Sure to please and divide fans of the ‘Alien’ franchise, ‘Alien:Covenant ‘ is a welcome entry into the Ridley Scott canon of ‘Alien’ films.
Forsaking the many sequels to the 1979 groundbreaking original scare fest, ‘Covenant’ serves as a thoughtful bridge between ‘Prometheus’ and the first ‘Alien’ film created.
Take note that ‘Prometheus’ is a prequel to ‘Alien,’ but that ‘Covenant’ picks up ten years after David and Dr. Elizabeth Shaw escaped the crew of the Prometheus’ fate.
So, post- ‘Prometheus,’ but still pre-‘Alien.’
For fans of the entire series of films, ‘Covenant’ fits the mold of the scary, xenomorph-on-a-rampage bloody shocker that first terrified genre fans with 1979’s first entry, ‘Alien,’ and which director James Cameron morphed into one of the best action sci-fi movies ever made, ‘Aliens.’
But it also serves as a divide between what are very Ridley Scott films (lush visuals, existential pontification, and grand scale) versus those of the directors that helmed ‘Aliens,’ ‘Alien3,’ and ‘Alien Resurrection.’
We Flixnerds love you, David (Alien3) Fincher; “Fight Club,” “Zodiac,” “Se7en,” but killing Ripley? (Still a better film than ‘Resurrection’ by miles.)
Let’s all just agree now that the ‘AVP’ entries were hot garbage. Neither fits into the mythos storytelling nor shares much thematically, save for inclusion of the ‘Weyland Corp.’ Just video-game-based cash grabs, both.
In ‘Covenant’ Michael Fassbender returns as both ‘David,’ the Weyland Corporation’s prodigal synthetic Son, and as ‘Walter’, the latest model of their invention.
‘Walter’ is a member of the crew of the Covenant, whose mission is to colonize a distant planet, presumably due to dwindling sustainability of life on Earth in the future.
While en route, another possible life-sustaining planet is discovered. And is much closer.
Fateful decisions are made. Let the sci-fi scares and story unfold!
Beautifully lensed, well-acted, and smart…’Alien:Covenant’ is scary, bloody, and satisfying!
Sidebar: If you can attend a Dolby Atmos showing, its highly recommended! The sound is cutting-edge and amazing.
There’s a lot to love about and ideas to ponder afterward with ‘Alien:Covenant.’
And ‘Covenant,’ by itself is a beautiful, scary, blood-spattered ride. Tons of scares, beautiful cinematography, and knowing winks to fans of the franchise.
The Flixnerd recommends watching ‘Alien:Covenant:The Last Supper’ both before viewing the film…and afterwards. (The link is below.)
‘Alien:Covenant ‘ prologue and trailer.
All in all?
4/5 Stars!
Fassbender, McBride, Waterston, and genius director Ridley Scott really kill it!
Must see for Flixnerds!
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