Paradise

This is the only way to watch Alien: Covenant.

I need to preface this review by mentioning that none of the drawbacks of this edit come from JobWillins himself. Everything has to do with the original material. I say this as someone who loved Prometheus, but hated Covenant. This edit brings in the best elements of Covenant (the scenes between David and Wayland) which makes Prometheus that much better. In retrospect, I believe it would be much more interesting to have a standalone edit of Prometheus with those scenes added in. Covenant seems like a completely odd and nonsensical sequel to Prometheus, and I truly believe that combining those two movies does more good for Covenant than it does for Prometheus.

However I must congratulate JobWillins' incredible editing skill. He has done the best job anyone could do when it comes to this project. The cuts between the timelines are seamless and seem very fitting every time. It's never jarring and they somehow feel right. However, Covenant remains the movie that it is and unfortunately no amount of editing will ever be able to save that mess. I left this edit feeling like I just wanted to go watch Prometheus instead, as that movie was pretty damn good.

It's worth a watch, if only just for JobWillins' incredible editing, and if for some odd reason you need to watch Alien: Covenant. If not, I would recommend you simply watch Prometheus again.

I respect the hell out of what you've done here with this project. The pacing and editing and the flow of intertwining these two movies was excellent and outstanding. I think everyone should check this out.

This edit sits in a similar place for me as Wraith's: Split Unbreakable Glass.

You both took what was a pretty solid movie(s), and spliced it with a movie that wasn't as good, in an attempt to create a film that was greater than the sum of its parts. Both of these were extremely creative, and were executed to perfection.

However, similar to my feelings about SUG, I am currently undecided as to whether I felt the better half of the source materials (Prometheus in this case) were improved within this edit. I certainly think you did something extraordinary with it here, but I personally really liked Prometheus, despite its flaws. On the other hand, like almost everybody else, I thought Covenant was pretty.....not good, with a few redeeming qualities (most of which involved David). I can't say that I DIDN'T like this edit, because I did! I only have to say that I really liked Prometheus, and while this edit certainly improved Covenant, that movie just had far too many garbage scenes (like locking your friend in a room to contain a potential contagion despite the fact that you have blood from the host all over your face) and so I felt that Prometheus was diminished slightly as a result of being tied to Covenant more than it already was.

That being said, I'm glad I watched this, and I recommend it to anyone who likes the Alien franchise (or sci-fi) and I'd like to thank Job for getting me a link, and Wakeupkeo for pointing me in this direction!

This is a very strong edit combining the two Alien prequels, which (mostly) improves on both. The scattering of certain scenes and extras across the film was very well done. Scenes were intercut at appropriate moments. The edit shifts focus more towards Covenant as the edit progresses, which is the weaker of the two films.

The rescore was well chosen, bar the last scene, which worked better with Wagner's Das Rheingold. I especially liked I Want You by the Beatles. My main critique is that a few unnecessary scenes were kept - such as the two Prometheus pilots discussing their bet, or Shaw and Janek explaining the plot to the audience before heading out to meet the Engineer - along with some poor dialogue. Job Willins could have been even more aggressive with a few cuts, however the pace is quite good despite the edit being almost 2hrs 40mins.

All in all, an excellent edit, which does the best it can with the original films, which are a little weak.

"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.

A great re-imagining of the 2 Alien prequels which also succeeds in doing away with some of more confusing scenes, plot holes and character inconsistencies. I have no idea how well this would work for someone who has never before seen either Prometheus or Alien: Covenant, but from my perspective it was a very well conceived alternative and well worth the watch. The Covenant finale in particular was much improved and, being a Beatles fan, I appreciated some of the sneaky song placements! ;)

A minor qualm is that you could feel the 2.5 hour run time, but considering this is squishing 2 movies into one, the pacing is actually pretty good. Great job, JobWillins!

Edit: I initially gave this an 8 for video/audio quality, but have only just realised I was watching the 720p version (unaware there was anything better available). I've now downloaded the 1080p version and it looks much better!