Alien: Covenant

When I went into watching Covenant on opening night, I went in with neither excitement nor hesitation but was just curious. I was one of the people who didn't hate Prometheus because I admired the new mythology Ridley Scott was trying to create. However, I could see that it was poorly executed especially when connecting to Alien. Covenant improves on those ideas with better-written characters but in the end mostly fails as a memorable Alien film.

The parts I liked the most surprisingly were the Prometheus tie-ins. The film constantly delves on the ideas of creation, religion and faith without feeling as forced like in Prometheus. From the opening scene of android David's "birth" to the crew of the Covenant being a colony ship carrying couples, the film carries on these philosophical ideas while tying in very well with the origin of the iconic Xenomorph. While it does not explain everything that was left open in Prometheus, it does feel satisfying that Covenant tries to give some answers rather then just leave with questions.

Once again Michael Fassbender proves to be the standout of this film. But this time he shows off double the effort when he plays two androids, the original David and the Covenant's own personal android Walter. David gets to be a lot more fleshed out and we get a better understanding behind his questionable actions. And as Walter, Fassbender displays a more restrained, machine-like personality but still conveying a sense of loyalty to the crew. And seeing the two Fassbender's interact with one with each other were the most compelling scenes in the film even if one scene was unintentionally hilarious. Danny McBride should also be credited for taking on a role more serious then his usual ones in comedy. Billy Crudup also was good as a religious man whose leadership is conflicted with his Christian beliefs. Katherine Waterston did well in the lead role but is not as unique as compared the Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley. And now here is where the film's faults become very present. While the characters are an improvement from Prometheus, the movie's plot forces them to make choices that feel out of character and silly.

Probably my biggest disappointment was the titled creature itself. The Xenomorph does not show up till maybe like 20 minutes towards the end and its presence just feels like a forced afterthought. And I didn't mind the Xenomorph being more cg-heavy when compared to past films but the subtlety of the creature hiding and waiting to pounce from the darkness was gone. With the creature attacking right out in the opening and Ridley Scott showing too much of it on camera, it no longer felt like the intelligent, calculative killing machine I remembered. It became just another dumb generic movie monster. Even the Alien doppelgänger movie that came this year, Life, was a better Alien movie then this actual Alien movie.

The film also has twist ending that leaves a lot of plot holes to examine and is just more annoying and stupid then smart.

In the end Covenant will satisfy those who had problems with Prometheus convoluted mythology with some intriguing sci-fi ideas but if you're looking for a great monster movie then watch the first two Alien films then this one.

I had high expectations going into Covenant, I'd enjoyed Prometheus despite it's well documented flaws and was expecting it to rise above it's predecessor. It didn't. I can suspend belief for some things but others I can't overlook, the crew were well cast but the writing had some major flaws in much the same vein as Prometheus, highly trained people making incredibly bad decisions. You can argue that under pressure mistakes are made but not school-boy errors, taking an obviously sick and infected man onto your ship with no hint of quarantine being a major one. Having said that, I did think the aliens themselves were well projected and frightening, men-in-suits works better for me than CGI so on this point Scott won. The first two acts were good barring the critical errors, but the final act was telegraphed and obvious, it left me wondering where this great franchise can go to next? I will watch it again on disc and will definitely add it to my collection but to feel this disappointed after waiting for another of my favourite franchises to appear it left a bitter taste in my mouth, and it wasn't the Coke Zero.

In the first 20 minutes I was so happy with Covenant. It felt sharp, atmospheric, there are interesting character situations, emotive moments and infinitely better writing than we had in Prometheus. As it progresses, this feeling continues - thankfully, a solid sci-fi film that got it right.

Then Ridley starts to indulge in his convoluted ideas about creation and destruction. Its like switching from 1977 George Lucas to 1999 Lucas. You can almost hear Ridley at a writing meeting saying "this'll be cool, and this, and this, and then this" and the writer saying "uh, is this for the same film or later in the series?" "Yeah just cram it all in, make it happen".

