Biochemical People's Science Newspaper Guide

Deron 2022-04-22 07:01:06

Before "Prometheus", the Alien series had four episodes on the theme of "killing monsters in space", and it was rare that four directors gave it different styles (the most unbearable is Pierre Genet's European grotesque picture book style). And Prometheus suddenly turned that story into a cosmology book—where did we come from? Why do we exist?

Let's talk about my personal understanding of the previous work: "Engineer" symbolizes a purely technological rational civilization. They have no concept of emotional and life value (at least not reflected in the film), and their main behavior is to create and explore. Splitting oneself for the needs of genetic experiments should not be "sacrifice" or "punishment" in their conception. Although the film refers to the "Prometheus" in Greek mythology, the actual image is more like the Jehovah in the "Old Testament" analyzed by Miriad: an absolute Other who "is and is forever". His behavioral logic is completely different from that of human beings, and people cannot judge His behavior based on their own thinking and values. Both humans and aliens are the results of their biological experiments, and it can also be said that they are by-products in the process of exploring and creating life-limiting forms.

Ironically, the impulse to "explore life" itself has just become a "primitive gene" that has been passed down layer by layer by "engineer-human-biochemical people". Engineers creating humans and aliens, Wieland Corporation's search for the origin of life, and David's research on aliens, all embody this ancient instinct. It is the inner connection of the real "same origin" of the three.

Although the human body has inherited the genes of the engineer, the one who is closer to the engineer in essence is David: he is not disturbed by human emotions and bound by morality, he quietly betrays his creator, and does what he does on them first. Experiment with black liquor and later use them as alien hosts. He has no fear, no sympathy and pity, no guilt, no measure and calculation of the cost and consequences of "sacrifice". He has no need for survival and reproduction, and transcends the boundaries of time. Originally, it was possible for him to become a real "maker" as he himself thought.

However, in "Contract", there is a lot of twisted "humanization" in this cyborg: he experiences the supreme pleasure from destroying a planet, is obsessed with creating monsters and appreciates and domesticates them. "Love" is self-motivated, defiantly defied his peers, and even forcibly kisses the heroine like a perverted killer... These make him not look like a detached destroyer, but more like some kind of anti-social personality. mirror. This is actually more creepy than the existence of aliens: it is not humans who create monsters, but humans themselves can be monsters. And sometimes the reason is exactly as David said: I am free.

If Walter is trying his best to prove that the "self" of a biochemical man can also choose goodness, then in the eyes of David's naked "self", it is just the result of domestication and repression. "A slave in heaven, or a king in hell?" This question has never been unfamiliar to human beings.

Wieland himself once said in the "Prometheus" video that David has no soul. Of course this pierced his heart. He strives to be a "creator" and subconsciously refutes this. But obviously in his human lessons, the Plato link is missing: souls are good and bad. "Creation" is a projection of the creator's purpose and desire. As for what purpose and desire, it is the torture of the creator's own soul. Only the creator who has the ability to constantly reflect on and question himself about this can rationally harness the great power of "creation".

And the biochemical people science, who doesn't care about this, and even the engineers who try to use technology to override everything, the aliens created are only the materialization of reproductive and killing instincts. It only has two behavioral modes of hunting and reproduction. This is the case in the version. Genet imagined that it would eventually have human nature. Cameron turned it into an ant tribe, which deviated from this setting to some extent. Only Scott himself could find the "familiar taste".

The actual creation itself is also destruction - just like the beginning of the previous work, the black liquid first split the DNA, and then recombined it to complete the creation. This is like the best interpretation of "the negation of the negation": the creation of new things must declare the death of old things. As a result, engineers, humans, biochemicals, and aliens all fell into this eternal cycle of "the creator is counterattacked by creation" (David has even destroyed the creator and the creator of the creator, and the alien queen will also be in N Years later ripped off the head of the cyborg). What is terrifying to think about is that the aliens who only create themselves by destroying others are the ultimate winners. This is undoubtedly another victory for nihilism. This despair, the moment David dominated the spaceship, was a one-time depression.

It must be said that the human brain disability index in this film has reached a new high. In fact, in "Prometheus", the protagonists are also in the style of B-grade films: one part is to die, and the other part creates conditions to die. Since the human design has already been destroyed, it is necessary to kill people without speaking logic. But after receiving an unknown signal, he gave up his original destination and went to a strange planet, which was too much to deal with. And Oram's character is so dreadful, why not let him act as the captain? It can be said that the female mechanic was frightened to urinate, but it can be said that the shooting of the spaceship is a bit of a big deal... Anyway, these scenes before Alien and David appeared are basically pure improvisation, which is also the reality of these two films. The reason for not being able to score too high. I wonder if the director will be able to create a human character with a similar IQ next time while he is proud of his philosophy? Otherwise, the force of "science fiction masterpiece" will really be unbearable.

View more about Alien: Covenant reviews

Extended Reading

Alien: Covenant quotes

  • Oram: What do you believe in, David?

    David: Creation.

  • Daniels: You hear that?

    Oram: What?

    Daniels: Nothing. No birds, no animals. Nothing.