Movie Review: 20th Century Fox's Alien: Covenant - #AlienCovenant

ALIEN: COVENANT

Sci Fi-Thriller

Release: May 19, 2017

Director: Ridley Scott

Cast: Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, Demián Bichir, Carmen Ejogo, Amy Seimetz, Jussie Smollett, Callie Hernandez, Nathaniel Dean, Alexander England, Benjamin Rigby

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 #AlienCovenant

Ridley Scott returns to the universe he created, with ALIEN: COVENANT, a new chapter in his groundbreaking ALIEN franchise. The crew of the colony ship Covenant, bound for a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy, discovers what they think is an uncharted paradise, but is actually a dark, dangerous world. When they uncover a threat beyond their imagination, they must attempt a harrowing escape.

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Ridley Scott is back at it, another alien movie.  How many has he done? A lot.  But this isn’t just an “alien” movie, it’s an Alien movie. Capital A. Opening Friday, Scott has added a new chapter to his Alien franchise in Alien : Covenant.  This chapter takes place before the early series of films, but after Prometheus (2012). It operates as a Prometheus sequel, and this chapter picks-up ten years after the events of Prometheus, but still before the events of Alien (1979).  It is a film for fans of Scott and fans of the Alien series of films. 

The film begins with a great Stanley Kubrik-esque, all white, scene, and I knew Scott was on top of his game.  Covenantis one of my favorites of the series.  It has all of the nostalgia I was looking for in an Alien movie, with the added dimensions of Michael Fassbender in dual roles.   

The film is called Alien : Covenant, but Fassbender (as David and Walter) makes the film the multi-dimensional, griping saga that it is.  Where Prometheus sets up the notion of some “creator,” or a “race of creators” out to make and destroy human-kind, Fassbender steps into the creator role and singlehandedly portrays an all-encompassing force of good and evil.  Fassbender plays the role twisted and funny.  He’s a hero.  He’s a villain.  He’s homoerotic.  Fassbender was very captivating.  There is a great cast along with Fassbender (Katherine Waterston as Daniels also has a very strong performace), but this is Fassbender’s show.

That isn’t to say that Covenant lacks any of the elements that Alien fans are looking for.  The film definitely has that horror sci-fi feel to it. It started creepy and slowly descended into sheer terror.  It’s fair to say that I watched most of the ending of the film through my hands over my eyes. Now, the shock of seeing the alien has somewhat passed.  We’ve seen enough of these that the sight of the xenomorph (alien) doesn’t make us jump out of our seats.  But the plot makes up for that by maintaining shock value in other ways.  The movie is quite bloody and gory.

My only complaint is that the characters are all still making the same mistakes of every sci-fi movies everywhere, and getting the same results.  It is a formula.  Still Covenant has a formula that works.  It is still entertaining. The action is still fun.

It’s an all-around good time.  The two-hour run time worked perfectly.  Seeing the xenomorph on the big screen definitely added to the creep-out factor.  Watch the aliens for yourself, Alien : Covenant is now playing everywhere.