Paradise

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9.5
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9.8(37)
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9.4(37)
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9.7(37)
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Overall rating
 
10.0
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10.0
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10.0
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10.0
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10.0
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10.0
As you would expect, when you start watching it is a bit weird watching two separate crews on two separate missions interspliced, but it's only weird a little bit and the stories will fuse nicely with unseen footage and some fantastic voiceover that really binds this into the definitive edition of the story so far. I highly encourage radical approaches like this. Pure joy to watch, really.

The video quality is very good even though it uses a last-gen codec. Imagine how absolutely gorgeous it would've looked like with x265 and the same bitrate.

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Overall rating
 
8.4
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10.0
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7.0
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9.0
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8.0
Enjoyment
 
8.0
"Prometheus" and "Alien Covenant" fused into a single film. Decent enough plan, although it seems Mr Willins has done this twice already with his "Derelict" and "Ripley" edits.

Video - 1280 X 720p AVC. The visuals for "Prometheus" are simply better than those for "Covenant." The opening moments with the TED talks could have used less fade-outs. Afterward, the editing is assured and masterful ... for awhile. With "Prometheus" the editor has a strong concept and it shows. The editor has his craft down so I have no comments on technical aspects.

Audio - 128 kbps AAC. 2 Channels. No subs. The editing is smooth, though the audio is spotty at times - in both films. Dialogue is muffled or indecipherable. From hollering to whispering. I listen over speakers, I listen through headphones. No difference. I viewed the 5 GB file, I don't know if the larger, 10 GB file offered 5.1, or if it would have made a difference.

Narrative - As with the previous "Derelict" and "Ripley" edits, Mr Willins runs concurrent stories. With those edits, the story bounces back and forth like a ping pong match. Like an ADD incessantly switching channels. With "Paradise" Job Willins finally hones his storytelling. This becomes David's story, more pronounced and effectively done with the "Prometheus" half. "Covenant" is much too talky.

Enjoyment - Hit n miss for me. The last thirty minutes were repetitive to the point of tedium. Too many climaxes, I just wanted them all to die at that point. In a word, too much "Covenant."
With "Prometheus" he cut most of the garbage I hated. "Covenant," I predicted would be more challenging, and to me he did not successfully carry this off. Comment - songs by the fab four were distracting and incongruous.
Job Willins displays superior abilities and I would like to see him shift away from these back n forth twofers.

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Overall rating
 
9.6
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
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9.0
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9.0
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10.0
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10.0
Wow! I was really looking forward to a character-driven mashup focusing on the malevolence of David and the Creator/Creation theme. The editor has executed this thesis perfectly. Both original films were very unsatisfying to me, given the Hollywood box-office-appeal choices that were made. This edit strips away much of that artifice. The editor made lots of great decisions, cutting back the TED prelude to its essential message and presenting in B&W; a classic tool to set up a past significant event.

The interweaving of the content from the two originals was to my eyes done seamlessly and purposely to navigate the scenes in the new direction chosen by the editor. Visually, the film looks gorgeous when viewed in full 1080p resolution on my tried and true plasma display. [A quick note that has nothing to do with edits. Many thanks to the editor for making this available directly from Google Drive. I don't burn physical copies, so a direct mp4 upload saves soooo much hassle as a Mac/ATV4 user.]

I like the use of the Beatles in the soundtrack. I'm not sure why this is such a sticking point with folks. If the finale had been set off by "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" I could relate, but I thought the tunes were tastefully chosen. I particularly liked the use of the minor key driven "I Want You (She's so Heavy)".

The overall effect is to set up these films and the next upcoming release as a "David Trilogy". I find this way more satisfying than the emphasis on the Engineers or the Creature. I'm putting this film into heavy rotation both at home on when traveling. Fantastic work!

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(Updated: February 23, 2018)
Overall rating
 
8.8
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
8.0
Visual Editing
 
8.0
Narrative
 
8.0
Enjoyment
 
10.0
spoilers ahead

Overall, wow. I'll start with the "enjoyment" category (I give the highest marks there), and work my way up.
Why do I enjoy it so much?

Focusing on the synthetics works so nicely. While it's easy to wish for the suspense of the original Alien, this edit shows that a nearly equal feeling can be achieved through unease. Job gives that sense of unease throughout this movie by focusing on the (to quote Walter) "disturbing" performance of Fassbender. David is the most intriguing character to come out of the films, but is presented in a muddled way in the original films. The question of who David is and who we ought to sympathize with is poorly handled until placed in Job's hands.

That said, I think even more could have been aggressively cut to limit the confusion of multiple crews, plots, moralities, and creations. As such, the narrative still struggled with extra baggage. Moreover, the complete abandonment of Shaw's character and the Engineer plotline so that the movie becomes a more obvious Alien prequel makes for a lackluster story that fanediting can't redeem entirely. As far as the climax - for me it was the moment we realize with few doubts that David killed/mutated Elizabeth (why have a grave in the first place if her corpse is still in your bestiary?). Everything after that is a bit lackluster, reduced to a shoehorn for Alien.

For the most part I enjoyed the audio editing, especially the use of the "farewell elegy to Elizabeth" throughout the movie. That said, the Beatles use at the end didn't seem appropriate, particularly since Walter had already played the Beatles and we had just recovered from a synth switcheroo.

The visual editing had some masterful edits. As others have mentioned, the interwoven infection scenes is the highlight of this edit. However, some of the transitions between crews aren't paced as well.

As for quality, I watched the Vimeo stream at 720p with stereo sound. It looked and sounded lovely considering the source.

Well done Jobwillins! Thanks for sharing your labor of love!

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Overall rating
 
8.0
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
9.0
Visual Editing
 
8.0
Narrative
 
6.0
Enjoyment
 
7.0
When I first heard about this fan edit combining the two Alien prequels into a single film centred around David, I was immediately intrigued.

The editing is great and for the most the narrative works but having the film narrative in chronological order would have been better than constantly switching from the past and present.

There were some deleted scenes which were not colour corrected or graded to match the film. This is nitpicking but felt worth mentioning.

Lastly, the song “The Entry of the Gods into Valhalla” had a significant meaning, especially how it is played throughout the film with its crescendo to the end when it blasts loudly as David has triumphed from his small beginnings to triumphing over his creator and becoming a god. I felt the song used instead by The Beatles did not suit the film at all and was a disappointing finish to a great idea.

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