#jobwillins

[vexica]

Paradise- A Review

Fan-edit of Prometheus and Covenant

Editor: @jobwillins

2017

Rating: 2.5/5

Paradise is a fan edit by Job Willins, Willins himself describes the intention of the project as “combining Prometheus and Alien: Covenant into a single, David-centric narrative. The goal was to intercut material from both films to tell a story in a way that favors the strengths of both. With a runtime of about 2.5 hours, I aimed to enhance much of the excitement and mystery from the two films by unfolding them in parallel and playing them off one-another. This method also allowed opportunities to emphasize the major theme of creator/creation relationship that runs through both stories and hopefully achieve a unique viewing experience rather than merely a significantly abridged double-feature.”

Firstly I should state that while I am a big fan of Prometheus and Covenant, I looked at this edit as subjectively as I could. I enjoy fan-edits, editing is such a major part of storytelling in film but it is often overlooked. It is possible for a fan-edit to even surpass the original version of the film, there are edits of Passengers and the Hobbit which I consider the real versions of those movies. I like that fan-edits remind me of how fragile and malleable stories can be. Willins plot was ambitious, so I was intrigued to see how he would manage to merge two, two-hour-long films into one without losing too much. Ridley Scott tends not to waste any time, his films move at a steady pace and are filled with a lot of information delivered in the most efficient way possible.

We open with Weyland’s TED Talk in black and white, which then cuts to the white room sequence from Covenant. This firmly cements the premise of this edit, David is the central character in this narrative. My biggest complaint about this edit is the music, it is often misused or overused, there are a number of sequences where this harms the impact of the story. For example, later when Holloway is being torched to death, a strangely uplifting song starts playing, it’s very jarring and I am unsure of Willin’s intention here. However the white room sequence ends with the ‘Life’ theme from Prometheus which bridges into his scenes alone on the ship going about his routine. This was a nice choice, David naming himself suddenly becomes a hopeful moment. We then skip past the crew awakening scene, David is only seen tending to Vickers, then its straight to the debriefing with hologram Weyland. I feel the waking up from cryo sequence is so pivotal to the Alien franchise, it is a shame to lose it. That said, we do get a reasonable sense of the crew based on their interactions during this debriefing. Many sequences with other crew members are omitted or trimmed down significantly, it all helps to emphasise David as the protagonist.

At 12 minutes in we already jump ahead to the Covenant, Walter is tending to the garden, which was a deleted scene, then tending to the rest of the ship, this is all accompanied by ‘Because’ by the Beatles. While pop music is never something we hear in the Alien franchise, it is an interesting stylistic choice that is purely Willin’s own. We cut back and forth between narratives a few times and they are seemingly unconnected plots until about an hour in when Daniels finds Shaw’s dog tags. I feel that this should have occurred earlier in the film, if this is to be a kind of murder mystery, it needs to be established in the first 15-30 minutes, this is the point when most films have set up all the pivotal elements of their story. Again what Willin’s is trying to accomplish with mere editing is incredibly ambitious, it’s essentially a nonlinear, parallel storyline which can be a challenge even when that was the director or screenwriter’s intention.

Some strengths in this edit are the Milburn and Fifield subplot, a lot of the goofier moments are cut out, making them less cowardly and it makes their fates more mysterious and scary. Job also includes the deleted scene in which Shaw tells a creation story while ‘Take Me Home, Country Road’ plays gently in the background, this was an excellent choice, it forms a bridge between narratives and also relates to the themes of creation as well as giving us a bit more of a sense of the relationship between the crew. This was a strong choice.

Shaw and Holloway’s sex scene is omitted, I can’t believe I’m saying it, but I think it was actually important to the plot, otherwise the pregnancy thing seems to come out of nowhere. The fact that Holloway gets sick and we know he’s been intimate with Shaw recently creates a sense of tension. It’s around this point that the two narratives have merged together nicely and the transitions are smoother, Willin’s must have had a hell of a job trying to unite these plots without rewriting or reshooting anything, bridging two films in a cohesive way is no small feat. Once it happens though, it really hits its stride. This leads us to what I will call the ‘infection transition’ we cut between Holloway succumbing to his infection, while Faris and Karine deal with Ledward. There’s a real sense of mounting tension here as up until now we have not seen what threat they are up against but we know it’s not good. David shoots a flare to ward off the neomorph then cuts to him playing Das Rheingold in the white room, I feel this kills the momentum of that sequence. However that scene, with his final words being “they are false gods”, then cuts to Shaw unconscious with David trying to remove her cross. This helps to emphasise the themes of both sequences.

The iconic orrery scene is omitted in this edit, what a great shame, it is such an important scene for David, why remove it from a David-centric edit? The Engineer talks in this version, I prefer that. At around 1:55 we get what is perhaps the best part of the edit, we get something of a romantic montage between David and Shaw as they travel to the Engineer planet, framed by David reflecting before her grave with Walter, this is where the two plot lines finally merge into one. The use of the song ‘Chestburster’ in this sequence is a nice touch, it makes it rather poignant. Then when we do get to the chestburster scene and the theme is used again there is this chilling notion that David has done this for Shaw or perhaps the implication is that his love for Shaw is equal to that of his new creation.

The lander fight is removed, while it is a great spectacle, perhaps it is for the best economically speaking. Now the Beatles are used twice more, ‘I Want You’ is used in the shower scene on the Covenant, I think that works, but to replace Das Rheingold in the final sequence with Golden Slumber doesn’t work. I get the irony of the lyrics, but Das Rheingold holds more significance thematically and to David as a character.

