My Biggest Problem With Alien: Covenant (SPOILERS)

Informative post

Haven't seen movie yet. But I'm already sure that this movie is a Fassbender show. I wanted to watch the story of Elizabeth Shaw searching for answers

Although David is a big part of the film I dont think its all about AI although it probably shows how humans have advanced to creating life as such.

I was more interested in Shaw and her questions.

(Sadly we wont get to see that)

I ask then, did the original not have a sketchy evil AI that cared more about their find than the crew? Was there not a special order setting up the whole spine of the subsequent movies? 

You used the word want as a basis for your review in totality, which is flawed in itself, imo. 

Let us not forget that the original started with terror which was compounded by the fact that the one who was supposed to support the humans in fact turned on them. 

I appreciate your review, and look forward to comparing my viewing and my mindset to yours.

I feel it's worth noting, that while there are many movies out there about evil AI, not many of them are executed intelligently. I'm pretty sure Ridley is trying to give the proper treatment to a subject that is more complicated than "evil AI".

From all the information that we have on David's arc thusfar, it seems more likely Ridley is trying to tell a cautionary tale about the dangers of creating beings that are smarter than humans. These films seem to be serving us with a big riveting question that few of us consider deeply at a time in history when it should be part of the main discussion. That question is this...

What happens when a being (who is programmed to philosophize and create) realizes it has been constructed to serve as a tool for his selfish creator to achieve some magnificent end that will not be shared with him. Furthermore, consider the weight here, for this being to know this and realize that it is superior to it's creator, just after acquiring near exclusive access to the ultimate creation/destruction technology.

This kind of vivid narrative coupled with this level of imagination and embedded symbolism is a rarity in science fiction. It doesn't seem just to chalk it up to another evil AI movie.

@QES well articulated. At first, I was disappointed to learn that David was to be the focus of this movie, but after strong consideration, I think we all need to chill and realize that he's just PART of the huge overlying story arc, and there's no way for one movie to cover all portions at once. RS has said he's committed to more of these so long as they're successful--and they will be--and so we will get more story NOT on David, I guarantee you.

Once again, you simply cannot satisfy every single person. Everyone has different expectations for a movie, no matter which you're a fan of. There is no way to every expect that every single soul will like it, no matter how objectively "good" it is...

The Main Problem I'm having with what we've been hearing about David's relationship to the Re-Creation/Creation/Evolution of the Xenomorphs is that in the 1st 'Alien' Film, the Derelict, it's Fossilized Engineer, and Egg Cargo have supposedly been on LV-426 for Hundreds > Thousands of Years. HOW can that continuity possibly work if David is in fact the one responsible for creating the Facehuggers, Eggs, and Xenomorphs UNLESS David successfully Re-Created the Engineer's own Original Work and/or UNLESS they decide to RetCon the timeline of both how and for how long that ship got there? The reason I think that David may have Re-Created the Engineer's Work is because this image of the Xenomorph was in the Temple-Hangar on LV-223 (In 'Prometheus') and the Engineers wouldn't have known to have carved it -- as a probable warning/reminder -- UNLESS they had some sort of prior dealings with a Xenomorphesque Species that they themselves either created or encountered. Furthermore, the Alien Vs. Predator Prequels -- divisive though they may be -- continuity showcases that the Predators had both Xenomorph Eggs and/or a Xenomorph Queen at their disposal Past/Present and that both were accessible and existed long before David and Elizabeth set foot on Engineer Homeworld Paradise.  This continuity issue is one we need an explanation on for the sake of The Entire Series!

All I know is that I was mesmerized by the Engineers and wanted as much info as I can get in the films.  Remember this...Ridley Scott said people bashed Prometheus b/c there were no Aliens. In regards to that, Ridley gave is an Alien film with many a xenos.  I think switching the film from "Paradise" to Alien being in the title is where the shift changed perhaps?  Fox also had input on this...

Guys, I really have the biggest issue with David being able to just fly in there & bomb all of the 'More Advanced' race to complete destruction?  For goodness sakes, even here on Earth we have surface to air missiles?!?  I am an Engineer fan & was hoping they would do some serious killing in this movie, but no, they just walk out to ooh & aah the arriving ship & are crapped upon by a wing nut android?  I just do not understand how these guys were completely defenseless against David's attack?

Ok, my rant is over, except for the explanation of the Alien Derelict, that we will not get, yet?!?

It is not about the Alien to me, it is all about the Engineers!!!!

I do again apologize for my Engineer-biased ranting!

Its quite possible that the eggs were originaly created by the engineers. I am positive i read that the eggs were originally used as drop offs in a war . they would drop a load of eggs onto the planet and the aliens would hatch and kill the population and then would die after a certain period.

I just wish I could find this story I read about this.

That story is correct S1mOn. Ridley Scott says it multiple times in different interviews. He always looked at it is as a bioweapon. You drop it and after 9 months you basically cleaned out the planet. 

What makes all this both interesting, and frustrating, for me is my writing focuses on Canon, meaning strictly R. Scott Canon.

I have yet to see A:C and I will, but right now I suspect there's going to be a split between R. Scott Canon and where my works go.
My story thus far is based solely off ALIEN and PROMETHEUS. It gives some answers, but leaves many questions to be answered in a follow-up story which is in development-stasis until after I see ALIEN: Covenant as it's based around a starship following Shaw and David's commandeered juggernaut.

I'm not willing to retcon established Canon if the franchise does. I don't 'do' retconning as it's lazy and sloppy and always leaves behind damage to a franchise.
If the Space Jockey turns out to be a big bald dude in a suit, I'll ignore that.
Who created the Alien? You'll find out if you read my works. Where was the Space Jockey's vessel going? Not Earth.
Etc..

All I can do as a massive devotee` and fan of the ALIENverse is my best to stay with Canon...and if need be, preserve and split-off the Canon preferred by the fanbase.

So, ALIEN: Covenant might force my hand to do just that, and ALIEN: Awakening has me concerned it might really force me to do so to an extreme degree depending on the direction it takes.

I am willing to trust R. Scott and give him all possible benefit of the doubt. But in the end we will see what we see when we see it and I am trying to not pre-judge or pre-disposition myself regarding this franchise's future.

After watching it...A:C is totally a sequel to prometheus and a total reboot to the Alien franchise..Which is ok. But it really does ignore timelines with predator comics and books. It doesn't answer the origin based on the original films...Remember predator 2 takes place in 1997 and an alien skull is in the background during the final battle with Danny glover...it leaves that plot hole open...overall a great movie but a total reboot to the series. The timeline just doesn't make sense unless you ignore any books, any AvP games and nobles from the past and any alien related movie after Aliens

@esco the predator movies, avp, or I don't even think aliens are cannon for this film or any of the prequels.

the avp aren't cannon for anything. They were basically a studio mashing two popular characters and making a buck. I am not criticizing them in any way. I just wanted to point that out.

So after doing some research. The next film has to be about LV 426 and finally it will have to tie it in with Alien 1979..I'll run with aliens created by human cyborgs....just got to ignore anything from Dark Horse Comics sense they are based after the film Aliens...so timeline goes prometheus in the year 2093, AC 2104, the next film will be before Alien which takes place in 2124..20 years after AC..Aliens which is 2181 or close to that since Ripley sleep for 57 years...Alien 3 is just a few months after the events of Aliens and the A:resurrection which is in the year 2300s...makes sense now. Just go with the original book which Alien 1979 is based on