Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar's Revenge Movie Review

Released: May 26th 2017 (United States)

Length: 129 Minutes

Certificate: 12A

Director:  Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg

Starring: Johnny Depp, Brendon Thwaites, Kaya Scodelario, Geoffrey Rush, Javier Bardem and Kevin McNally

Based on the gamble of making a film based on a theme park ride, the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise was lightning in a bottle back in 2003, but since the trilogy ended in 2007, the franchise has overstayed its welcome. This trend continues after a long absence with Salazar’s Revenge, another tired iteration which just can’t reinvigorate things.

Picking up after On Stranger Tides (And not following up on the washed-up Jack Sparrow voodoo doll, if anyone even remembers that…) Salazar’s Revenge is a hunt for Poseidon’s Trident, a blade that can lift any curse. The British Empire wants it and the young Henry Turner (Brendon Thwaites) also desires it to free his father Will (Orlando Bloom) from the Flying Dutchman. Soon Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) gets roped in along with aspiring astronomer Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario), but they find themselves pursued by Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem) who has a personal interest in ending the witty Captain. The opening is a scrolling collection of random conveniences that bring characters and plot points together without much rhyme or reason and things feel incredibly rushed from here on in, racing through the better moments while chucking in scenes that go nowhere. The most glaring of these is a short spate at Hangman’s Bay with a band of island dwellers who show up for five minutes then immediately get off-screen. Often the film will skip over a few moments, particularly during chase scenes, delivering a more jarring pace. The humour has lost its muster as well, with one-note jokes strung along with third-rate dialogue that saps a lot of the charm. Things do pick up in the last act though, with a set piece on a dazzling jewel-crusted island that eventually gives way to a well thought out connection to the original trilogy, something the fourth entry didn’t have. This can’t save much of the plot though as it throws all sorts of contrivances and elements at the screen, resulting in a feeling of disinterest that hangs over the proceedings. I found myself just sitting back, not able to get into the film as I did with the first three.

The characters for the Pirate’s fifth outing aren’t much to write home about either. Johnny Depp is back again as Jack Sparrow, but his charisma seems to have wilted; for the most part he wobbles his way through, occasionally tipping into an action scene but his performance has fallen far in the current decade. Javier Bardem is a great actor but in this movie, he’s essentially playing a second Davy Jones, right down to him and his crew being unable to set foot on land. He’s introduced far too early as well, spoiling whatever menace he could have had. At least the newcomers are far more interesting and well-rounded than they were in the previous entry; right from the get-go, Brendan Thwaites and the ties he brings to the original trilogy do enough to sell you on his mission and the resourceful Carina Smyth is also likeable, even if the film sees fit to run her branding as a witch into the ground early on. And the always capable Geoffrey Rush is great as Barbossa despite not having as big a presence as he did before. Rounding off the characters is a set of expendable British Commodores drafted in for marquee value, a short and pointless cameo from Beatles singer Paul McCartney and another actual witch who might as well be Tia Dalma from the original trilogy. A lot of unneeded segways take place at the hands of these side characters, cluttering the plot with more unnecessary filler. While some of its cast delivers good performances, Salazar’s Revenge is very weak when it comes to characterisation.

At least it all looks the part; the swashbuckling action the series is known for is again on top form; well shot and well-choreographed stunt work gel with the special effects brilliantly; some of the best moments include an attack from crusted sharks absent from films past and a gloomy battle with ships running side-by-side, cannons clanging and all. The ship used by Salazar feels appropriately alien, bending upwards before bearing down on ships with its tooth like fractures. On the other hand, the effects and design for Salazar and his crew feel rather lazy; it’s as if they applied a dusty grey filter to zombify them and then animated some body parts while leaving others out completely. The music comprises the same themes and notes you’ve come to expect from the series with a final flourish at its conclusion doing much to sell the bridge between the fifth and third entries. Costume work and makeup keep up their ability to sell the setting and while much of the film takes place on land this time, the sets are also well realised. Good scenery and action sequences have, unfortunately, been wrapped in a film whose plot and characters can’t measure up.

Outside of its final act, I had a tough time getting into Salazar’s Revenge (A horrible retitle in my book); a few decent characters and action sequences can’t save it from being tiresome and forgettable. The phoned in acting, repetitive ideas and scattered plot components all point to a franchise long past its prime that insists on continuing regardless. It may not be as bad as 2011’s Stranger Tides but the past six years have not been kind to what was once an exciting adventure on the high seas.

