Ridley Scott Plans Another Alien: Covenant Film
Listen to the story
Director Ridley Scott, who created the original Alien film, is now working on a new sequel to his 2017 movie Alien: Covenant. The news has surprised some film fans and critics.
Alien: Covenant received mixed reactions when it was released, and many viewers felt it did not live up to the earlier films in the franchise. Since James Cameron's celebrated 1986 film Aliens, film-makers have struggled for 38 years to make another truly great Alien movie.
One writer, commenting on the news, argues that the franchise has already tried many different approaches without much success. According to this critique, Scott's recent films have focused too much on deep philosophical questions about creation and existence, rather than delivering pure horror and excitement.
The writer suggests that Scott should return to what made the original 1979 Alien so effective: a tense 'stalk-and-slash' formula, where a terrifying creature hunts down characters one by one in a claustrophobic setting like a spaceship.
The concern is that after so many attempts, the franchise may have run out of ways to genuinely scare audiences. Rather than adding another ambitious but overloaded story, the writer believes a simpler, scarier film would better serve fans who just want a good monster movie.
It remains unclear exactly what direction Scott's new project will take, but the discussion highlights ongoing debate about how to keep a long-running sci-fi series fresh and exciting for audiences.
Vocabulary8 words
- sequel
- a film that continues an earlier film's story
- franchise
- a group of related films or stories
- critique
- a piece of writing that judges something
- stalk-and-slash
- a story style where a monster hunts and kills people
- claustrophobic
- making you feel closed in and uncomfortable
- scare
- to make someone feel afraid
- ambitious
- trying to do something big or difficult
- sci-fi
- short for science fiction; stories about future or space
Quiz
Answer key
1. A sequel to Alien: Covenant 2. Deep philosophical questions 3. True
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Director Ridley Scott, who created the original Alien film, is now working on a new _____ to his 2017 movie Alien: Covenant. The news has surprised some film fans and critics.
Alien: Covenant received mixed reactions when it was released, and many viewers felt it did not live up to the earlier films in the _____. Since James Cameron's celebrated 1986 film Aliens, film-makers have struggled for 38 years to make another truly great Alien movie.
One writer, commenting on the news, argues that the franchise has already tried many different approaches without much success. According to this _____, Scott's recent films have focused too much on deep philosophical questions about creation and existence, rather than delivering pure horror and excitement.
The writer suggests that Scott should return to what made the original 1979 Alien so effective: a tense '_____' formula, where a terrifying creature hunts down characters one by one in a _____ setting like a spaceship.
The concern is that after so many attempts, the franchise may have run out of ways to genuinely _____ audiences. Rather than adding another _____ but overloaded story, the writer believes a simpler, scarier film would better serve fans who just want a good monster movie.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think long-running film franchises sometimes struggle to stay exciting?
- Do you agree with the writer that simpler horror films can be better than complex, philosophical ones?
- What makes a monster movie scary in your opinion?
- Have you seen any of the Alien films? What did you think of them?
More Entertainment stories
Next story · Medium
Tate Brothers Complain About US Jail as Extradition Case Continues