Alien: Covenant is a 2017 science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott, starring Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, Carmen Ejogo and Demián Bichir. The film is a sequel to the 2012 film Prometheus, the second installment in the Alien prequel series, and the sixth installment overall in the Alien film series. It follows the crew of a ship who land on an uncharted planet and make a terrifying discovery.
The plot follows the crew of the colonization ship called Covenant, who after suffering damages from an explosive shockwave in space, discover a transmission from a nearby planet. The crew then decide to investigate the transmission on the planet but discover that it harbors a deadly secret. The story does go at a pretty good pace, the opening sequence of the shockwave in space that damages the ship and interrupts the crew’s journey did a good job of giving us the “incident” of the film. The story is pretty engaging especially for fans of the franchise who’re generally interested of the origins of the Xenomorphs, which the story does elaborate on. The climax is actually pretty intense however, it does feel rushed. There are some instances where the plot feels too predictable and even sequel bait ending seemed obvious.
The characters are a bit of a mixed bag. Some characters were cool but not really interesting. The most standout characters are David 8 (Michael Fassbender), Walter (Michael Fassbender), Daniels “Dany” Branson (Katherine Waterston), Tennessee Faris (Danny McBride), Christopher Oram (Billy Crudup), Sergeant Lope (Demián Bichir), and Karine Oram (Carmen Ejogo). Dany is just an awesome character, and it is easy to connect with her (especially since her husband gets his “Flame On”). She is strong but not overly masculine. Walter is a synthetic human, and he is surprisingly deep. Especially in comparison to the main antagonist, David 8. Despite David 8 being a complete dick, he does have personality. Tennessee is also another good, likable character. Christopher, Karine, and Lope were cool but should’ve been more pronounced. It would’ve been nice to see the relationship between Christopher and Karine as they attempt to deal with the situation. Most of the other characters feel like cannon fodder. (3 out of 5)
The movie does deserve a thumb up in how stylized it looks. First, the technology looks pretty cool. Second, the wide shots of the landscapes are pretty beautiful. And third, the creature designs look really good. They are highly detailed, have that human-like look, and look pretty intimidating. One of the most prominent moments of the Neomorph, is the scene with it standing in front of David 8. One problem with the Neomorph and Xenomorph is the overabundance of CGI. There are so many moments where the creatures would’ve looked better or added more tension to the sequence had the creatures actually been practical.
Did really enjoy the soundtrack. Thumbs up to Jed Kurzel for the music. Also, I’d like to give a thumbs up to Jerry Goldsmith and Marc Streitenfeld for the contributions to the score. (3 out of 5)
The film does feature some really good performances by the main and supporting cast. The main cast includes Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Danny McBride, Billy Crudup, Demian Bichir, and Carmen Ejogo. The supporting cast includes Amy Seimetz, Callie Hernandez, Jussie Smollett, Nathaniel Dean, Alexander England, Benjamin Rigby, Tess Haubrich, and Uli Latekefu. Brief cameos include James Franco, Noomi Rapace, and Guy Pearce.
There is a lot to appreciate when it comes to the writing. First, Ridley Scott does a good job of making the film feel serious. The beginning of the film feels grand but as the events of the story unfold it does get extremely dark. He does a good job keeping it at a good pace and the editing is done really well. There is action that is fast paced but intense. The Neomorph and Xenomorph attacks are pretty brutal. Having said that, I agree with an article that I had read. Scott has created a formula for the Alien films and every movie so far has followed and dismissing this formula could’ve shaken the movie up a bit. In the first and second Alien movies, Ripley was a survivor who had to do the impossible and take on the menace by herself. In Prometheus, Noomi Rapace takes up the mantle as the sole survivor (next to David 8). Now, this film has another female heroin, Dany. She’s likable and it’s easy to root for her but did the movie have to have another female heroine. Another moment of the film that seemed like a waste is the death of Karine Oram. She seemed like she would be an interesting character especially with the tension between Christopher and Dany. Her death was completely unnecessary so early in the script. Even the whole moment where Ledward is puking up blood and Karine would not leave his side seemed very unrealistic.
David 8’s explanation as to how he created the Facehugger eggs should’ve been ironed out a lot better than it was. He genetically engineered them. Okay, fine. But how? With what technology? What creatures? And to what purpose? To be a god? Come on, give some motivation here. Also, Elizabeth Shaw’s death offscreen was complete baloney. Her presence in the film would’ve done the movie wonders. And lastly, the sequence with David 8 killing all of the Engineers didn’t really seem necessary either. It is hard watching the original Alien films and looking back on this scene and being “Yeah, I could really see that happening”. (3 out of 5)
The Verdict: In the end, Alien: Covenant is a pretty decent film and worth a watch for fans of the franchise. Yes, the film does have unnecessary characters, too much focus of CGI creatures, and some problems with the script. However, the film does have good performances, some cool characters, good visuals, good action, some good suspense, and some pretty intense sequences. Alien: Covenant gets 3 out of 5. Not the best Alien movie but definitely worth a watch.
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