Alien V: Alien Covenant - Extended Cut

Choosing to include this as part of my ALIEN series rewatch in preparing for ALIEN ROMULUS' upcoming release, I was honestly stunned with how much I enjoyed this fanedit and how much of an improvement I feel this cut is above the theatrically released one. Wraith's use of the deleted/ supplemental material to reforge the missing first act does absolute wonders for creating more investment in the characters and setting a more suspenseful and alienating (no pun intended) tone for the proceedings, and the new coda at the end is absolutely chilling. The editing and scoring work Wraith has done to integrate the new material is smoothly done throughout, and the more thoughtful and deliberate pacing throughout the new cut of film goes a long way to realigning it to feel better akin to the earlier (and personally best) films in the series. Wraith's cut will be the version of ALIEN COVENANT I watch going forward when I revisit the series in the future; this is the version I wish Ridley Scott and Fox has released. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

A perfect promotional product for the continuation of David's story. Does it save a flawed but still entertaining movie? No, but I do wonder why somethings weren't already done in the final cut of the movie like in this fan edit, for example the extended opening scene with David and Weyland. For me, the stress test scene disrupts the pacing of the movie simply because of its length and for me it deserved to be cut. The editing with footage from "2010" is lovingly and effectively used, but of course breaks with the otherwise coherent and outstanding production design of the main film. David's explanatory sequence just before the credits suffers from similar coherence problems due to the distorted images and would perhaps be more effective as a voice over during the credits.

I don't think the extended cut works as well as the theatrical cut as a movie experience, but it serves as an excellent proof of concept. In terms of craftsmanship, however, the edits are superbly realized; the existing material has been handled tastefully and artfully. All the small changes that emphasize character depth serve the movie greatly.

AC was a film I was fairly ambivalent about - some very good sequences but with characters who just seemed to be there to get infected/bursted/munched on.

This edit (I’ve only watched the extended cut) does wonders for the characters and actually creates a cast I could feel invested in - the whole prologue section works very well, even though the Leonov special effects shots look a bit creaky compared to what comes later :)

My one “con” from the viewing: I really didn’t like the whole “Advent” section at the end after David is revealed to have replaced Walter - I think the sequence of jump-cuts lasting only a second or two each is out of place and doesn’t visually match the tone of the ending or of the film in its entirety. I found it really jarring and will be something I’ll edit out before watching again - but I will be watching it again as this is a superior version to the theatrical release. I watched it after A9’s Prometheus edit and I think they pair together nicely.

Nice work, Wraith!

Edit: I’ve now watched the shorter version and I definitely prefer the extended cut - while the shorter version is better than the theatrical cut I feel it is a little too truncated compared the the extended; the film flows much better in the longer cut. I still don’t like the jump-cut scene insert towards the end (it’s included in this version as well) and think that would be better suited as a post-credits bit instead of the Walter advert. I’m also not a fan of any “alien POV” shots (I think the Alien is more scary the less you know about it) and wonder if those bits could be excised as well?

When Alien Covenant was announced as a sequel to Prometheus, I was left wondering if it would be as convoluted and filled with holes just like it's predecessor, leaving the viewer not only wondering what the hell happened in the production of the movie but what Ridley Scott was thinking in making the movie the way he did. Previews and promotional material of this movie had the viewer seeing so much potential but it was again, just like Prometheus, pissed away in the editing room, coming in a day late and a dollar short.

Thankfully, Wraith chose to undertake turning this mediocre outing in the Alien franchise into another incredible journey in filmmaking. The skill, talent, and effort Wraith has put into taking this film and reworking it into a thing of beauty is something to be experienced. He's not only re-imagined the movie, he's redefined it as a sequel, using deleted scenes, trailers, promotional material, unused music cues from other parts of the series, as well as extensively re-arranging the material so that it flows beautifully so that it now makes complete sense, is cohesive in it's storyline, and answers all the questions the viewer thinks about while watching the movie.

I don't look at this edition of Alien Covenant as just a simple fan edit. It's far more than that. It's a stunning, brilliant fan edit that brings so much more depth to the characters that you actually now care about each and every character rather than throw your hands up in the air about what happens on screen. The amazing work Wraith has done with this project must be seen to be believed. This is not the same movie Ridley released in the theater. You'll be astonished at how much better this movie is now that it's been lovely restored by Wraith.

For me, this is the definitive version of Alien Covenant, with all other fan edits falling by the wayside in comparison.

Do yourself a favor: get this edit and add it to your collection of Alien fan edits. You won't regret it.

Incredible work. Raises the score of the original film by two full letter grades. There's nothing that can make our Alien baddies a little less visible, and therefore more scary, in the daylight sequence at the end of the film, but this version allowed me to reflect on how many couples there are in the film. Two habitable planets. Two black aliens. A crew of couples. Two androids. Two land-rovers. Two facehugger embryos. A two-film trilogy. Interesting, but I digress.. This edit helped me not only appreciate but understand the film better. If it were to gain wide attention it would cause a critical re-evaluation, and I couldn't help but think this is the definitive version. I used to only tolerate this film, but now I might like it more than Prometheus. Masterful.