Dateline Movies : October 2017

Monday, October 30, 2017

Dateline Movies Countdown: Top Seven Best Car Chase Scenes Ever!

Sponsored Post

Ah, car chases. The only way one can pad more running time onto a movie, and so as to make things less tedious. In the wrong hands, car chase sequences can be worthless pieces of garbage, made exclusively for the purpose of making an already dull product unnecessarily longer. In the right ones, however, they could very well just be the highlights of the entire movie, most especially if your films are all revolving around certain premises that discuss vehicular mayhem in all of its forms. Welcome to Dateline Movies, and come ride with us, as we countdown our Top Seven Best Car Chase Scenes Ever!

7. Quantum of Solace (2008) -
In The Beginning ...

The James Bond multimedia franchise has had its own fair share of hits and misses, and Quantum of Solace falls very much in the category of the in-between. Hey, at least it is not as disappointing as Spectre. Numbed down by an underwhelming story, but still delivering on the gritty side, the movie continues to push the envelope for exhilarating action scenes, and the introductory car chase sequence of the flick is anything but boring. After James Bond, played by Daniel Craig (The Golden Compass) is able to capture Mister White, played by Jesper Christenesen (Melancholia), Bond must go on a thrilling car chase in his trademark Ashton Martin, so as to deliver Mister White to M, played by Judi Dench (Philomena) for questioning. There are a lot of chase scenes from the Bond series to choose from, but nevertheless, it was this one scene that prevailed!

6. The French Connection (1971) -
All You Had To Do Was Follow The Train, "Popeye"!

In all honesty, I never even watched The French Connection prior to making this list, and I bared no knowledge of this movie, aside from the fact that this is arguably the high point of Gene Hackman's legendary filmography. After doing some research, due in part to my curiosity with the movie, I stumbled upon one of the best car chase sequences of all time! In the movie, "Popeye" Doyle, played by Hackman (Superman: The Movie) brings his car for a ride across the city, in pursuit of a train being hijacked by an assailant. What makes this scene noteworthy is the very fact that this was not shot in a studio. All of the crashes actually happened in real-time, and thankfully, everybody made it through post-production without a scratch! This just goes to show just how far people will go to make one perfectly engrossing car chase sequence!

5. The Matrix Reloaded (2003) -
Seeing Double

The middle chapter of The Matrix Trilogy returns for another round of awesome fights, plus with a handful of new CGI to crank things up a notch, as well as a few philosophy class notes to make things somewhat intellectually stimulating. Somewhat. While many might have been disappointed by some of the film's elements, including a tad bit slower pace than its predecessor, as well as its over-reliance on computer-generated imagery, this one epic battle in the freeway, with Morpheus, played by Laurence Fishburne (Deep Cover), and Trinity, played by Carrie-Anne Moss (Marvel's Jessica Jones), saving a valuable asset known as the "Keymaker", played by Randall Duk Kim (Kung Fu Panda), from two powerful Twins, played by Adrian and Neil Rayment. What follows is an awesome barrage of traditional hand-to-hand combat, with superpowered madness in the middle of rush hour! It also should be noted that they actually built an entire set for this one sequence, simply because there was no available space to shoot.

Source

4. The Italian Job (1969) -
"Self-Preservation Society"

I remember watching this very sequence once when I was younger, right before our cable provider decided to pull the plug on CineMax, for some reason. I had no clue about this movie before watching only this scene on television, besides the name, and I have to say, this is one serious work of art. In this scene, Charlie Croker, played by Michael Caine (Inception), and company have finally commenced the movie's highly awaited heist, and must now outrun the persistent police forces before all of their hardwork is ironically robbed. There is no background music to accompany it, but the thrills remain. And speaking of music, that song, "Getta Bloomin' Move On!" by Quincy Jones, which plays by the time the credits roll, and during a literal (and thrilling) cliffhanger, is catchy and excellent. I have not watched the remake, starring Mark Wahlberg (Daddy's Home) to make a comparison, but from what I can tell, I am hoping the remake can do just as great in capturing that scene's energy.

