Alien: Covenant (2017)

Movie Info

Androids that play flute together stay together!

The Covenant is meant to be a colony ship headed to Origae-6.  When a solar flare disables the ship and kills the captain, the crew must regroup.  The discovery of a signal from a nearby planet that could be inhabitable leads them to a world which could be their new Earth.  When they explore the planet, a spore unleashes a monster within two of the crew members…but the arrival of android David (Michael Fassbender) could provide the answers they need to survive.  David might actually have other plans in mind.

Directed by Ridley Scott, Alien:  Covenant is a sci-fi horror film in the Alien series which Scott started in 1979.  The film is a sequel to Prometheus from 2012 and lead in for the original Alien film.  The movie received mixed reviews but a strong opening weekend.

I love Alien.  It is a strong movie that was new and exciting and few movies have reached the level of intensity.  Aliens took the series in a different direction by turning into an action movie which also worked.  Since both Alien and Aliens, the series has struggled…and Alien:  Covenant is another problematic movie.

Finally…a real alien. Now the action can start…no? Ok…

The series talks about the exploring worlds and going new places…but almost all of the films (Alien and Aliens included) do not approach the idea very smartly.  The characters inevitably enter an environment where sure you maybe can breathe, but it could be filled with microorganism that could kill you…which is exactly what happens.  While this is rather predictable, the movie also forgets people expect an Alien movie until the last act which has them battling the alien on the ship.  It feels shoehorned into the plot because the audience expects it, but it is also necessary because the father-son-creation feels a bit redundant of Prometheus.  Plus, the fact that the characters accept the so obvious “twist” in the end, and it is expect to surprise the audience…it is belittling to the characters and the viewers.

The cast really never feels like it gets to become itself.  Katherine Waterston’s Dany character is interesting but is generally overshined by the plot and the other characters who eat up their scenery.  Fassbender stole the show in Prometheus, but here, it feels like he’s in a rut…he’s an android so I guess that is allowed.  Billy Crudup starts out interesting in his faith but also devolves.  Danny McBride was an odd choice, but the stranger thing about McBride is that he’s never really allowed to be himself which might have given the movie more spark (especially at the end).

Awesome…an alien again…I can’t get excited now

The movie looks good, but it could look better.  I like the continuously modifying designs of the alien creatures, but I feel that it is sometimes used as a crutch by the films.  The original Alien barely showed the alien and that was its shock value…Aliens benefited by the reveal of the queen.  All the Alien movies since have the problem of lacking shock.  Scott added his touch to the final battle scene with the flying debris, but I felt it was more distracting than beneficial.

Prometheus was all over the place.  There were some great moments in the movies but the overall storyline was pretty disappointing filled with illogical decisions and plot holes.  Alien:  Covenant feels the same, but with the sour failings of Prometheus, I think I might have enjoyed it even less since it just felt like Prometheus+1.  I don’t know where the Alien franchise is going, but it needs to get some better direction…and reinventing the series without blowing it up would be the best choice.

Related Links:

Alien (1979)

Aliens (1986)

Alien3 (1992)

Alien:  Resurrection (1997)

Prometheus (2012)