Friday’s openings: Aliens and alienation

It was way back in 1979 when Ridley Scott saw the release of his first "Alien" feature. Though the story was somewhat familiar, Scott – a filmmaker with a particular talent for creating visuals – gave it new life.

Since then, several other filmmakers have taken their turns working the “Alien” storyline, which always tends to end the same way – with a standoff between humans and one of the most fearsome extraterrestrials even conceived.

Those other filmmakers, by the way, include such notable names as James Cameron and David Fincher.

Then Scott got back into the series, extending it with 2012’s “Prometheus,” taking the original idea and expanding it. Now comes another along the new line, “Alien: Covenant,” with Scott again directing.

“Alien: Covenant” is the top national release set for Friday. The week’s major releases are as follows:

“Alien: Convenant”: A band of space colonists discover what seems to be a perfect planet home, only to discover … well, this is an “Alien” movie, so you can guess what happens.

“Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul”: The Heffley family does a family vacation, and things go predictably awry. The Griswolds they are not.

“Everything, Everything”: A girl allergic to the world at large finds love with the boy next door. Life in a bubble?

That’s the list so far. I’ll update when I can.