Source

3. Ronin (1998) -
I Spy

Oh Ronin, the one obscure action movie that played in my hospital room on repeat while I was being treated for appendicitis on the summer of '17. Good times. Good times. Funny enough, even if the movie looped, I barely paid any attention at all to the flick, since the pain of intravenous feeding distracted me from my movie viewing experience, which is a shame, since I obviously missed-out on arguably one of the finest car chases shot for the big screen! In this movie, Robert De Niro and Jean Reno's respective characters go on a citywide pursuit. They chase Natascha McElhone and Stellan Skarsgård's respective characters for a probable MacGuffin, but enough about the story. The scene is just ... Wow. The story is pretty much "okay" at best, but this single scene, which has no background music like that of The Italian Job's, and some pretty impressive editing and camera work, makes Ronin a more or less worthwhile action feature. Heck, I watched the clip below online, and it gave me chills.

2. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) -
"Witness Me!"

You can basically put all of the chase sequences from this movie, and none of the other movies in this countdown would have made it. What makes this very first scene awesome is that the movie jumps straight into the action, and sparing no time for any form of exposition whatsoever. In this scene, we see a captive Max Rockatansky, played by Tom Hardy (Locke) being held prisoner as a human blood bank, as the armies of Immortan Joe, played by Hugh Keays-Byrne (Mad Max, the first movie in the franchise) race to reclaim his wives from Furiosa, played by Charlize Theron (Atomic Blonde). If this scene is not goosebumps-inducing for you, wait until you see the scene-stealing flame-throwing guitarist in this sequence!

Source

Honorable Mentions:

Bullitt (1968) - For our first honorable mention, we have one the earlier examples on how a car chase scene should be done. It is worth noting that this is considered by many as the best car chase sequence of all time, but for me, well, not so much. Perhaps if I watch this movie completely, maybe I can fully appreciate the scene, but for now, it earns a spot here. Hey, I might not have watched the movie, but there is no chance that I am ignoring a historically significant milestone such as this one.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) - While the first Terminator movie had a grim climactic chase scene through an underpass, this fast-paced rollercoaster of excitement takes the cake! With Arnold Schwarzenegger's T-800 taking care of Edward Furlong's young John Connor, from the metallic clutches of Robert Patrick's malevolent shape-shifter, T-1000, you are no doubt in for the ride of your life!

The Dark Knight (2008) - So far, it is the greatest Batman movie yet, and with powerful performances and storytelling, there is no question as to why The Dark Knight received its title. One particular car chase scene is worth mentioning in this countdown, and it is Heath Ledger's the Joker's encounter with Christian Bale's Batman on his Bat-Cycle. Also, did we mention that this citywide chase features a truck flipping?

Fast Five (2011) - In a countdown that revolves around cars, would you actually expect us to forget the currently only decade-long franchise that revolves around cars? While their earlier, grounded flicks feature much more realistic car sequences, none of them really made impressions. But once they embraced their cartoonish antiques, things became interesting, and it all started with their soft reboot, Fast Five. Dad actually enjoyed this scene, while my boring child version fell asleep more than halfway through the movie. In this scene, Vin Diesel's Dominic Toretto, and Paul Walker's Brian 'O Conner literally pulled a vault from its place, and they make their way to a bridge for an escape, with the vault attached to cables, attached to their nitro-fueled cars. Yep, and while it broke every known Law of Physics possible, it was a fun scene.

Now, onto our number one pick!

1. Drive (2011) -
How To Get Away With Robbery

For some reason, my uncle somewhat dislikes this movie, specifically for how the Driver, played by Ryan Gosling (La La Land) only has one facial expression. Reading the rave reviews, I would still consider watching this movie, and now my enthusiasm is at an all-time high, thanks to this one particular scene. In this scene, instead of evading typically police with bangs and booms, the Driver carefully outwits the cops with careful timing and cleverness. He does not shoot guns, nor does he crash his car through obstacles, with physics-defying impossibilities. No, he played it smart, just like how would one play through a stealth game. And the result is a very unconventional, and a very impressive masterpiece of a scene!

And that concludes our countdown! You know, all this talk about thrilling car chases got me thinking about a serious pressing issue, and that is car safety. These big screen heroes and heroines can catch bad guys anytime, not because they exist in a plane of reality outside our own, but because they know how to keep their own safety in-check. That is why I am so fortunate that I have a website like Cars.com to provide me tips on car seat safety in real life. While racing around especially with a child on board is out of the question, keeping them safe at all times is of utmost importance.

