  half of the crew are the most childish, confused, loudmouth goofas and unlikely bunch of big brother contestants who merely show signs of their profession. It reminded me of Galaxy Quest, and that's far from a compliment.

One explanation could be miscast actors, but more likely bad writing. 

Back to Covenant, I hope that the characters are qualified scientists and explorers this time, and I have no problems with new takes on the franchise, with new creature designs as well (like my profile name indicates).

The concept of spores from sacks, ("body snatchers" inspiration x10 more horrifying) sounds creepy, and I'm sure there's more to tell about the Engineers than the brutal thugs they were depicted as in Prometheus. Now they just need to solve David's agenda who's a bit of an enigma, and explain what happened to Shaw, and we're  hopefully back on track. 

YES! The new release date is now right after my birthday! :)

^^ Wow what a treat!

Indeed!

This is AWESOME!

This is the best news I've heard all year! The poster is amazing, and that bumped up release date made me say omg yes out loud. I also am so happy that Ridley got right to the point and put a xeno on the first poster. I wasn't sure if they were gonna make it into this film, but all those fears are gone :)  I thought I read somewhere that all the classic monsters were going to be back. Chestbursters, xenomorphs, facehuggers, and a new alien species. Maybe the neopmorph is going to face off against the xeno and the xeno is gonna take it out.

I can't even think right now I'm so happy that the xenomorphs are gonna be in this and its coming in May. The whole Run line on the poster is perfect. I can wait. Im so happy we are finally going to get a decent alien movie again. 

The trailer should be out before Christmas 100%. Especially since they released this poster. The hype is going to keep building and building. I'm Sooo happy :)

Just wanted to share this with you. Wanted to create a topic, but I couldn't, maybe I don't understand something:) The marketing machine has started working, and the poster we all liked is now being localized all around the world. This one here is a Russian version, where the fanbase of the AvP universe is pretty huge. Let's hope for the big box-office success!

Maybe the neopmorph is going to face off against the xeno and the xeno is gonna take it out.

  I've thought this myself and think it could be part of some unexpected turn of events; maybe involving David or Walters intervention?

 Although being 'nit picky' :) . . . are we going to see a xeno or something more like the Deacon?  The poster image, especially the teeth and what I can make out of the body, suggest a more Deacon/organic look rather than the classic xeno.

  Perhaps some of these creatures were still around prior to David and Liz's arrival?  Perhaps David modifies them in some way to create the traditional xeno?

  We are getting more and more clues now but it's still a bit of a jigsaw trying to see how the parts will fit!

@Neomorph It occurred to me to drop in my reply and not read your response would be discourteous. Thank you.

As this is relevant to how C O V E NA N T will be received and the poster I will respond.

Characters

Two people on board knew the purpose of the Prometheus mission Weyland's daughter and surrogate son. The rest of the crew were token."Is there another agenda here" Yes. They were emblematic of corporate fodder in the Northern Hemisphere no paternalism on one side no real commitment on the other side just a pay cheque. Centred between that were Charlie and Elizabeth and weren't they naive. For Fifield to binge on Marijuana and Milburn to behave incautiously was the perfect riff on post 1960's behaviour and a perfect counter point to the Nam "idealism" of A L I E N S. The problem is the younger audience want bullet proof characterisation in tentpoles and whereas every other type of movie made shows human vulnerability which creates drama in tentpoles the drama comes out of some stereotypical "bad thing".

Why does it have to be simple, we all watch thousands of movies in our lives, mess it up a bit and make us smile wryly at the refraction with modern life. I guarantee people will do stupid things in A.C. it creates drama. Why not send down a robot probe to take some pictures and then we go back to Earth disappointed  thats what would happen in real life full of protocols and risk management.      

Dialing Back  

The decision to dial back the Xenomorph connections was made I assume because Fox believed and so I think did Ridley that it needed a fresh take. I learned a great deal more about how the creature came  about from the worm than I did by seeing the lifecycle again. In A C the life cycle, as John Logan has said, will be given its context. If I thought all I was going to get was masking, exploding stomachs and a lot of KY Jelly I would stay at home. How can you make that interesting yet again without giving context. You mention that A L I E N did the slow build through two acts absolutely, but you cannot repeat that linear story, we know where we are going this time, hence the poster.What will make the first two acts interesting is whose breaking and broken Covenants and why things got lost. 

Low Exposition Lindelof   

There will never be another film in the series which will make you think more than Prometheus for which I am grateful. Damon had some answers up his sleeve, as it happens the answers will come from others and hopefully Prometheus will now be seen as a Prologue and David will pull us in. For me without the big ideas all about everything these prequels are a waste of electricity.