Overall I would say this is a fascinating experiment and worth checking out if you are curious and have an interest in editing, it’s a fun “what if?” supplement to the films, but does not come close to being an equal alternative. I couldn’t imagine someone watching this without seeing the original films, I doubt it would make much sense to them at all. It feels rushed at times, things don’t feel earned, perhaps a three hour runtime was needed, it really needed some room to just breathe. The soundtrack also needs to calm down a bit, but when the song choice works, it really works. I didn’t go into every little detail, but there are many more clever transitions between the plot of Prometheus and Covenant, Willin’s finds a way to make them play off of each other nicely and heighten the tension or themes. I think the main issue is that we lack a point of view character, the viewer is left adrift, characters just come and go. It would have perhaps been most ideal to place Daniels as the protagonist here, she is one of the few characters who make it to the end of the story alive, she is the Sherlock Holmes of this mystery. While David is the central focus of these current Alien films, he’s never the chief protagonist, he’s an odd element like that, so Willins has done his best with the footage he had to work with. In order to truly place David as the protagonist I think it would require a drastic change beyond what editing can accomplish.

Where to find Paradise: https://jobwillins.tumblr.com/post/165299936047/about-paradise

[jobwillins]

About PARADISE

Update: You can find the most recent info on my edits at jobwillins.wordpress.com

Paradise is an editing project combining Prometheus and Alien: Covenant into a single, David-centric narrative.  The goal was to intercut material from both films to tell a story in a way that favors the strengths of both.  With a runtime of about 2.5 hours, I aimed to enhance much of the excitement and mystery from the two films by unfolding them in parallel and playing them off one-another.

This method also allowed opportunities to emphasize the major theme of creator/creation relationship that runs through both stories and hopefully achieve a unique viewing experience rather than merely a significantly abridged double-feature.

Some content from deleted scenes and marketing materials from both films have been used, as well as additional music which is credited at the end of the film.  Finally, thanks to everyone on Twitter who gave me feedback on earlier cuts.  This really helped me shape the current cut (version 1.1).

When I edited Derelict a couple of years ago, combining Prometheus & Alien in black & white, it was mainly because I found Prometheus unsatisfying as a standalone film.  Its ending promised (and begged for) a sequel, but that sequel kept falling behind other Ridley Scott productions.  With a sequel in doubt, I tried to use material from both films to make a single experience that felt more like a satisfying whole.

We eventually did get a sequel 5 years later in Alien: Covenant.  Half of it felt like a Prometheus sequel and the other half an Alien prequel.  In my opinion it didn’t fully succeed in either role.  I enjoyed parts of Covenant very much as I did Prometheus, but also much like Prometheus, it ended on an intriguing promise of a sequel.  That sequel may never come thanks to its relatively poor box office performance.

So here we are again…

Find ways to watch at https://jobwillins.wordpress.com/paradise

You can follow my Twitterings at @jobwillins or email me at jobwillins(at)gmail-dot-com.

Thanks!

~J

PS: Here’s a poster for funsies...

[muthur9000]

Androids, our loves and horrors

I think Elizabeth Shaw's death is a great example of violence against women in close friendships or relationships. The attempted murder of Ripley by Ash was the first taste of it in the Alien films. It's interesting that a character death can garner such outrage, Shaw deserved answers translates to women deserve an education. And David using her body without her consent, Shaw being made to carry an unwanted pregnancy is about how few rights we have as women with our own bodies. All of this is symbolic and horror that attacks the women. This is our terror, our reality, at the hands of androids, of men.

At the same time they are our saviours like Bishop, Call and Walter, because like any man they have the capacity for both good and evil.

Just some thoughts after watching Paradise fan edit by @jobwillins

Beautiful and thought provoking

[onegoodscare]

Just downloaded @jobwillins‘ Paradise fan-edit of Prometheus & Covenant! I’m excited to try it out sometime soon.

[jersonordavid]

365 Films Part 4: 270/365

Derelict

[jobwillins]

INFECTION (Scene from PARADISE)

From PARADISE, my Prometheus / Alien: Covenant edit. Most of the intercutting between the films plays out in longer stretches, but this sequence utilizes the similar happenings in both films to intercut quicker and increase the tension.

I've heard from a lot of people that this was their favorite part of PARADISE. Thanks again for all the feedback and encouragement!

For more on PARADISE, including how to watch, go here: jobwillins.tumblr.com/post/165299936047/about-paradise

Also, follow me on Twitter for more updates: @JobWillins

[jobwillins]

Thanks to everyone who voted to make PARADISE the Fan Edit of the Month! https://www.fanedit.org/jobwillins-wins-feotm/

[jobwillins]

Details coming soon through Twitter (@jobwillins)

[jobwillins]

PARADISE fan edit update: I just made a music choice that's either really cool or stupid as fuck 🤷‍♂️ For more thoughtful and/or insightful updates on my latest editing project, be sure to follow my twitters: @jobwillins

[jobwillins]

Currently working on a different thing. Follow this thread on Twitter for updates 👨‍💻 https://twitter.com/jobwillins/status/1065422097076367360?s=21

[muthur9000]

Job Willins has something for you all this Alien Day! We will let you know in our special Alien Day Blog Post, subscribe to https://yutani.blog #alienday #jobwillins #inmemoriam #alien

[jersonordavid]

365 Films Part 4: 269/365

Ripley