Another world, another time, in the age of never-ending franchise sequels. Some new planet was green and good--until the spaceship crashed! For a single android was lost. Today, once more, the Xenomorphs will replenish themselves, cheat death again, through the power of human blood!
As much as I'd like to continue this synopsis aping the Dark Crystal monologue, let's just sum it up as this: Covenant is 1979's Alien all over again. Strong female lead? Check. Xenomorph? Ov coursh! A crew consisting of the most arrogant and thoughtless f*ck-ups imaginable? Well it just wouldn't be Alien without them, how else can we expect conflict and drama? Covenant has one other prerogative though: to bridge the gap between Prometheus and whatever the next prequel will be.
So when a space storm damages the big mothership, all the dipsh*t characters land on the creepiest planet imaginable, with forests so bleak you'd think you're watching The Evil Dead instead. The disgusting black goo from Prometheus becomes airborne and a few red-shirts breathe it in. Aliens pop out of them. All hell breaks loose once more. David the android shows up to conveniently save a few hides, then lay down exposition. After a huge lag in pacing, the alien chases everybody on the mothership, and they have to blow it out of the hangar bay (...why does this sound so familiar?).
Plot-wise, there's little new to Alien: Covenant. Daniels (Katherine Waterston, in a role that's simultaneously emotional and badass, making her the only likable character in the movie) pretty much treads the same footsteps laid down by Ripley decades before. Other crew members, with all their little quirks and griping, are vaguely reminiscent of the original a-holes from Nostromo. Watching Daniels and the androids is vaguely reflective of Ripley vs Ash.
What is new in Covenant is the way it bridges the gap between movies. While the template remains the same, Ridley Scott fills it with a lot more android-on-android interaction--David and Walter (both played by the ever-manly Michael Fassbender) are quite beside themselves, to the point where pacing screeches to a halt in the third quarter of the movie just so they can philosophize on creation and such. David goes on to shove a flute in Walter's mouth, assuring him "I'll do the fingering." I'm still trying to figure out what this is all supposed to mean... (all joking aside, I'm still scratching my head trying to figure out how they filmed the same man on the same frame while handling the same prop--that's got to be a technical achievement of some kind).
It's clear from the opening frame (an oddly artistic scene that feels less like Alien and more like something out of a foreign drama) that the film's main focus is on the same things Ridley Scott loved to explore in Prometheus and Blade Runner. They all go back to the question of who created whom, and how far will people go to prolong life? Stop death? Kill your creators even? The androids continue to be more menacing than the Xenomorph itself, as they plot against mankind and play with the Engineers' mystery goo. What makes Covenant more pointed in my view is that the death aspect has more weight. When the mothership hits the storm, thousands of colonists almost die. The first time we see our lovely heroine, she loses her hubby and mourns him for the first act. That's a pretty ominous note to kick off the movie with--all this just after Walter tells Weyland that he'll surely outlive him (both Prometheus and Alien vs Predator show that Weyland always had the worst luck trying to crack open the life-giving mysteries of all things alien). Death becomes a specter throughout the movie, manifested perhaps in the Neomorph and Xenomorph that the androids covet so much, and wind up stalking the hapless humans. It all makes for a fairly intense, moody, and thoughtful freakshow.
This particular freakshow looks so money--all the sets, props, costumes, and special effects look fabulous. Steady camerawork captures the ambience of every scene impeccably--with a dark, grey color pallet, the film looks appropriately steely. Lead performances are decent--other characters I could take or leave. Writing won't really wow anybody. Music score is nice, but doesn't break new ground--expect to hear reprises of the themes for both Alien and Prometheus.
Alien: Covenant is pretty much more of the same. If you've watched Prometheus and had some lingering questions or unresolved issues, this film won't help you. It is a continuation, yes, but since so many of us complained, we're given an Alien clone that just happens to look better. That, the pacing, and characters you just want to strangle, will probably drive you to eject the rental disc and toss it. And yet, there is something comforting in just sitting back and watching a familiar pattern unfold. There are thrills to be had, the main setpieces are fair standouts, and the film looks so damn good. There are certain plot points, ideas, and scenes I truly appreciate. Chances are Alien franchise fans will find something to love. Others are probably still waiting for Scott and the gang to deliver on their covenant to audiences--you know, the one in which there will be a more satisfactory conclusion to the whole prequel thing (looks like we'll have some more movies to sit through though).
3.5/5 (guilty pleasure)
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