Before we officially leave, take a look at this cool clip from Baby Driver, a decent heist film from creative genius Edgar Wright, and just see how fun this film really is. Stay tuned for more Dateline Movies!

Source

Sunday, October 29, 2017

Movie Review: Don't Breathe

Don't Breathe (2016)

Rated R: For Intense Blood And Gore, Strong Language, and Some Sensitive Themes

Running Time: 88 minutes (1 hour and 28 minutes)

Genre/s: Caper, Drama, Horror, Thriller

Released On August 26, 2017 (US Release Date; Available For Worldwide Viewing)

Presented by Ghost House Pictures, Good Universe, Screen Gems, and Stage 6 Films

Writers: Fede Álvarez and Rodo Sayagues

Director: Fede Álvarez

Starring:

Jane Levy as Rocky
Dylan Minnette as Alex
Daniel Zovatto as Money
Stephen Lang as Norman Nordstrom / "The Blind Man"

Source 1, Source 2

The latest installment in the Saw franchise, cleverly titled as "Jigsaw", in an attempt to distance just a little bit from its predecessors, is currently in theaters, and while I have not watched it myself, chances are that the new feature-length motion picture is either going to be a thriller flick, or an absolute bust. And speaking of most thriller flicks in general, most of the recent releases have been dull at best, but this single film truly stands-out, because it is really just messed-up beyond all reason. We will got into further detail later.

Once more, in the spirit of All Hallows Season, which is about to end, we continue to review some more horror and thriller movies that we have recently watched. Welcome back to Dateline Movies, and this is our official review of the simple yet disturbing thrill ride, Don't Breathe, a great movie that arguably has one of the worst marketing departments in movie-making history, as evidenced by the spoiler-filled trailer below!

Also, this movie is seriously weird and freaky, and you will be reading things that might horrify you. As such, a parental advisory is in order!

What is the movie about?

Three amateur burglars, Rocky, played by Levy (Evil Dead Remake), Alex, played by Minette, and Money, played by Zivatto (Both Minette and Zivatto appeared in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) decided to break into a lowly household, far from the reaches of neighboring homes. The homeowner is a former soldier named Norman Nordstrom, played by Lang (Avatar), who is rendered blind by a grenade blast, and with that knowledge, it is just the seemingly perfect place for a burglary.

What none of them realize is that Nordstrom, being an expert military man, is more than what he appears to be. With unique skills received from his time in the army, Nordstrom decides to make the three trespassers' night a living nightmare, and proceeds to stalk them all across the treacherous and dark hallways of his home. With no possible means of gaining help from the outside, Rocky, Sam, and Money must navigate themselves to safety, while also discovering the terrifying secrets hidden beneath the grounds of Nordstrom's house.

What we think of the movie?

Strangely, I was not expecting too much from Don't Breathe, especially in this era of cliche-riddled fiascoes, but there is something about this movie that makes it wholesomely disturbing. No, it is not gore or jump scares, because this one lacks either. I have to be honest though. For all of its efforts to be scary and nerve-wrecking, with most of which ending-up working, the screenplay manage to encounter a lot of the typical cliches that you would come to expect from a movie such as this one. These cliches also affect the characters as, while completely not devoid of any personality, reduces them to tropes.

Appearing in countless movies already, with James Cameron's space opera Avatar being his so-far most notable outing, people might have had a few clues on just how perfectly grim Lang's terrifying portrayal of a man with serious unresolved personal issues can give all of us chills. Thanks to Lang, not only did we get a questionably sympathetic movie villain who makes odd decisions, we get one of the finer horror movie villains yet, almost like Michael Fassbender's David from the previous movie we reviewed, Alien: Covenant. His gravely voice, which sharply makes Nordstrom a menacing presence, is just as effective as his "radar sense" that is almost on-par with that of Marvel's Daredevil's own. Who knows? He might actually be Daredevil had he turned to the dark side.

At the center of the chaos is Jane Levy's aptly named final girl (obvious spoiler alert) Rocky, who is longing for an escape from her "rocky" relationship with her often uncaring family. Being the main protagonist of this adventure, Jane Levy's character gets the most development, and she is able to convey the emotion of absolute fear in the face of animosity in a rather reasonable manner. Sure, she screams in a few scenes, but not too much, like most others do in these types of movies.

