A-Box is a great geek gift for Father's Day

Mystery box subscriptions are proving popular with geeks of all ages. From Loot Crate to Smugglers Bounty by Funko, there's something for fans of film, TV and video games everywhere.

Now, A-Box arrives and it's the perfect subscription gift for Father's Day!

Star Wars: The Force Awakens director JJ Abrams is a huge fan of the mystery box, as evidenced by his multimedia oeuvre, and a proud self-confessed geek. This maybe something his children would gift him for Father's Day.

A-Box is a new mystery box subscription service working directly with film and video game studios including Marvel and Activision. Each A-Box is packed with over £70 value for £38 per month (less if you opt for a longer subscription) and there's no contract. So, you could gift family and friends for their birthday or the holiday season. Why not treat yourself too?

In addition to a monthly mystery box. There'll be limited edition boxes. The first is Alien: Covenant for fans of director Ridley Scott's xenomorph. This is available for £55, but contains items valued over £150! It's worth noting there's an official life-sized replica, approved by Twentieth Century Fox, from the movie. What could it be? Leave your guesses in the comments below.



Mystery box subscriptions can be hit-and-miss. So much so that I've been reluctant to purchase one (for review purposes). However, A-Box benefits from directly supplying the movie industry for 10 years. They're off to a strong start with the release of the Alien: Covenant box from 26th June.

A-Box looks like a great addition to the mystery box space and a Star Wars: The Last Jedi themed box would be awesome this December. However, the proof will be when I have one in hand to review, myself.

The fine folks at A-Box reached out to me and, as such, this isn't a sponsored post. I simply like the look of this new fully licensed blind box subscription service and wanted readers to see for themselves.

For further details and to subscribe, visit A-Box.com.

MUTHUR can't save you in Alien: Covenant

Fans of the Alien franchise will instantly recognise MUTHUR. The Nostromo's onboard computer that awoke the crew from cryogenic stasis to seemingly investigate an alleged distress signal on LV-426.

Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) would later discover the chilling truth that MUTHUR was programmed to divert to the unknown planet, by the company Weyland-Yutani, and crewmate Ash's (Ian Holm) primary objective to sacrifice all aboard for an alien specimen.

MUTHUR, voiced by Lorelei King, returns in Alien: Covenant. Personally, this is exciting news as I worked with Lorelei on The Gemini Apes starring the late Sir Christopher Lee.

This new trailer, highlighting MUTHUR, cleverly plays to our expectations of intelligent personal assistants such as Alexa, Cortana or Siri and the franchise's callous use of technology.



Does MUTHUR play an instrumental role in Alien: Covenant? Fans will find out on 12th May.

Excited for Alien: Covenant? Let me know in the comments below.

Loving the Alien

Are directors Sir Ridley Scott and James Cameron seemingly in friendly competition at 20th Century Fox? Both are expanding their respective sci-fi franchises.

Alien and Avatar will serve up a sequel avalanche over the next decade as the studio battles Disney with its Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and Star Wars sequels. The latter once had pride of place at 20th Century Fox before the Mouse House bought Lucasfilm in 2012.

Speaking to Fandango, a booking site dedicated to film fandom, at SXSW Film Festival, Ridley Scott outlined his vision for four more Alien prequels.

"It will go Prometheus, Awakening, Covenant.. fairly integral where this colonization ship is on the way...."

Presumably, the director meant Prometheus, Covenant and Awakening, which begins principal photography as early as 2018. Actress Katherine Waterston called him out on potential spoilers. "You're giving away too much!", she screamed.

Scott continues, “If this is successful, and then the next one, and then there will definitely be three more.”

Will the franchise remain truly alien after six prequels? Let me know in the comments below.

A sequel to Alien: Covenant is already written

Director Ridley Scott recently confirmed to The Sydney Morning Herald that Alien: Covenant is the beginning of a new prequel series to Alien, and the next installment may start filming as soon as 2018.

“You’ve got to assume to a certain extent success and from that you’d better be ready. You don’t want a two-year gap. So I’ll be ready to go again next year…. If you really want a franchise, I can keep cranking it for another six. I’m not going to close it down again. No way.”

The article goes on to corroborate what many fans (myself included) expected. Prometheus is not a part of the new prequel series starting with Alien: Covenant.

“What we did really well on Prometheus, considering that it was a ground zero idea that was starting all over again, was I discovered that people do have an appetite for the alien and what he means and his evolution – the egg, the facehugger, the chestburster as we call them. People still want to see it. So I return to a little bit of that but not wholeheartedly; there’s a lot in here which is new as well… We go from Prometheus into both worlds of the original Alien and a little bit of Prometheus. Prometheus was about who and why? This is getting closer to who designed it and for what reason.”

This reaffirms my suggestion Alien: Covenant is a soft reboot of the franchise. And could also explain why Neill Blomkamp's sequel to James Cameron's Aliens, thereby retconning Alien 3 out of existence, is on hold indefinitely.

Xenomorphs attack in Alien: Covenant

Last week 20th Century Fox released an official prologue to director Ridley Scott's Alien: Covenant - Last Supper - that riffed on an infamous, and iconic, scene from the original Alien starring the late John Hurt.

Now, a new trailer unleashes the full force of Hollywood's feared xenomorph.



Alien: Covenant is a sequel to Prometheus chronicling a crew in search of paradise. I'm hoping it'll do for the Alien franchise what Rogue One did for Star Wars. Spectacularly dovetailing into the much-loved original.

The film, which opens in theatres this May, stars Michael Fassbender (reprising his role as the robot David), Noomi Rapace (reprising her role as Dr. Elizabeth Shaw), Katherine Waterston, Danny McBride, Billy Crudup, Guy Pearce and James Franco.

Looking forward to seeing xenomorphs back on the big screen? Let me know in the comments below.