Alien: Covenant is a Sci-fi horror film directed by Ridley Scott. The sixth installment overall in the Alien film series and the second prequel. Taking place 11 years after Prometheus. A colony ship named Covenant is bound towards a nearby habitable planet after their ship takes damage. There they encounter neomorphs (aliens) that begin to kill the crew. During their scuffle they are rescued by David, the android from Prometheus. After getting them to safety, he explains to the crew the situation on the ground and what happened to the previous expedition. As the story progresses it turns out that David may not be telling the whole story.
For as much shit that Prometheus got, it was a better overall film. Alien: Covenant feels like a remake of a remake. They try to take parts of Prometheus and force it to become an Alien film. Two-thirds of the film follow the story line from the previous film while altering the theme and tone of the franchise. The last third is reminiscent of action scenes in Aliens. This film doesn’t resolve many of the plots from the previous film and the ones do get tied up most off screen. The last third of movie turns into an action flick and feels forced to finally introduce the famous Xenomorph. The visuals and designs are great which is to be expected from this series. Yet, the action sequences lack tension that people are seeking in an Alien film. The worst part of the movie is the unwritten characters that give you zero reason to give a fuck about them. The characters make nonsensical choices (not wearing safety equipment) that lead to their doom. They are all fairly bland and there’s no character development for the new characters. The character are a downgrade from Prometheus crew. The only character that gets more fleshed out happens to be the android. The weird moments with David as he contemplates his morality are what stand out in this film. Michael Fassbender’s portrayal of David is one of the only reasons to watch.
So far, two films were made to set up where the Xenomorphs came from, but who cares? Xenomorphs are inherently scary without needing to know their origins. The Alien film series is supposed to be slow burn horror action films. This film is lacking many of those facets. The movie is just average. Below average if you haven’t seen the previous film as there are subplots tied to Prometheus. I’d say it’s worth watching if you are fan of the series, just be sure to temper your expectations. If you haven’t watched any of these in the franchise, give it a pass.
MPAA Rating: R
Running time: 2 hr 2 min
Director: Ridley Scott
Screenplay: John Logan and Dante Harper
Cast: Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, and Demian Bichir
Producers: David Giler, Walter Hill, Ridley Scott, Mark Huffam, and Michael Schaefer
Music: Jed Kurzel
Cinematography: Dariusz Wolski