You end up with three different films - a first act like a modern Alien which I loved, a middle act of Prometheus style philosophizing that feels like more Westworld, then a last act of two shoe-horned in action scenes homaging Aliens and Alien 3 respectively. Except there is no satisfaction at all, because the aliens are rushed, a bit silly, often awkwardly CGI looking, and not even convincing as threats because we don't care about any of it.

By the end I just have no idea what to think. I just think it would have worked much better if the ideas were done justice in their own film, rather than ham-fistedly trying to ram them into an Alien film to try and please fans and make box-office.

I don't know if I'm the only person to say this, but I think a horror movie works better if we see some intelligence in the script and in the characters' attitudes, and if the main antagonist is mysterious and able to surprise us. I liked "Prometheus", a film better than expected, albeit with a confusing script. This film establishes a clearer, more palpable link between that film and the "Alien" franchise. The script accompanies the "Covenant", a colony ship filled with people in hypersleep. The ship receives a mysterious signal from a planet that, by all indications, has excellent conditions for life, but quickly realizes that it has stumbled on a place where it should never have landed. After seeing the film, I had the feeling that we were looking at a very solid work that only lost when compared to the original franchise. Perhaps the best way to be fair is really to avoid this comparative exercise, which is seductive and almost impossible not to do.

Shall we start with the good things? Very good! The film is a sight for sore eyes, especially for sci-fi fans and for those who like very visual films with high doses of special effects, CGI or extraordinarily detailed scenarios. There is no doubt that the budget had a generous slice set aside for computer technicians, art and costume designers and cinematography, and this investment has paid off handsomely. Everything is accompanied by an excellent soundtrack and good sound effects. And of course, there are lots of tense scenes. It is one of those films where the tension is permanent, but which never really scares us.

Sadly, that's basically all this movie has to offer us. Fans of the Alien franchise will ensure that the film clarifies several gray points in the narrative of other films, such as "Prometheus", and I agree with this argument, but this does not seem to me to be something that we should overestimate, because it really was the least that could be done. Demanded from this film! At the script level, it is frankly disappointing: in addition to being lazy, making the most of what was done for the other films with which it is linked, it adds few new things. Yes, it creates some new creatures, "cousins" of the original xenomorph, but that's all. The human or semi-human characters are silly, devoid of development and seem to be waiting to be killed.

The film starts out great, but becomes slow and tiresome as it becomes predictable. I have a high regard for Ridley Scott's work, I think he's a very skilled and credited director, but it's hard not to acknowledge that he failed here. The director was dazzled by the amount of CGI potential and neglected the narrative, editing and direction of the actors. Among the actors, Michael Fassbender stands out the most. The actor has given us one of his best works so far. Katherine Waterston also did a very good job. The rest of the cast doesn't have the time or material to do anything special.

The alien movies over the years have mutated manifold from straight up horror to a full on war/action flick then to a mixed backstory starting in alien 3 which was interesting but a massive failure. Prometheus visually stunning as it was was let down by an awful script an dialog in particular.

Where do we come from? Why are we here? Themes from Prometheus continue in the very first 5 minutes before the credits have even rolled. It continues to beat you over the head with its backstory which, for me makes no sense whatsoever. Some of the dialog references other master horror works such as Frankenstein but does so in a way that it's up its own arse. Forgetting what alien actually was in the first place, a coincidence that was never about back story. Characters explain the plot in basil exposition speaking like no one ever would - speaking their thoughts at every opportunity - yes we get it, it treats the audience poorly.

What I did like was the scene shown much in the trailer, a character trapped in concealed room as something happens to her colleague. It was a longer scene that was tense and exciting and I oh so wish the rest of the movie could have come close. In a strange way alien covenant takes iconic moments from the franchise and tacks them on here but makes me wish I was watching alien or aliens instead. It's technically good as always Ridley Scott is a visionary filmmaker, but is unable to turn a weak script into a good film.

Alien:covenant gets locked up in its own self importance while forgetting why we loved alien in the first place. I really wanted to like it but came a way with a huge sense of disappointment.