10 Most Polarising Movies Of 2017
3. Alien: Covenant
In response to complaints that Prometheus didn't have any Xenomorphs and too much theological bloat, Ridley Scott took his iconic science fiction-horror series back to its chest-bursting roots with Alien: Covenant, only to divide fans and critics.
Some Alien diehards were delighted to see a return to creeping horror, acid-blooded extraterrestrials and grisly male pregnancy, while a fair number of reviewers thought this was a step backwards, and dubbed the movie a tired throwback.
Scott retreated from the path Prometheus carved out, and his effort to turn the ship around was clumsy in parts. Wiping out the Engineers felt like a quick fix, as did killing Elizabeth Shaw off-screen. Those who appreciated the first prequel for what it was weren't pleased and pointed out the missed opportunities that came with this change of direction.
Michael Fassbender earned plaudits for his performance as the menacing android David, but some critics dismissed Katherine Waterston's Daniels as another poor man's Ripley, and more rightly questioned why Danny McBride and James Franco would be placed in charge of a terraforming mission.
Covenant's polarising reception and underwhelming box office takings have put further Alien films in jeopardy, so the gap between the prequels and the mainline series may never be bridged.