Alien: Covenant Review

     Ever since the first film was released in 1979, the Alien franchise has been a staple within the horror and sci-fi genres. The first two movies of the franchise are considered to be classics but ever since the franchise has been quite divisive. Alien 3 didn't hit with all fans and Alien: Resurrection solidified that the franchise might be at the end of its run. Soon after we got the abominations known as the Alien vs. Predator movies. The franchise was all but lost until original director and creator Ridley Scott announced that he is coming back to give audiences a prequel of Alien. In 2012, Prometheus was released and it caused quite the divide among fans. The movie was visually gorgeous but was heavily criticized because too much thrown at audiences and its separation from the original films. I was incredibly eager to experience Scott's follow up Alien: Covenant. The marketing for the movie looked like the franchise was heading in the right direction. Although there are some plot devices that don't quite stick, Alien: Covenant is adequate return to the horror and action roots that audiences got with the first two movies.
     Alien: Covenant tells of a colony ship with 2000 passengers that is headed for a new planet to inhabit. However, when the crew experiences some unexpected problems, they will land on a nearby planet. Upon arrival, they soon learn of the many threats that this planet holds and will do whatever it takes to escape.

     The biggest strength of this movie is the horror elements that audiences are presented. The first act of this movie feels very much like the original Alien film. It is a very generic monster movie but still enjoyable for fans. The Xenomorphs are officially back (it's in the trailer so don't whine about spoilers) and man are they creepy! There are a lot of nice callbacks to the original one that will make audiences happy. Scott does a fantastic job of building tension. The third act of this movie is much like the sequel Aliens. It is very action oriented and feels like a summer blockbuster.
     Where this film struggles the most is the second act. It is the sequel to Prometheus and if you have not seen that movie then you will be very confused by the progressions on screen. I even revisited Prometheus the night before seeing Alien: Covenant and it still confused me. There's a plot direction that is not completely fleshed out and doesn't necessarily add up with what we were exposed to in Prometheus.
     The performances in Alien: Covenant are all pretty solid. The movie focuses Daniels played by Katherine Waterston. Although she is no Ripley, she does a serviceable job and audiences will understand the motivations behind the character. The stand out surprise of this movie is Tennessee played by Danny McBride. I was worried he would just be used as the comedic relief character but he actually has the most range out of any members within the crew. I seriously hope we get more serious performances from McBride because of this movie.

     The biggest negative of this film though is the ending. The ending is something audiences will see coming from a mile away and will ultimately be underwhelmed because of it. It almost felt like the screen writers were rushed to finish the screenplay and just inserted the first generic finish that came to their minds.
     Although there are some glaring flaws and continuity, Alien: Covenant has some fun elements that will please fans of the old films. It does not necessarily bring anything new to the table but with a movie like Prometheus that I felt tried to take on way too much, Alien: Covenant was a lot more simple and formulaic.

Rating: 6.6 out of 10