Rating: 2.5/5 (Average)

Alien Isolation Game Review

Released: 7th October 2014

Developer: Creative Assembly

Publisher: SEGA

Certificate: 18

Formats: Xbox 360, PS3, Xbox One, PS4 and PC

Format played: PS3

Horror games could be considered a dying breed; many of the industry’s biggest franchises have devolved into action romps in a bid to obtain as wide an audience as possible. After the disaster of Aliens: Colonial Marines in 2013, SEGA commissioned Creative Assembly to design a whole-hearted apology a year later. The result was one of the best Alien licensed games produced.

Slotting in-between Alien and Aliens, Isolation follows the adult Amanda Ripley who is approached by the Weyland-Yutani corporation with news that the Nostromo’s flight recorder has been recovered; wanting to find out what happened to her mother fifteen years earlier, she heads with a small band of employees the Sevastapol station. But on arrival it’s clear that something catastrophic has occurred; The place is a mess with human survivors breaking off into small bands that shoot anyone on sight, not to mention a unit of malfunctioning “working joe” androids going around throttling the fragile humans. Ripley and her companions are stranded aboard the station with a hulking Xenomorph lurking about the corridors and air shafts and resolve to escape the station while also uncovering the nature of the infestation and what caused it. You’ll definitely be buying into the central focus on Ellen Ripley’s daughter and the way it fits into canon, but the other characters are fairly pedestrian by comparison, not doing enough to make their characteristics clear. As Ripley traverses the station, she’ll come across a few survivors and occasionally work with them to complete tasks such as gathering medical supplies or breaking into computer systems. Some characters such as the solemn company representative Samuels have their moments but the story is kept almost entirely within Amanda’s perspective.

The experience offered by Alien Isolation is a mixture of linear objectives and careful exploration. After a few opening missions, you’re let loose into multi-levelled, multi-faceted environments and tasked with moving back and forth along them to complete various objectives, all the while being stalked the Xenomorph (and other threats) along the way. While each mission is broken up by relatively short loading screens, the game maintains its immersion. Amanda acquires a motion tracker early on which points the way to your destination and gives a faint idea of enemies moving around you; she’ll also find a range of crafting blueprints and materials to assist her survival. In the early missions, things are easily their most intense as you have no means of defending yourself against the creature. The crafting system (which is done in a menu without pausing the action) allows for the creation of all sorts of items but unlike games with similar systems such as The Last of Us, some inventions in Isolation will go by underused. Using the flashbangs and smoke bombs will do little other than alert the Alien to your presence and I found myself barely using them. You’re often better off using flares and noisemakers or making use of the rewire systems to create further misdirection. Alien Isolation has you pressing all kinds of buttons, pulling levers and interacting with the environment to push onwards, often having a few short mini-games to fill in the time. Switching up the pacing a bit, the game see fit to layer in a whole section of androids for Ripley to fight as well as more atmospheric levels that go beyond tributing its 1979 inspiration. Later down the road, Amanda will receive further upgrades to her tools, allowing for locked-off parts of the station to be accessed; this encourages backtracking to find all the collectables which include logs from the Nostromo and crew dog tags among other things; though many players may end up skipping over these, wanting to push through and overcome the creature itself. Isolation is a longer game than most, coming in at around twelve hours on the first playthrough and its slow, methodical nature makes it a good game to put away for a time then come back to later. After you’re done, there’s a survival mode with timed challenges alongside two DLC packs which are direct adaptations of Alien itself. It’s a great tribute though keeping that content locked into new copies of the game is questionable.

Played from a first person perspective, Alien Isolation often comes down to creating distractions and slowly but surely, moving on by the obstacles in your way. This could mean crawling through vents, hiding under desks and cowering in lockers, holding your breath as the alien passes by. It is extremely challenging and this comes down to two systems; the alien’s intelligent artificial intelligence and save stations. You’ll die a lot in Alien Isolation and sometimes it can be frustrating; the latter mechanic is very stringent on its checkpointing, you must activate a station, then wait a few seconds before your progress is saved. It’s nerve-wreaking and then again so is the entire experience; knowing that the Alien can strike at any time but the effect the mechanics have on the scares can vary. Are you fearful of the creature itself or the fact that you may have to redo the last fifteen minutes of gameplay? On the other hand, Creative Assembly has absolutely nailed the Alien’s AI system; it’s extremely unpredictable, shifting back and forth through the levels at random; it will instantly sense any noise the player makes and come running, making the stealthily approach essential throughout the game. On the easy and medium settings, it’s a bit more lenient but on hard and nightmare, the Xenomorph fulfils its full potential as one of the deadliest adversaries in modern gaming. Unless you have some fire handy, it’s a one hit kill which really does hammer home that feeling of vulnerability that permeates the entire game. While not as advanced in their intelligence, the working joe androids are also creepy, slowly wandering about the station with their cold dead eyes; outside of a brief interlude the game does a decent job of balancing out the two enemies while also sprinkling in a few terrified, trigger-happy humans to mix things up.