I would say that the best moments that showed her acting prowess is by the near-end of the movie. Finally escaping the horrors of Nordstrom's home, but not his menacing hell hound, Rocky is trapped in Money's car. With nothing but her wits and will to get herself and her sister, Diddy, played by Emma Bercovici, far and away from their awful family, Rocky manages to outsmart Nordstrom's dog, and effectively becomes and above average, quick thinking female protagonist! Her very brief moment with her sister, before all hell broke loose, is also heartwarming. Jane Levy, overall, did wonderfully as the central character, and this is surely one of her great additions to her blossoming career!

Dylan Minnette is back again, and is still taking the role of a somewhat brave, yet timid, hopeless romantic. This time, he is attracted to Rocky, as he provides her details on potential houses to burgle, thanks to his father's work as a private security agency head. His acting is also definitely great, and I do admire his character for being again the reluctant hero of the main protagonist, even if he does die at the end of it all. I honestly could not believe that his character, Alex, cheated death once, only for him to end up biting the dust. While he did not get the spotlight in Don't Breathe, not as much as he did in Thirteen Reasons Why, where he gets a leading role,

Also, Daniel Zovatto's Money? Yeah, he was just ... well ... kind of there. His character did not do much, except for being a walking spoiler, but Zovatto actually does a neat job at being that annoying and thuggish foil to Alex's innocent and calm persona. It is weird seeing him reunite with Minnette in this project, now that I realized that they were best friends in one episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

But anyway, we all know that none of us watched Don't Breathe for a Shakespearean level of artistry, nor for beautifully crafted story with fleshed-out characters. We are here for the endless thrills and terrors that await one when coming across a potentially haunted corridor, and fortunately for us, Don't Breathe has a lot to offer. Director Fede Álvarez, who headed the Evil Dead Remake, which was bloody good, as said by other moviegoers, plus some awesome scores by Roque Baños, make a compelling case for a magnificent horror movie director, as his work here is definitely one for the books.

Normally, in movies, the sense of dread originates from the audience members' attachment to the main characters, or just basic jump scares. The more the viewer can relate to any of the characters, the more the chances are that they are to root for the fictional personas' survival. What I am trying to say is that, normally, we "sympathize" with certain characters because we find them appealing or relatable, which makes us wish that they avoid obvious fates worse than death itself. Here, the movie, as we said, is not really more about the characters, even if their four main characters have interesting backstories, but is more about the "realistic" experience. The movie plays with the imagination of the audience. Sure, none of the characters have memorable stories about them, but the idea that a blind man can kill you, even without his sense of sight, is ridiculous, but is made spine-tingling by the execution. Why are we on the edge of our seats when Nordstorm chased Rocky and Alex with a handgun and a dog? Because we can imagine the possibility of it actually happening, and that is something that makes this movie pretty darn unique in contrast to most modern offerings. There is nothing supernatural at work, but rather, something realistically twisted that is in the film's atmosphere.

I believe there are two great scenes that feature this. The first is Rocky and Alex's escape through a darkness-filled basement. Blinded by Nordstrom turning-off the lights to the area, the audience is treated through a fun and astonishingly well-polished chase. The second is the climactic escape from the house, and Rocky's encounter with Nordstrom's ravenous dog. I might say that I was already pumped-up from my experience from the previous scene, but I can actually just imagine the idea of having a dog chase me, while being trapped in a car. Well done Fede Álvarez. Well done.

We did say that the screenplay did not do much with its other central characters, but heck, they did a fascinating job on Norman Nordstrom. At first, I thought he was just your basic soldier with homicidal tendencies, who just happened to kidnap and torture the female named Cindy Roberts, played by Franciska Törőcsik, his daughter's accidental killer, for revenge. But once we get to the climax, we realize that Nordstrom is really on a whole new level of messed-up. Again, the movie displays its knack for playing with realism here, and now that I mentioned, this one particular scene has nothing compared to the other two before.

In the movie, Nordstrom held Cindy Roberts captive after her charges for Nordstrom's daughter's death settled. Instead of killing her, like a rationally irrational distraught grieving father would do, he proceeds to artificially inseminate her, in the hopes that she could give birth to a daughter, who can take Nordstrom's original daughter's place. Yeah, you read that right, and it is one example of reality being more terrifying than fantasy. This just goes to show on how devious or delusional the human mind can become in the face of grief and tragedy. This also just goes to show that humans have the tendency to lose all sense of reason. Because of just how realistic his motives are (well, from a psychopath's perspective, at least), and how unexpected they are, especially his modus operandi, Don't Breathe cements itself as one masterfully made horror movie.