Finally you mention the riffing of 50's values in Ms T. (the trilobite). Artists have always riffed the teardrop shop is a riff from  all those flying saucer movies and saturday morning cinema. Riffs abound.

2001

Lawrence of Arabia

The Virgin Birth on Christmas day

The Cathedral Headroom        

Ancient Astronauts 

Bagdad Batteries 

The sistine chapel and the fresco.

and all his own riffs. 

Riffs inside a story that has not been told before grounds the story. 

The difficulty with a franchise is we have expectations, understandably so, its entirely possible for a reboot a retake a prequel to not go where we want to. For me AR onwards were of no interest Prometheus has got me interested again and whereas what is being done is in alignment for me it may not be for others.  That I believe is more crucial in whether we enjoy each of these entries rather than micro managing our critique art is art and rarely perfect and I think the criticisms of Prometheus are more simple than whether Fifield and Milburn are believable, for some he made the wrong movie. With Covenant he is going to try a blend. So expect reviews to go "Better but still highs and lows"       

Michelle-

Hear hear, I couldn't agree more with everything you've said.

Personally, I'm very much hoping Ridley will provide us with the same kaleidoscope of references and ideas that made Prometheus such a feast. While Covenant will almost certainly get better press, I'm betting a lot of people still won't like it. 

I smell a trailer in the next day or two

Michelle, finally, somebody understands what I feel... I LOVED Prometheus.

Michelle Johnston, first of all thank you for your insightful posts kept professional and less angry then mine. I can't help but feel that my disappointment gets the better of me, but I appreciate that you try to shed some positive light on this. After all, that's what I'm interested in, how people can look past the issues that polarized the critics and the audience, and see things differently in some "fascinating" way, like Ash would've said.

Now I wouldn't limit the perception of characters based on the viewers age too easily, but rather on how you view the credibility of geologists and biologists who are sent on a trillion dollar mission to gather some valid evidence regarding human origins. Based on really vague paintings on earth, that did not lead us to their home planet. Hm...okeydokey....

Holloway was bored by some of the greatest discoveries of mankind and decided to act like a douch overall and a dickhead towards David, then we're suddenly supposed too feel sorry for him when he's torched with *play* "sad theme" shoved down our ears? It makes no sense.

David the android showed clear signs of feelings, makes no sense. 

Vickers who can only run in straight lines had the personality of a tree log, yet in contrast Milburn and Fifield are loud idiots who get lost despite state of the art mapping technology. Makes no sense.

Above mentioned get scared of an ancient corpse, but then Milburn tries to cuddle with an alien snake. Makes no sense.

Shaw with a "British accent" gets a c section but has no problem at all running and jumping around for the following 30 minutes.

Makes

No

Sense

You can argue that you like the film or not but not about the obvious lack of logic here. And I don't mind ambiguity, but don't mess it up as a writer to the point where you don't know how it started or holds together logically. That's an obvious writing issue.

I suspect that this image is actually part of a mural. It looks carved, especially the teeth. Perhaps a tease of another mural room.

@Michelle.... great replies totally agree...

"but rather on how you view the credibility of geologists and biologists who are sent on a trillion dollar mission to gather some valid evidence regarding human origins. Based on really vague paintings on earth"

Indeed somethings were never clearly thought out, but they was done the way they was to drive a Plot Forwards... but it was flawed in a number of ways.... and needed a bit of fine tuning here and there to explain some of the less credible stuff or give a reason for it.

However the drafts did paint the Characters different, a lot of the flaws had more detail and explanation..... to many of the stupid scenes..

I again think the released images and comments and descriptions have been a distraction.... Fans were disappointed we never got Xenos or more details of How/Why they was created..

Ridley with AC has told the fans we will find out, and see every stage of the Xenomorph.... we have released set images and comments by the cast that confirm multiple chest busters and Aliens chasing people around.

The Poster is there as a  "Hi Yes Look i am in the movie (Xenomorph) now RUN!!!"

But i feel its a distraction to the main Plot that will make fans think too much about the Xenomorph... and take their minds off what is really going to happen...

Indeed there would be more Xeno links.... but i think the Xenomorphs for the most part will look different, and i think we wont get the full answers fans expecting...

But it wont be as vague as Prometheus and the Deacon is replaced with more Xeno looking Monsters and then at the End i bet we see a Event where we finally see the Guy in the Poster in the 3rd Act.....

They will be trying to Hook the fans in with Marketing so they go and see the movie.... waiting for the Money Shot... but at least this time they would know they will see something very close to the Xeno.

This is not the/a Xeno movie.... is a Prequel to seeing a Xeno movie and we maybe wont get our answers or see the 1979 Xeno but we would see more clues to how it came to be and a Evolution that will then leave the other TWO movies to cover the Xeno more..

or it could be the opposite and cover the Xeno more in your Face... but leave some things back for the others movies to touch upon and then also other Plots than just the Xenomorph.

