Stars Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, Demian Bichir, Carmen Ejogo, Jussie Smollet, Callie Hernandez Directed by Ridley Scott There has to be something about these movies that keeps drawing Ridley Scott back to them. Maybe it’s because he gets to play within this universe again, or maybe there is something in the stories that is of great interest to him. Perhaps it’s that need to explore the universe as science fiction does, to present an idea or concept that explores the meaning of being human; to define our place in the universe; that there are monsters out there. Also apparently, once or twice is just not enough. With Alien: Covenant, there is a sense the pattern began in Prometheus is taking shape and the Xenomorph that we’ve known for decades now is coming to light. The why and how are explored here, and that just raises a whole host of other questions. So, yes, this is a somewhat direct sequel to Prometheus set some ten years later. The titular Covenant is a colony ship with over 2000 colonists and embryos (literally) in frozen stasis on their way to a remote planet. A cosmic mishap brings the crew out of hibernation 7 years early and the prospect of a nearby habitable planet is too enticing to pass up. The movie plays into its science fiction roots here as the crew decide to explore the lien world unaware of the dangers that await them, dangers that might be more familiar to the audience, and therein lies a small part of the problem taking the movie away from its horror beginnings. We know what to expect even though the crew is different. What makes it a little more interesting is the continued exploration of ideas set up in Prometheus. In that, it’s Michael Fassbender’s show, playing two variations of the same character and he carries the plot for the most part. The emotional journey is left to the rest of the cast, but therein lies another problem. We have hints about their relationships and it’s clear that the crew is made up of couples, but we don’t have much time to get to know them. An online prologue (see below) gives a better sense of their camaraderie, clearly setting up the likes of Daniels (Katherine Waterston), Tennessee (Danny McBride) and Oram (Billy Crudup) in particular, while many of the expendable crew seem almost interchangeable. Still, we have enough to care a little about them, but none of them really stood out to me. A couple of uncredited cameos do register tho, pushing certain plot points for clarity far more effectively than expected. With Ridley Scott at the helm, the scope and scale of both the movie and the story is impressive as one might expect. I can’t say if there are any effective jump scares as horror movies would have, but the idea of alien worlds being dangerous (and in reflection to our own world) can be scary in its own way. The tonal atmosphere is muted almost in line with its predecessor, and the music by Jed Kurzel is very evocative of Jerry Goldsmith’s Alien score, perhaps a little too faithful. Then again, we are closing in on that classic film, even the titles here reflect that. Scott is obviously building something here and it’s likely we have one more movie to come that will bring us closer to LV-426. There are questions abound given rise by the event here and answers need to be forthcoming in order to bring things full circle… unless Scott has built an alternate universe to the Alien films we already know. Still, as a science fiction film, it does present some interesting ideas that could garner speculations and discussion over the actions of the characters, but yes… questions, questions… how are we to truly know the mind of this individual, this… architect, and what’s his endgame? In that lies an effective science fiction tale; whether it make a great movie or an effective horror flick as some might expect, is debatable. Rating: ***1/2 / 5 Find the best online deals here. | Barnes and Noble | Google Play Store | Book Depository Discover more about the books here. The first prologue, not part of the movie. The Second Prologue (potential spoiler, be warned) featuring dialogue from the movie, partially incorporated into the movie, answers one question of many more.
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