This all comes into play when Alex, after being thrown-out of the house, then back again, is rendered incapacitated, and Nordstrom, after accidentally killing Cindy Roberts with a single bullet, proceeds to place his ... ahem ... "D.N.A." in Rocky, because apparently to this guy, there is a fine line between rape and forced artificial insemination. Look Nordstrom, I know you lost your daughter and all that, and I know that three-hundred thousand dollars in cash will never suffice, but seriously, could you not have just adopted someone and move on? But about the scene, and after that, wherein Rocky force feeds him his own semen (Yuck!), is just disturbing. You were wondering why this movie has an R Rating? Well, now you know why.

Overall, this slightly cliched, but nevertheless effective and awesome simple thriller is smartly executed, thanks to a great performance from Stephen Lang and others, as well as some really, really, dark imagination from the writers.

For real, what the heck did we just watch? And here is to hoping that a perfectly great sequel is coming to terrify us once more. With that said and done, we come to the end of our movie review on Don't Breathe. While Halloween is coming to a close, I have a feeling I would still be reviewing a few more horror movies, starting with the equally scary, although relatively short, Lights Out! God, please, can we have much more of these awesome horror movies, and less of the other boring, gross-out stuff like all of the recent Paranormal Activity movies? How about you? What other above average scary movies have you watched recently? Let us know! And since Jigsaw is out, here is the trailer! Stay tuned for more Dateline Movies!

Thursday, October 19, 2017

Movie Review: Alien - Covenant

Alien: Covenant (2017)

Rated R: For Intense Blood and Gore and Violence, Strong Language, and Some Sensitive Themes

Running Time: 122 minutes (2 hours and 2 minutes)

Genre/s: Action, Adventure, Drama, Horror, Science Fiction

Released on May 19, 2017 (US Release Date; Available For Worldwide Viewing)

Presented by 20th Century Fox, TSG Entertainment, Scott Free Productions, and Brandywine Productions

Based on the "Alien" Mythology Originally Created By Dan 'O Bannon, and Ronald Shusett

Writers: John Logan, Dante Harper, Jack Paglen, and Michael Green

Director: Ridley Scott

Starring:

Michael Fassbender as David and Walter
Katherine Waterston as "Dani" Daniels
Billy Crudup as Christopher "Chris" Oram
Danny McBride as Tennessee "T." Faris
Demián Bichir as Sergeant Carl Lopé

Finally, after a long time, we are back with what we do best, movie reviews! After having to suffer through a series of migraines and trust issues at school, plus my all-time favorite (and no, it really is not sarcasm, as I really do love this type of activities), speeches, and a few recent short posts here and there, we review the latest installment in the Alien prequel series. Funny enough, I wanted to review the classic Blade Runner, in commemoration of the release of the highly anticipated follow-up, and to accomplish all my other draft posts, but my memory is wrecked from the stress, so I decided to review another modern Ridley Scott-related film.

In the vein of this month's Halloween theme, I and my family watched two movies last time, this and the much better and much more terrifying Don't Breath, and I have been dying to watch this one, as we did mention in our most anticipated releases list. I have to say, I am not even sure if this is even an Alien movie anymore. It is still good enough to at least receive your attention, though. Welcome back to Dateline Movies, and this is our review of Alien: Covenant, the sequel to Prometheus that nobody asked for, but still got anyway!

What is the movie about?

"Covenant", a ship of colonizers, set a course for a faraway planet known as "Origae-6". While venturing into the great unknown, the chief crew of the Covenant, comprising of terra-forming expert Daniels, played by Waterston (Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them), newly established captain Christopher "Chris" Oram, played by Crudup (Watchmen), security officer Sergeant Dan Lopé, played by Bichir (The Hateful Eight) co-pilot Tennessee "T." Faris, played by McBride (This is The End), and advanced android Walter, played by Fassbender (X-Men: Apocalypse), are instead lead to another planet, after picking-up a suspicious signal.

The doomed crew ventures across the seemingly peaceful paradise, with Earth-like features such as breathable atmosphere, and consumable vegetation. Unfortunately, none of them can prepare for the nightmarish terrors that lurks within the planet. Freaks of nature that are birthed through hazardous spores, all across the planet, have quickly slaughtered their way to the Covenant.