The tributes to the film don’t end at the DLC; Alien Isolation embodies the retro, analogue style of presentation that made it so unique; it’s pure fan service and from the moment Amanda wakes up in the cryo-tubes to the industrialised look of the station, every aspect of the environment is a perfect fit with the franchise. Graphically the game is quite good, although playing on the last generation of consoles does come with a fair bit of blurriness throughout the game. The sound is amazing, really enhancing the game’s creepiness; often you’ll hear the Xenomorph in the distance as it devours an unfortunate victim, making you dread its presence even more. The beeps from the motion tracker will leave you unsure of just where the creature is, keeping the tension piling on thick alongside the music. The voice acting is good too with everyone capturing the futility of their situation aboard the station. Outside of its look and feel though, Isolation does have trouble running effectively; the PlayStation 3 version can be very unstable with some severe slow-down in more hectic environments later in the game. There was also a strange bug where the game booted up in odd, untextured rooms rather than returning to the main menu. Facial animations can also be pretty poor at times, taking away from the game’s more immersive qualities. With these blemishes, the PS3 version does sit below its fellow versions on the PS4, Xbox One and PC but it still achieves a serious immersion and scare factor.

It has some gaps in its design and performance, but Alien Isolation is far and away the best game based on the license in years, beautifully capturing the look and feel of the 1979 classic. Games as unforgiving and challenging as this one are rare but you owe it yourself to give it a go, especially if you’re into the Alien franchise.

Rating: 7/10 (Good)

Post-Viewing: Alien Covenant's marketing and audience expectations

When bringing attention to an upcoming film, what you choose to unveil and put in the promotional material can be crucial in getting audiences into cinemas. But there’s also a balance between under and over-marketing a product that can negatively impact it on release. Alien Covenant is a great film but its advertising left me scratching my head more often than not. The trailers and promotional material may not be as spoiler-filled and pandering as Batman v Superman or Terminator Genysis but it’s still noticeable for how much footage was put out before the film’s release this year. Let’s have a look at how this happened.

Ridley Scott himself recently said that he believes Prometheus was a mistake, but was it? That depends on what you expected from it; the 2012 sci-fi flick, in terms of advertising, swung back and forth between prequel and not-prequel in the lead-up to release, causing some confusion in audiences. When they finally sat down to watch it, quite a few people were very disappointed that Prometheus wasn’t a direct prequel to Alien but instead a means to explore the mythology of the franchise’s lore and the engineers/space jockeys that were shrouded in mystery since the first film in 1979. Personally, I really enjoyed getting into the film five years ago, despite its dumb moments but the common audience isn’t always so easily satisfied. They wanted the classic monster to make a return and shouted for the director to give them just that.

So, with Alien Covenant, Scott and company decided to appease this frustrated crowd; they reassured people right away that this would be a true Alien film and the dreaded Xenomorphs would make a full appearance. They nailed down the title from the off-set and set about making the film with the monster at its centre. This also carried over into the promotions which revealed a little too much over the past year or so. The trailers revealed a couple of the more grotesque death scenes, some of the battle sequences and the creature itself straddling the hood of a Covenant vehicle. More recently this was followed by “The Crossing”, a prologue of sorts which features David and Elizabeth Shaw bridging the gap between films while also spoiling one of Covenant’s bigger twists. I get the sense that all this material was put out to the public to either fill in the gaps or tide them over, to make sure there was no doubt that Covenant would be a fully-fledged Alien movie. In doing so, they ended up diluting some plot points and scary moments. Some of the pre-release material doesn’t appear in the final product either; possibly being kept back for a director’s cut or Blu-ray release.

This kind of tailoring towards audience needs has happened before for the Alien franchise; when Alien 3 was released to a mixed reception in 1992, the studio felt they had to make up for it somehow, despite the story having a clear and conclusive end. Because of that mind-set and audiences not warming to 3’s bleak tone, we got the crappy Alien Resurrection as a consolation which went way too far with its light-hearted vibe and ended up becoming the worst of the series. Taking on feedback and criticism is one thing but this comes with its own balance; go too far and you risk veering off what makes a film hit home with audiences.

