This Free Fan Cut May Be the Best Way to Watch Alien’s Most Divisive Films

Though the Alien franchise is revered and beloved, that doesn’t stop fans from arguing over the quality of some of the movies. And of the film series, two stand out as perhaps the most divisive.

33 years after Ridley Scott gave us the ultimate horror in space with the first Alien film, the master director returned to deliver a prequel, Prometheus. Five years later, Scott made a sequel, Alien: Covenant. The two films introduced us to the Engineers who created human life, as well as David the android (Michael Fassbender), and his master, Peter Weyland (Guy Pierce).

Those movies didn't sit right with a large section of the fanbase, and critics didn’t take to them too kindly, either. Scott had plans for a third film to complete David’s story, but he never got the chance… Until now. The veteran filmmaker recently announced he’s working on that overdue sequel, but we may have to wait a while.

In the meantime, there’s a perfect way to enjoy both Prometheus and Covenant through non-official means. One fan cut will save you time and perhaps even make the narrative more coherent, too.

Why Are Prometheus and Covenant Divisive Among Alien Fans?

First, let’s look at why both Prometheus and Covenant didn't win over fans who had waited for a new Alien movie for so long.

As with any popular franchise, you’re always going to anger some of the more passionate fans when you mess with a story's lore. Scott certainly did that with Prometheus. The Engineers and their pesky black goo (the precursor to Xenomorphs) were a shock to the system. Scott told us they kickstarted human life and had weapons that would ultimately destroy Earth, only to fail to flesh out the story enough to allow us to understand these interesting characters' mythology properly. It might be fair to say that Scott was too concerned with setting up movies two and three in his new trilogy, rather than focusing on the one at hand. To add insult to injury, Prometheus also left us with a lot of unanswered questions.

One Reddit post really digs deep into why Prometheus was so frustrating, with the poster writing: "The script is lazy and the writers think that the audience are stupid... The characters are one-dimensional.

"Overall, it was a tragic wasted opportunity. If just a few things had been different, the film would have been much more watchable. Better design, fewer, more rounded characters with more meaningful relationships."

In Covenant, Scott caused even more upset by answering too many questions in explaining the origins of the Xenomorph. Almost 40 years of scintillating mystery was immediately spoiled once we knew the exact nature of the terrifying titular aliens. Meanwhile, much of the intrigue we had surrounding the Engineers was stripped away as they were largely neglected in this sequel.

On top of this, fans complained about the illogical decisions made by the scientists across both movies: supposedly brilliant minds consistently put themselves and others in danger by stepping into uncharted alien worlds without taking necessary precautions. Obviously, some suspension of disbelief is always necessary, but the science in the fiction was too flawed for most to overlook.

Again, looking on Reddit, you can find plenty of debate over the quality of Covenant. One Alien fan wrote: "I honestly think 99% of the hate for the movie, including my own, has to do solely with the decisions the Covenant crew made. There was just a lot of simple protocols and safety measures that they ignored or didn't care about and I think that's what bothered viewers the most because we've come to expect a certain degree of quality realism in Ridley Scott movies."

Another said: "Scott took every single thing that was wrong with Prometheus and amplified it for Covenant... The biggest offender is that he completely and utterly demystifies and reimagines the Xenomorph. This is unforgivable."

A third adds: "The problem with Covenant is that it is two movies jammed into one and they both suffer for it. It is a Prometheus sequel as well as an attempt to move the franchise back towards the original Alien."

For what it’s worth, I actually really love Prometheus. I think it’s a fascinating prequel that raises some interesting questions about human life and the world Scott created. I also enjoy Covenant a lot, though only as a bombastic sci-fi disaster movie rather than a truly provocative or polished film. Still, I totally understand why more dedicated fans would be annoyed.

Job Willins’ Alien: Prometheus & Covenant Fan Cut Makes a Lot of Sense

That’s where Job Willins comes in. The editor has cut together various alternate versions of films and TV shows over the years, but perhaps his most famous is what he did with Prometheus and Covenant.

Willins streamlined the two movies into a two-and-a-half-hour film called Paradise (which you can watch for free here), purely as a passion project. Using footage from both films, as well as some deleted scenes and marketing materials, Paradise has a much stronger focus on David and his machinations.

Writing about his version, Willins said: “The goal was to intercut material from both films to tell a story in a way that favours the strengths of both… 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 emphasise 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.”

What Have Alien Fans Said About the Paradise Fan Cut?

While Ridley Scott’s versions of Prometheus and Covenant are obviously worth a watch, it’s clear that fans love the editor's combination of the two movies.

On Reddit, one fan wrote: “Paradise should have been what we got. It streamlines it, makes it a great story, and integrates itself as part of the Alien universe.”

Another said: “I really liked how cutting scenes out gave the remaining scenes more meaning and how the whole David narrative worked so well.”

A third added: “I love it. It does show some crazy efficiencies in editing out some bad plot points, and I was shocked it took out some showy visual and digital effects.”

However, others have pointed out just how crucial it is to watch Prometheus and Covenant first so that you have some knowledge of what Willins was working with, while an overall investment in the wider Alien franchise is also recommended.

One such comment claimed: “If someone was not an Alien fan, and had never seen either of these films or knew they existed, I have a feeling this would be a nightmare of a film-going experience.”

Another agreed: “I do feel the edit requires previously watching the movies, since it jumps back and forth.”

What Else Has Job Willins Worked On?

If you like what Willins did with Paradise, you may be interested to know that the editor has also cooked up a black-and-white fan cut of the original Alien film and Prometheus, called Derelict.

On that idea, he said: “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.”

Covenant did eventually come to fruition, of course, but Derelict is still very much worth a watch if you’re an Alien completionist. You can find it here.

On Willins’ website, you can also find his fan cuts of Jurassic World and its sequel, Fallen Kingdom, a rework of Anakin Skywalker’s journey in the Star Wars prequels, and a mashup of Man of Steel and Batman v Superman.