With almost no chance of returning back to their original course, Daniels, Oram, Lopé, Tennessee, and Walter must work together and uncover the disturbing revelations that link to the origins of their monstrous pursuers, as well as another expedition prior to them, Prometheus, which they can all find through David, also played by Fassbender the supposedly lone survivor of the failed tour.

What we think of the movie?

When one thinks of the Alien franchise, he or she would often say that it is one of the most influential science-fiction horror film franchises known, with a huge emphasis on "horror". The entire film series is all about evoking fear to the audience, similar to how the "chestburster" scene from the first movie shocked viewers, while at the same time adding a dash of old-school action into the mix, just like how James Cameron upped the ante. This movie tries to reach the same levels of dread and thrills that one originally received when they watched the classic films, as well as attempting to further expand their fictional universe. The result, as we said, is still entertaining, but it really does not reach the same amount of depth and fear factor that the first two carried.

But before anything else: what is it with this reign of prequel series? First Star Wars, then The Lord of the Rings, now Alien? What's next, The Matrix? (Checks Facebook newsfeed on a prequel about Morpheus, starring Michael B. Jordan.) Oh, just forget I mentioned anything.

However, is Alien: Covenant really worth watching? Let me begin with what I consider as the best aspect of this more or less good movie, and that is none other than the multifaceted, megalomaniacal robotic Lucifer-type Doctor Frankenstein, Michael Fassbender's David. What makes David two parts compelling, and three parts messed-up yet appealing, is his overall character. Admittedly, he does fit the bill for the "slave with potential gone rogue" cliche, wherein the slave, in this case David, realizes that he is actually capable of so much more than bowing down to his master's wishes, but it is his god complex that truly drives him. In the first Alien prequel flick, Prometheus, he was just a simple, overly curious and somewhat immature robot, and now, he is just borderline ambitiously psychotic. Starting from a normal fateful servant, he has evolved into a technological manifestation of the Biblical Lucifer, defying his "creators" as he believes that he has the capacity to be like them, or even be better, all along. And his master plan? Create the "perfect" creatures in the universe. (So I guess by "perfect", he means "hellish"?)

Michael Fassbender delivers the best performance that this movie has to offer, which is made all the more amazing by his double-role as both the much more human-like David, in contrast to the more-robotic Walter, who has an American accent. It is through his performance, plus the script that truly fleshed-out David's devilish nature, that cements David as arguably one of, if not, the greatest original big-screen villains that have ever menaced the big screen in the last generation! Since the recent prequel trilogy is aiming to make David a "Big Bad" for the series, I am really hoping to see what the crew is planning for David, and I hope it is something that will really captivate me.

I would just like to highlight the twist ending, wherein after a climactic escape from the Xenomorph homeworld, David disguises himself as a now-deactivated Walter, so as to continue his experiments elsewhere, is every bit spine-tingling. That moment when David hushes Daniels prior to her entering cryo-sleep, complete with a scary smirk ... (Shivers.) Wow, Mister Fassbender, you really are a one of a kind talent!

But while Fassbender's haunting portrayal of a robotic hellspawn is on-point, with the full support of a potential cinematic universe catalyst of a script that fleshes-out David, the performances of the cast, while worth the effort, are a tad bit underwhelming, considering that the script gives the characters almost nothing interesting about them. This makes the script officially the weak point of the entire flick. We are not saying that the cast, outside of Fassbender, sucked, since they did breath life into their thinly sketched personas. In fact, all of these characters had way better development in their promotional short films, lasting only four minutes!

Katherine Waterston's Daniels, for instance, did deliver a fascinating take on an Ellen Ripley-type of a protagonist, and her character did shine in the film's most desperate scene, especially in the part wherein David revealed to her that he switched places with Walter during the course of the movie's climax. However, besides from the fact that all she wants to do is to "make a cabin by the lake", in honor of her fallen husband, the original captain of the Covenant, Jacob "Jake" Branson, played by James Franco (The Disaster Artist), Daniels, unfortunately, does not possess traits that make her distinguishable from other typical action movie protagonists.