Now that Ridley Scott has (hopefully!) won back the fanbase, the next planned prequel should consider its advertising more carefully, getting the balance right between presenting the film’s tone while not revealing too much. The original Alien film had a masterful trailer that perfectly encapsulated its nightmarish qualities without showing the monster once. Perhaps the crew should take inspiration from that next time. Until then, we’ll have to see how Covenant fares with general audiences; it’s definitely had enough exposure to achieve success, albeit a revealing one.

Alien: Covenant Movie Review

Released: May 4th 2017 (UK Premiere)

Length: 123 Minutes

Certificate: 15

Director: Ridley Scott

Starring: Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, Demian Bechir, Karmen Ejogo, Any Seimetz and James Franco

Presenting one of the most iconic and recognisable monsters in film history, the Alien franchise has, for the most part, delivered some of the scarier sci-fi moments on the big screen. After two decades of absence, the Xenomorph takes centre stage once again in a prequel hell-bent on delivering what the fans have wanted.

Taking place ten years after Prometheus in 2104, Alien: Covenant follows the titular colonisation vessel as it journeys towards the planet Origae-6 carrying 2000 colonists in stasis. After suffering some heavy damage from a solar flare the crew takes a detour to a planet with similar opportunities and conditions for habitation; there they discover suspiciously Earth-like materials, remnants of the engineer race and the beginnings of a deadly infection. Where Prometheus was mostly a tale of exploration and discovery, Covenant holds little back; this is a full-blown horror sequel, one which aims to recapture the feel of the original 1979 classic. You’ll be seeing many familiar beats and themes the franchise is known for; a slow-build up and ever increasing tension giving way to unabashed body horror alongside the ever-growing mysteries of the prequel saga. Because of this the religious themes and notions of discovery seen in its 2012 predecessor have been heavily downplayed here but Covenant picks up the pieces and runs with them. You won’t find many philosophical questions being answered but the continuation of plot threads on offer is engrossing, particularly as the audience experiences this alongside the new set of characters. Intensity reaches a consistent high note in the second and third acts which go at a breakneck pace and while the creature itself has lost much of its sneaky tendencies, it remains a grotesque and frightful apparition. Alien: Covenant feels very much like a bridged concoction, melding aspects from both Prometheus and the original Alien into a satisfying collage.

Strong characters have been a previous facet of the Alien franchise and Covenant goes for a simpler set in this regard. Katherine Waterston’s Daniels is placed under a ton of emotional pressure but it’s the way she rises above that which makes her worth rooting for. Similarly, Billy Crudup as the religiously charged first mate Christopher Oram feels out of his depth in leadership and Danny McBride follows on from Idris Elba at producing likeable ship pilots for the prequels. There’s a good amount of chemistry between most of the characters, much of which turns sour as events go south. But again, it’s Michael Fassbender who carries the film and in Covenant he’s even better than he was in Prometheus; the interplay he creates between the androids David and newcomer Walter is intensely fascinating and the sheer distance David has come from the first film builds plenty of intrigue. It’s such a brilliant performance that he often overshadows the other main performances. However, much like Alien 3, Covenant has trouble giving every side character their own traits and developments; as with any horror film of its kind, the death count sees some given more time than others but the film also makes the misstep of opening, only to put down a couple of characters who could have had more to do in the first ten minutes. It’s a shame to see Covenant fall into this trap, even if it doesn’t take away from the main cast too much.

Much like his previous science fiction entries, Scott’s latest offering looks absolutely fantastic on a technical level. The planet’s regions, the technology used, the atmospheric weather effects and crumbling ruins, all of it holds together beautifully, generating some of the genre’s best immersion. The cinematography from Dariusz Wolski (who also worked on Prometheus) provides some breathtakingly wide views of the landscapes, eventually turning to close, claustrophobic interiors. On the whole, there’s a lot more action happening out in the open for Covenant; real models and costume work do a great job of selling the mission and the technology used for it both on and off the planet. The artistic side makes itself felt in a scene around halfway through, with nihilistic drawings on the walls blending with dimly lit rooms to create a sinister mood. The alien models built by CreatureNFX occasionally cross over into rough territory with their use of CGI but for the most part the vicious rampage looks convincing and nasty. With some call-backs to both Prometheus and Alien, the soundtrack also succeeds at capturing that sense of dread that rarely waivered throughout the series. If you’re a big sci-fi lover then Covenant will be a visual treat, easily one of the best-looking films of the year so far.

Weak side characters aside, Alien: Covenant is a welcomed return and easily the best Alien movie since James Cameron’s 1986 action sequel. It doesn’t stray far from its formula and obtains a firm balance as a middle chapter. Here’s hoping the next prequels can keep up the pace.

