An 'Alien' redo and Johnny Depp's last ride

At 80 years old, director Ridley Scott continues to make interesting, well-crafted films. If only he could let the “Alien” franchise go.

His original 1979 film remains a benchmark for both science-fiction and horror. When he made the prequel film, 2012’s “Prometheus,” it at least came with the promise of being a new science-fiction movie with just a few hints of the “Alien” universe. While that film had its moments, it ultimately crumbled under its own convoluted mythology, not to mention its dopey retcon of the xenomorph origins.

Now comes “Alien: Covenant,” a follow-up to “Prometheus” that still teases a few big ideas but mostly attempts to rehash what people loved about “Alien” and the James Cameron follow-up, “Aliens.” The second half of the film especially seems like a half-hearted apology for the lack of gory monster attacks in “Prometheus.” Yes, you get the famous xenomorphs, as well as their albino cousins, and lots of generic, underdeveloped characters die cruel and horrible deaths, but you’re not getting much else.

Scott at least manages to keep Michael Fassbender aboard the franchise, and in “Alien: Covenant” he plays two roles — the android David from “Prometheus” and a newer model of the robot named Walter. Fassbender gives two distinct performances, with the film’s best scenes centered on David and Walter’s interactions. The movie needs fewer chest bursts and more of these two characters philosophizing about their existence.

Scott wants to make more “Alien” films, and maybe there’s a grand plan in place that will show itself in subsequent installments. Right now, “Alien: Covenant” plays like an empty shell of his own classic film.

Sunset approaches for Johnny Depp and the ‘Pirates’ franchise

Captain Jack Sparrow sails again in this week’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,” the fifth (!) movie based on the famous Disneyland attraction.

It may be Johnny Depp’s last hurrah as a bankable movie star. Plagued by a string of flops and some unseemly tabloid stories, the actor needs his most famous role now more than ever. But even Disney can’t continue to bankroll a franchise without monster box office returns, and the studio has other reliable franchises (“Star Wars” and Marvel) that aren’t beholden to a single actor.

Under normal circumstances, one big hit can rejuvenate a sagging career. Take away the tabloid drama and Depp’s recent bad luck at the box office (“Transcendence,” “Mortdecai,” the “Alice in Wonderland” sequel, etc.) could be washed away with a single swashbuckling adventure with Captain Jack.

But it isn’t that simple. The bad publicity surrounding his divorce from actress Amber Heard was inescapable last year, even for people (like me) who don’t usually pay attention to celebrity news. While there isn’t definitive proof he violently attacked Heard (the two finalized the divorce earlier this year and Depp was never charged with anything), it’s impossible to look at the allegations and still see him as the same quirky and lovable movie star.

Even Disney seemed reluctant to deal with the icky stories coming out of Depp’s personal life. Much of the initial publicity for “Dead Men Tell No Tales” focused on Javier Bardem’s new villain, and the ubiquitous first trailer mentioned the name Jack Sparrow but never showed him on screen.

Depp’s troubles have been out of the news for a while, and most of the recent advertising for “Pirates 5” now contains plenty of Captain Jack antics. The movie should still make plenty of money, with box office estimators pegging its Memorial Day Weekend haul around $80 million.

Whether or not Depp deserves that kind of success is a complicated question. If you take him out of the equation and consider the hundreds of other people who worked on “Dead Men Tell No Tales,” then it makes the whole “judge the art, not the artist” argument a little more bearable.

But pretend for a moment Johnny Depp is still a huge star and the conflict with Amber Heard never happened. Even in that universe, a fifth “Pirates of the Caribbean” seems like creative overkill.

The first film in the franchise, 2003’s “Curse of the Black Pearl,” is a genuine delight — blending clever action and humor in ways that most blockbusters fumble, and Depp deservedly scored an Oscar nomination for his bumbling, scene-stealing anti-hero. It’s the best possible outcome for a movie based on a theme park ride.

The first two sequels, “Dead Man’s Chest” and “At World’s End,” tend to evoke strong, divisive reactions, but I enjoy the audaciousness attempted by returning director Gore Verbinski. They’re strange, dark and almost purposefully convoluted.

Verbinski passed on the fourth film, “On Stranger Tides,” and the result is a shallow, empty slog that resembles more traditional Hollywood sequels. “Stranger Tides” actively works to strip the franchise down to its most basic yet least interesting components, and saddles Captain Jack in all the sloppy plot mechanics. In the previous films, Sparrow serves as more of a disruption to the plot. Director Rob Marshall also strips away much of Verbinski’s colorful palette in favor of dull, nighttime-set action.

“Dead Men Tell No Tales” is directed by Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg, the Norwegian filmmakers behind the Oscar nominated (and water-based) “Kon-Tiki.” Reviews on “Pirates 5” haven’t been kind so far — as of Thursday it holds a Metacritic score just above 40. And surprise, surprise, critics are calling it “creaky,” “soggy” and using other lazy nautical words.

The movie will surely make money, but don’t expect Disney to invest much more in “Pirates of the Caribbean,” at least until an inevitable reboot is discussed. As for Depp’s blockbuster prospects, he’s attached to an “Invisible Man” reboot and he’ll appear in the “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” sequel, though he won’t be playing a lead role. Other than that, Depp will probably wait around for Tim Burton to call him.

Instead of hunting for the next franchise, Depp could rehab his career by refocusing on the smaller, quirkier work that defined his work before “Pirates of the Caribbean.” He still seems willing to do crazy work — though he needs to be looking for better quality than “Mortdecai” or the extended cameos he provides in director Kevin Smith’s recent output (never, ever watch “Yoga Hosers”). Judging by his Funny or Die short, “The Art of the Deal — The Movie,” he could also take over presidential duties on “Saturday Night Live” if Alec Baldwin calls it quits.

Whatever Depp does next, Disney would be wise to bench the “Pirates” for a while, unless of course they can figure out an “Iron Man” cross-over or hire The Rock to wear an eyepatch and peg leg. Actually, Disney, that’s a pretty good idea. You’re welcome.

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Tyler Wilson can be reached at twilson@cdapress.com.