The same can also be said for Danny McBride's Tennessee Faris, and Billy Crudup's Christopher Oram. I actually see McBride's performance in this movie as one of his finest, even if you barely know anything about his character, save for the fact that he just heard his wife massacred by the newly grown Xenomorph in one of the earlier scenes. Temporarily stepping away from his usual comedic field, McBride delivers an emotional delivery, and arguably with the strongest of emotional resonance, especially at the discovery of his character's wife, Maggie, played by Amy Seimetz (You're Next), demise. Man, he really should do more movies like these because, no offense, most of his comedy outings fall flat.

And speaking of Oram, his most distinguishable character trait, his underdeveloped and unexplored faith, in God probably, or something else (Faith in this film of actually living-up to a once glorious and influential movie franchise's legacy, perhaps?) makes him having the most potentially compelling character development, that might actually match David's intriguing arc. Unfortunately, as other users say, this is left untouched for the remainder of the runtime. Aside from having some hints that he is just way in over his head with his "faith", as evidenced by his tendency to think way beyond logical reasoning, he is mostly just reduced to a forgettable red shirt-wearing nitwit.

Also, his very lack of common sense to order his crewmates to use helmets/suits on an uncharted planet is the very reason as to why the movie happened in the first place. Seriously, who does not wear helmets in space? Fine, it is a planet with a breathable atmosphere, but did he not consider that the planet might be carrying hostile species, little or towering? Also, who in their right mind would actually look straight onto a clearly dangerous alien egg, carrying an obviously lethal beast in stasis, even if a seemingly good demon robot telling you to do so? I guess Oram's definition of "faith" is "stupidity". But in terms of Crudup's performance, he really tries his best, but the script simply does not offer him any fighting chance.

For Bichir's outing as a security officer with almost no lines at all, except for maybe a few there and over there, I have not really seen much of his other works, aside from The Hateful Eight. From what I can tell, like everybody else in this movie, his talents are wasted, and honestly, I really cannot say anything about his portrayal, as his performance is so limited, you can just remove him from the overall flick, and it would barely even make any difference.

And since we mentioned James Franco a while back, his incredibly brief, and ultimately wasted presence in the flick is questionable. One odd thing about his casting here is that he is just too noteworthy to be killed off immediately in the opening scenes, given that role can literally be taken over by anyone, and we really do mean, anyone. It really is a huge shame when someone as talented as James Franco, whose skill set equally matches the energies exerted by the other main cast members, is not given anything at all to do.

If you thought that we were done trashing the film's already flawed script, then you are dead wrong. Two-dimensional characters are nothing compared to this one major detractor, which is the movie's confused tone. For the most part, it is a science fiction horror movie, but at times, it mixes elements of a philosophy documentary, and those of a modern Hollywood shoot 'em up. These three can work together like clockwork if done right, but in the case of Alien: Covenant, they still work, albeit not as smoothly as it should be.

There are times when the movie really, really, really is just trying to act and sound smart, and the best examples are basically all of the interactions between David and Walter. We hear them discuss about various allegories pertaining to famous historians, and the ever immortal poetic genius of Percy Bysshe Shelley, but amidst all of the bloody carnage that transpires, it does not really mesh well. It feels more like a rushed school project, rather than a clever comparison. This also applies for, as we said before, Oram's character trait of religious faith, as even with the huge amount of throwaway lines that suggest he really is a man of God, it does not make his character any more appealing. It is like shoving down the obvious facts through our throats.

And while the movie aims to be scary, as in, a traumatizing level of fearsome, Alien: Covenant sadly succumbs to the grave mistake of claiming that having much more mindless blood splatters is equal to pure dread. This is not a slasher movie, guys. This is an Alien movie, and a film under this series is all about closed corridors, dark corners, and psychological terror in space. While I do appreciate that the film deviated a little bit from the usual formula of a limited, closed setting, notably in the film's rising action, which takes place above David's hideout, midair, it really does not make the movie much more terrifying when there are CGI blood splatters constantly covering my television screen, making it really hard for me to look at the obviously cartoonish CGI Xenomorphs. The Xenomorphs still know how to bring shivers down your spine, though. Their endless waves of carnage, especially the first Xenomorph attack the crew experiences at the near beginning of the movie, are still enough to put you at the edge of your seat.

