Alien: Covenant

Overview

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.

Rating

17 Reviews

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  Repo Jack

  9 Nov 8, 2020

  I would hate to be in the shoes of a filmmaker that needs to please a rabid fan base. The "Star Wars" sequels are a perfect example of this. Ridley Scott has the same challenge with the "Alien" prequels which you see in user scores. I loved "Prometheus" with its attempt at something bigger than just more face huggers and xenomorphs wreaking havoc. It was clear he was building a grander story to the eventual bridge to the original "Alien." He continues that bigger story with "Alien: Covenant" and whether he meant to provide fan service or not, we get that with face huggers and xenomorphs. (No spoiler as both are in the trailers.) Do yourself a favor and watch the short clip "Last Supper" (youtu.be/EkXgRlRao5I ) before you watch the movie. At only five minutes, it gives a better introduction of the Covenant crew than the movie does providing deeper emotional investment in these characters. Ultimately "Alien Covenant" delivers an excellent, fast-paced sci-fi action horror thriller (yes, it hits that many genres) like only Ridley Scott can that continues exploring the "Prometheus" theme of creation.

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  r96sk

  7 Feb 24, 2022

  I like how gory 'Alien: Covenant' is, though apart from that there isn't much to shout about. It's good, but that's it. I'd say it's one of the weaker cast lists of the franchise, not that I have anything against the performances here but I wasn't blown away or overly interested in anyone in this 2017 production. Michael Fassbender is the obvious standout from an acting viewpoint, though I don't really dig his character all that much to be honest. The rest are a bit forgettable. You can tell it's well made and it does look the part, with it being worth the watch to complete the franchise and all that. Of the sixth films, though, it'd be in my personal bottom two (*excl. short films) - in fairness, that isn't as bad as it sounds, it's just the series has seen better.

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  CinemaSerf

  6 Apr 20, 2022

  Initially, I thought this was just a pretty shameless attempt to attach the "Alien" brand to the really mediocre "Prometheus" (2012) but to be fair, it is just a little more than that. The crew of a colonial exploration ship are heading to a new word when their crew are tempted by a bit of John Denver, and divert to a seemingly far more suitable planet. Of course, once they land they begin to realise that nothing is as idyllic as they had hoped, and getting off as soon as possible is now the order of the day. It's almost 40 years since the first film of this strand, and that renders most of the shock value pretty impotent. We have all already been through the gamut of terror that these stories deliver and even though Sir Ridley Scott is an old hand at creating a sense of menace, it's all just a bit so what with this predictable plot that ends, then it ends, then it... ends! Michael Fassbender is quite effective as "David" but the rest of the cast, including the usually reliable Billy Crudup have little by way of original substance to get their teeth into. It is certainly a good looking film, but that's what is expected, it is the derivative storyline that lets it down. Indeed, it did remind me of an old "Star Trek" episode with some mythological "Sirens" thrown in for good measure. Still, it is quite watchable, just not a film I expect you will ever remember.

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  GenerationofSwine

  1 Jan 13, 2023

  Well, it's slightly better than Prometheus, that's something. It's a little bit closer to the monster movie that was Alien...but closer does not mean that it comes anywhere near being as epic as it's 1979 mother...queen...whatever. It's still putting on airs. It's still living under the delusion that it's something closer to "Chinatown" than, well, a monster movie in space. I don't want to see an Alien movie that thinks its "Raging Bull." It doesn't really work that way. I want to see and Alien movie that knows its an Alien movie. Simplify Man!!!!!!! You're a monster movie in space...most of the time...and a space marine movie the rest of the time. Either way you have no reason to throw so much crap against the wall. You don't need it all to stick!!!!! You're an Alien movie, you don't need to be deep, you just need to be scary. that's all you need to do. And, maybe have Ripley, because she rocked. But, honestly, the Alien movies are monster movies. These films have forgotten that.

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  Cuzzin Coo

  8 Apr 12, 2023

  **Good Sci-fi** 👍🏾

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  Filipe Manuel Neto

  6 Apr 21, 2023

  **With strengths at a visual and technical level, it would be much better with a more developed and better written script.** 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.