Apart from the illogical downright stupid aspects I mentioned, Prometheus had the potential to be a great sci-fi horror film if it didn't try so hard to play on the "large scheme of things" theme.

It didn't lack atmosphere and was at times beautiful for the eyes, but I feel as if it struggled to find its own identity between the Alien franchise and something completely new.

One of the probable causes was Lindelof rewriting an EXISTING script made by Spaiths, all this apparently ordered by Ridley to make Prometheus even more detached from the Alien world. Adding to that we know Lindelof isn't exactly known to tie up all the loose ends he creates himself. This isn't ambiguity, just a total mess without any payoff. That's a difference.

The end result felt similar to two chefs with different ideas working on your (read: audience) dinner, and you're not quite sure what to make out of the taste. Some people love it, others hate it.

Personally I sometimes just prefer a simple well made burger as opposed to a complicated new dish with too many ingredients. Not because I have a narrow view, but because sometimes it's better to keep it simple. 

Stretching my hand into the pile of yarn left by Lindelof; if there's one aspect I find interesting it is the buildup to the Xeno eggs and eventually the Xenos themselves.

It may be something we didn't expect but if it's well designed (as opposed to the cute Deacon) in a well written story I'm all in for a good sci-fi horror story. 

This time they can get the cast right, and take off in a new narrative direction to set up a better foundation for the events that lead up to Alien. 

I hope we get at least one scene akin to the chestburster or c section scene, explicit gore for maximum impact on the audience, not too bombastic of a soundtrack that ruins the immersion of horror (like it did in Prometheus), a xeno chasing the crew through corridors and sneaking up on them for a few jump scares, unexpected scenes and a few explanations at least! 

Michelle J:

I am glad that they have a better connection to the Xeno this time. We don’t need to know everything about it but I think that is better so you can try to fill some of the blanks yourself. I like the fact that we don’t have to wait as much until we will get the movie.

As far as the idea that the beast is cooked, well not totally. I think that you can have the Xenos in it and still make it somewhat interesting if you tie it to something that we haven’t seen before. Having them in this could make the Engineers seem more interesting if they explain their motifs better.

They need to have better characters this time but the idea of colonists seems that it could work.

Hopefully they won’t copy the Giger parts but that they will try to add something to it also while at the same time keeping some of it. It is not that I dislike Giger’s ideas but hopefully they will add something new to the kind of environment that they will have.

Neomorph:

I would have preferred if they would have kept the Xeno Fifield rather than the Zombie version that we got. The Xeno version should have given is a better connection to the Xeno monster. Bad writing is probably a reason but maybe also how scenes were cut that would have needed to be there. For example there was a scene where Fifield and Milburn found a monster and could handle it. When they see the space cobra they think that they can handle it since the first encounter with a monster went fine but now they can’t. Had they kept the other scene this one wouldn’t have been that stupid.

Better characters is a must as long as they make sense what ever kind of characters that they will have. Shaw is just an unlikable character, I don’t care about her.

Thoughts_Dreams 

I agree that they shouldn't try to copy Giger like they did in Prometheus because it just turns out less good when the main man isn't behind the steering wheel for the art direction, RIP Giger.

Sure some designs were based on Giger artwork but it didn't feel as purely otherworldly and fresh as in Alien, especially with the bright planetary setting, although I can see Michelle's argument of not repeating the same thing in every film here. 

However, with the new ship I still hope they go for a more industrial look this time instead of the comfortable luxury cruiser ship. This weird choice of interior art design was really misplaced in Prometheus, which is supposed to be a sci-fi horror film based on the Alien franchise where things are usually dark and dirty to enhance the sense of a classic haunted house setting. 

It definitely made more sense that Milburn made contact with that snake before the horror event, but since it was cut out it doesn't apply imo, rendering the actual film stupid in  terms of basic logic.

I also feel theoretically that they can nail it with colonists but it's too early to tell because we haven't seen actual acting yet.

And indeed, characters are bearing pillars in storytelling so let's hope we don't get a crew that seemed to have been picked up and recruited from prisons, churches or streets rather than space exploration academies.

I did not like Noomi's performance in Prometheus, she was like an indoctrinated cultist and really naive like Michelle perfectly pointed out. And that accent is just as weird as Peter Weyland's amateur "old man" makeup.

Xeno Fifield would be ideal but even then the scene was too short and simply acted as a silly horror treat for fans. Came from nowhere and disappeared just as quickly without any buildup, same thing goes for the trilobite and the cut out scene with the Engineer who couldn't manage to kill Shaw who had her abdominal muscles sliced apart completely.