For me, the film officially jumped the shark, in an attempt to appeal to "casual viewers", who are there for the generic Hollywood stuff like just plain, heartless death, when two of the remaining characters, Ricks, played by Jussie Smolett (Empire), and Upworth, played by Callie Hernandez (La La Land), have a graphically explicit moment in the Covenant shower room, just moments before finally dying by the newly bred Xenomorph. We can say that, yeah, this is to show that the two characters really are intimate with each other, but by adding a sex scene in the middle of an important, and very tense sequence, it makes one important sequence meaningless, and it just infuriates me more than it makes me want to tremble.

I am also baffled by the fact that the original main protagonist of Prometheus, Doctor Elizabeth Shaw, played by Noomi Rapace (Dead Man Down), is killed off unceremoniously off-screen in the movie. While we do see her in some way, we only see her corpse. I am actually not that mad at the character's demise, but rather, disappointed. It is as if the movie decided to abandon ship at the last minute. I do understand her death just shows how ruthless and twisted David can be, but the very fact that Shaw had a more or less abandoned story arc completely ruins everything Prometheus was building-up to. Honestly, if Alien: Covenant is more about Shaw exploring the Engineer homeworld, while it is being ravaged by a maniacal David, would make a much thrilling experience. Just imagine, it would be this movie, with a mix of body and psychological horror, and Cast Away?

Also, what is the deal with the large amount of deleted scenes here? Fine, we need to cut some due to time reasons, but most of these scenes contain important moments of character development. These scenes include a small cameo from Doctor Elizabeth Shaw, as she and David arrive in the Engineer homeworld, which is the planet that the crew of the Covenant landed on, as well as some funny and lighthearted moments for our doomed crewmates. The latter clip contained shreds of revelations, pertaining to the personalities of our main characters, including Christopher Oram's religious devotion, alongside his wife, Karine, played by Carmen Ejogo, (Both Waterston and Ejogo appeared in Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them), Lopé's homosexual relationship with crewmate Hallett, and about one, or three lines from James Franco. All of these scenes are incredibly integral to the overall narrative, so why just post them on YouTube, instead of making them parts of the final cut?

Actually, there is one scene that I am actually glad at its removal. In one scene, Daniels is grieving from the death of her husband, and Walter, who has a secret crush on Daniels (Sigh.), attempts to comfort her. His recommended coping mechanism? It is getting high on marijuana, in space. The juvenile delinquent in me is laughing at its immature throwaway nature, but at the same time, the exchange itself, while hints at key moments in the movie, feels very, very out of place. Seriously, Walter? Weed is the answer to everything? Whatever happened to love being the answer?

And like every multi-flawed product, there is always a specific set of redeeming qualities. For instance, the interactions between David and Walter, even if, at times, their little intellectual discourse is anything but enlightening. You really cannot just help but admire the effort Fassbender exerted in doing a complex double-role such as this one. David's turn as the main bad guy, as we previously said, is also a unique and fresh way to take the franchise into a potentially much more compelling territory. The epic cliffhanger also helped established the truth that David is one hellish beast in a mechanical shell. The performances were also decent, even if the character development is clearly lacking.

And of course, let us not forget the film's score, done by Jed Kurzel, as well as the reusing of the Prometheus theme by Marc Streitenfeld, as well as the one in the original Alien by Jerry Goldsmith, bring the on-screen horror to life. I do find it oddly intriguing, and "meta", that the theme of Prometheus is actually played by David in the movie itself. Good touch though, even if it is just a plain old Easter egg.

Overall, this awesome thrilling and engaging, albeit narrative-wise uneven, entry in the Alien prequel trilogy does not break that much ground, but with an interstellar cast, lead by Michael Fassbender in a dual role, it is a must see!

Here is where we end our review of Alien: Covenant. You know, now that we reviewed the latest Alien movie, I am starting to wonder on what could have been, if the then Neil Blomkamp-headed Alien flick, with Sigourney Weaver and Michael Biehn reprising their respective roles as Ellen Ripley, and Corporal Dwayne Hicks. Would we actually get to have a movie that is just as decent as this one, but one that truly captures the spirit of the original Alien? Either way, this movie sure got us pumped for the next installment of the Alien prequel series. We did mention awhile ago that the movie removed very important scenes from the final cut. So before you leave, take a look at some clips that we can all agree that these should have been added to the film. Also, if you do not believe my "xeno-bis" claim, take a look at the last video below. Stay tuned for more Dateline Movies!