Rating: 4/5 Stars (Great)

Alien 3 Movie Review

Released: May 22nd 1992

Length: 114 Minutes (Theatrical Cut) 145 Minutes (Assembly Cut)

Certificate: 18

Director: David Fincher

Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Lance Henriksen, Charles Dance, Charles Dutton, Brian Glover and Ralph Brown

After two standout productions, Alien 3 couldn’t live up to expectations in 1992 but when examining the film as the final act of a trilogy, it becomes better than the sum of its parts and hackneyed production.

Picking up where Aliens left off, the Sulaco vessel is carrying Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), Newt, Hicks and the android Bishop (Lance Henriksen) back to Earth but their hopes of a peaceful return are shattered when an alien facehugger somehow stowed away on board starts an electrical fire, causing their stasis pods to be ejected. The pod crashes on the prison planet Fury 161 and Ripley is the only survivor. She is forced to blend in with the prisoners, many of them former rapists and murderers. Things go from bad to worse when another alien is born, this time from a dog (Or an Ox in the assembly cut) and the prisoners are forced to band together to stop it. Alien 3 has a flimsy opening with more than a few inconsistencies; it then launches head on into gloomy territory with the deaths of Corporal Hicks and Newt. Immediately a bleak tone is set, matched only by Alien 3’s heavy focus on philosophy and belief which allows the film to grow on the audience further down its runtime. It’s evident everywhere you look from the hellish, brooding atmosphere to the appearance of the Alien as a demon in the eyes of the prisoners. A unique idea to run with really sets 3 apart, though depending on the version, you may wish for more morsels on the prisoners and their lives of celibacy. The assembly cut is far better in this regard as it features more scenes to flesh out the prisoners and their faith. Unfortunately, the film just can’t match the scare factor of its predecessors as lacks the build-up and suspense from before, opting instead for a more blunt, abrupt set of attack sequences. If you’re able to look past this, the film does proceeds at a reasonable clip, continuing to pour the feeling of hopelessness on thick as it builds to a powerful conclusion.

While not nearly as well-fleshed out as before, Alien 3 does have its share of memorable characters. Sigourney Weaver is again fantastic as Ripley; at her lowest point, she delivers one of the more emotional performances of her career, yet still maintains the character’s tough exterior as the film goes on; it’s a fitting end to her character’s story. While many of the side characters go by underused, there are some standouts among the prison populous. Charles Dance’s Clemons stands as the most sympathetic character of the bunch and the bond he forms with Ripley is well stated. Charles Dutton as Dylan imbues the setting with a philosophical rooting and Brian Glover and Ralph Brown as the prison Warden and his assistant 85 also have individual characteristics that work off each other well. Some light comic relief (alongside extra scenes in the assembly cut) do fill out the other prisoners which is a commendable effort but they nevertheless sit in the shadows of the space truckers and marines of films past. The collective belief the prisoners share rather than their individual personas ends up making a stronger impact here.

The look of the third Alien film is grim and gloomy, creating a desolate atmosphere that hangs over the entire film. While Alien and Aliens were comprised of brighter, futuristic colours, Alien 3 uses an angry, grungy orange to personify the prison setting, combined with the run-down grimy technology that barely functions really puts the pressure on the characters. The costume work is minimalistic and ragged, emphasising the squalor of the prison in an effective way while the haunting music score envelopes the audience into the character's futile struggle. When the Alien begins its killing spree, the gore is suitably gruesome but the modelling of the creature itself is rather hit and miss. When the costume work by Tom Woodruff Jr is on-screen, it looks great but on the other hand the rod-puppetry employed often fails to blend with the environments properly. It’s an unfortunate hiccup in a film that stamps its dark undertones firmly onto the audience. The camerawork could have also used some tuning up; while the low angles also work towards the film’s benefit, it uses point-of-view shots far too much in its final act, further lessening the scares from previous entries. Alien 3 is a looker (albeit a suitably depressing one) but it is held back by some questionable choices.

Alien 3 is undoubtedly a massive step down from its predecessors but whether you’re watching the original or assembly cut, it does do well to bring the series to a close. Its unrelenting misery is deliberate, keeping with the franchise’s tone and the characters that are well-fleshed out do deliver a strong element of religious undertones to the film. If you’re planning on watching Alien 3, be sure to go with the Assembly Cut as it contains more scenes with more development but don’t write it off completely as a failed entry in the franchise.

Theatrical Cut Rating: 3/5 Stars (Fair)

Assembly Cut Rating: 3.5 Stars (Good)