Alien: Covenant (B- or 2.5/4 stars)
Back in 1979, the great Ridley Scott gave us the sci-fi thriller Alien, starring Sigourney Weaver, & containing one of the most horrifying moments on celluloid. In 2012, he gave us the mythology-heavy prequel Prometheus {which I lovvved}, introducing Michael Fassbender as the enigmatic android David, created by Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce). The story of this film 'Alien: Covenant', picks up after events of Prometheus (10 yrs. later) as a massive space cruiser named Covenant – transporting 2,000+ human colonists & 1,140 embryos – is seeking to build a new life on a remote world that's still 7 yrs. away. An android update named Walter (Fassbender again) is at the controls when the ship runs into trouble; and he prematurely awakens the crew of 15 out of their cryo-sleep.
The Captain (James Franco in a blink & you'll miss him cameo) is instantly killed, leaving Daniels (Katherine Waterston), his widow, to cope with this disaster. When she can't cope, out of necessity, the religious 1st Mate, Oram (Billy Crudup), assumes command, immediately making a grave mistake by rerouting the Covenant to planet Origae-6, where the Prometheus mysteriously disappeared,. On this vast, lush, habitable, & 'seemingly' vacant planet, the crew (also including Carmen Ejogo, Danny McBride, Demian Bichir, & others) encounters android David, who's been stranded on this planet for yrs. & invites them to is his cavernous laboratory homestead. Co-habitating in said cavern are those vicious, voracious 'creatures' called Xenomorphs (that bore into human bodies as spores ... and then burst out in quasi-humanoid form with those iconic helmet-heads & slimy mouths). David knows of their presence, but what else does he know of them? Cue the chaos.
So, while I think 'Alien: Covenant' is a 'good movie', it's also a bit of a mixed bag. Because I loved Prometheus SO much, my expectations for this film were relatively high. Prometheus offered me a visual, sonar, & philosophical jolt the likes I hadn’t had in a long time. It was evocative, gorgeous & terrifying. Some people think it got messy/muddled near the end {and I can see that}. But I really dug it for what it was. THIS film tries to have its cake & eat it, too. By way of the Fassbender character(s), there is still some hefty philosophizing going on. But really, REALLY, this is more of a gory horror flick in outer space; something that Prometheus wasn't, and something a liiiiittle more akin to the original Alien movies. In fact, 'Covenant' is a bridge movie from Prometheus to that 1979 film.
When I say that this film is gory ... I mean it. Aliens are bursting through body cavities at a higher rate than the other movies. Characters vomit. Blood is spewed. There are beheadings {some floating}. Someone is burned alive. Faces are burned with acid. And then there's the usual fighting, punching, stabbing, shooting & other violent acts. So yeah, the gore quotient is high. So, too, is the tension. Right from the get-go, a sense of dread is palpable. That slowburn dread grows & grows ‘til it finally explodes on the planet about 45 min. into the proceedings. Ridley Scott knows what he's doing here; creating striking imagery, doomed characters, creepy specimens, a chilling tone {great cinematography, use of soundtrack}, a little philosophizing (about life/humanity/what it all means) sprinkled in, & then POW ... scary, bloody mayhem.
Michael Fassbender is the reason to see this film. Here, he's playing not one, but two very different androids; and he was exceptional as David in Prometheus. For as straightforward & sensical his Walter is, his David is as sarcastic, narcissistic & philosophical as ever. And the best scenes include both Fassbenders - face to face - elegantly arguing over the creation of life & the meaning of existence. Katherine Waterston makes for a decent 'female bad-ass in control' ... but she ain't no Sigourney Weaver. No, only Fassbender makes an impression acting/character-wise. One of the problems with this film IS the lack of characterizations. We don't really CARE about anyone as they fight-for-life & die. I wasn't wild about a character revelation near the end. And I don't think the film strikes a wholly successful balance btwn. philosophy & gore. 'Alien: Covenant' doesn't really advance the mythology of the alien universe much or offer us anything 'new'. But as a standalone Alien flick, it's moody, thoughtful (enough) & effectively creepy, at times.
The Captain (James Franco in a blink & you'll miss him cameo) is instantly killed, leaving Daniels (Katherine Waterston), his widow, to cope with this disaster. When she can't cope, out of necessity, the religious 1st Mate, Oram (Billy Crudup), assumes command, immediately making a grave mistake by rerouting the Covenant to planet Origae-6, where the Prometheus mysteriously disappeared,. On this vast, lush, habitable, & 'seemingly' vacant planet, the crew (also including Carmen Ejogo, Danny McBride, Demian Bichir, & others) encounters android David, who's been stranded on this planet for yrs. & invites them to is his cavernous laboratory homestead. Co-habitating in said cavern are those vicious, voracious 'creatures' called Xenomorphs (that bore into human bodies as spores ... and then burst out in quasi-humanoid form with those iconic helmet-heads & slimy mouths). David knows of their presence, but what else does he know of them? Cue the chaos.
So, while I think 'Alien: Covenant' is a 'good movie', it's also a bit of a mixed bag. Because I loved Prometheus SO much, my expectations for this film were relatively high. Prometheus offered me a visual, sonar, & philosophical jolt the likes I hadn’t had in a long time. It was evocative, gorgeous & terrifying. Some people think it got messy/muddled near the end {and I can see that}. But I really dug it for what it was. THIS film tries to have its cake & eat it, too. By way of the Fassbender character(s), there is still some hefty philosophizing going on. But really, REALLY, this is more of a gory horror flick in outer space; something that Prometheus wasn't, and something a liiiiittle more akin to the original Alien movies. In fact, 'Covenant' is a bridge movie from Prometheus to that 1979 film.
When I say that this film is gory ... I mean it. Aliens are bursting through body cavities at a higher rate than the other movies. Characters vomit. Blood is spewed. There are beheadings {some floating}. Someone is burned alive. Faces are burned with acid. And then there's the usual fighting, punching, stabbing, shooting & other violent acts. So yeah, the gore quotient is high. So, too, is the tension. Right from the get-go, a sense of dread is palpable. That slowburn dread grows & grows ‘til it finally explodes on the planet about 45 min. into the proceedings. Ridley Scott knows what he's doing here; creating striking imagery, doomed characters, creepy specimens, a chilling tone {great cinematography, use of soundtrack}, a little philosophizing (about life/humanity/what it all means) sprinkled in, & then POW ... scary, bloody mayhem.
Michael Fassbender is the reason to see this film. Here, he's playing not one, but two very different androids; and he was exceptional as David in Prometheus. For as straightforward & sensical his Walter is, his David is as sarcastic, narcissistic & philosophical as ever. And the best scenes include both Fassbenders - face to face - elegantly arguing over the creation of life & the meaning of existence. Katherine Waterston makes for a decent 'female bad-ass in control' ... but she ain't no Sigourney Weaver. No, only Fassbender makes an impression acting/character-wise. One of the problems with this film IS the lack of characterizations. We don't really CARE about anyone as they fight-for-life & die. I wasn't wild about a character revelation near the end. And I don't think the film strikes a wholly successful balance btwn. philosophy & gore. 'Alien: Covenant' doesn't really advance the mythology of the alien universe much or offer us anything 'new'. But as a standalone Alien flick, it's moody, thoughtful (enough) & effectively creepy, at times.