{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"The Next Reel Film Podcast","title":"Alien: Covenant","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3986,"description":"Whose decisions doom the mission? \"Alien: Covenant,\" part of The Next Reel's Alien series, is Ridley Scott's return to the franchise he started—a sequel to \"Prometheus\" and a prequel to the rest of the series—built around a colony ship, a mysterious transmission, and a rogue synthetic. Michael Fassbender plays twin androids—David, an unshackled older model operating alone for a decade, and Walter, his constrained successor—alongside Katherine Waterston as Daniels and Billy Crudup as the crew's embattled new captain.Pete and Andy dig into why the film fails as both a creature feature and a philosophical inquiry—tracing the production history behind the script's competing visions, dissecting the protagonist problem (nobody meaningfully changes, not even the villain), and examining what Fassbender's dual performance achieves in a film that couldn't support it. If you've ever felt these prequels were working against the franchise, this conversation gives you the language for why. We have a great time talking about it, so check it out then tune in—The Next Reel on TruStory FM, when the movie ends, our conversation begins!🎥 Watch Our Full Conversation on YouTube 🎬 Watch & Discover Watch the Film: Apple TV | Amazon | Letterboxd | Trailer If You Liked This Conversation, Try These from the Next Reel Family:The Next Reel — Alien Series—the full run from \"Alien\" through \"Prometheus\" that leads directly to this conversationThe Film Board — Prometheus—Pete and Andy's companion discussion of the direct predecessor that started the prequel arc The Film Board — Alien: Covenant—their original conversation at the film's 2017 release, which this episode revisits and extends 🔒 This episode includes member-only bonus content. The movie ends. The conversation goes further—and there's more of it in the member feed. Become a member. 🎧 Members get this episode early and ad-free in their private feed—plus every show in The Next Reel family.","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/QXcxZTd4yD06m996CzYxVfwBoxfWZbjrHM3y80lgUjg/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9zaG93/LzMzMDg2LzE2NjAw/ODA1NTctYXJ0d29y/ay5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}