ALIEN: COVENANT

"Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair..."

Some films are easy to review, mostly because they're either primarily good or primarily bad. This one kind of falls in-between the two, so stick with me, because it might feel like I keep going back and forth...

While Alien: Covenant certainly isn't a bad film, it's also certainly not a great one, which above everything else, is a shame. I suppose however, it's falling directly in-between the sides of good and bad was to be expected, given 2012's divisive Prometheus. Looking back, I feel the same way about Covenant as I did Prometheus after I first watched it: Entertained, yet wanting more.

Going off the trailers alone for a moment, Alien: Covenant seemed to be returning the franchise to it's horror-esque roots, which was something I was hugely looking forward to, after all, the Aliens always work best when both the characters and the audience are scared half to death of them. And while the film does deliver some scenes that embrace this vital piece of the franchise, they are few and far between.

There are strong aspects of the film, and perhaps not surprisingly the most obvious of these is Michael Fassbender's dual role as androids David and Walter.

Fassbender was also one of the best parts of Prometheus in his role as the cold and calculating David, so it was nice to see him back in the role, and the part that specific character plays provided some truly brilliant moments that have ramifications for the entire franchise, and I can't think of many actors who could've played the part better. In fact, the best scenes in the film from the character building and cinematography view, come when Fassbender's androids come face to face and interact with each other. The scenes look nothing short of perfect and provide some great smaller moments in the film.

However, smaller moments in the film is one of Covenant's biggest mis-steps. Knowing it's an Alien film, the audience goes in expecting at least half, if not more, to not make it to the end, and sure enough they don't. Covenant doesn't really do much to make you care for the characters, as it spends more of it's time building Walter and David's characters. While having Fassbender in the movie twice is one of the best parts of it, it would have been nice to have the other characters built up, seeing as by the end of it, most of their deaths blur into one.

Now to the bit everyone was looking forward to the most: the Aliens. It was made clear from the start of Covenant's production that it would be telling the story of how the Xenomorphs we know and fear came into being, much like Prometheus kinda sorta didn't really do. And while there is time devoted to the Xenomorphs, and the new and impressively disturbing Neomorphs, again, they aren't given nearly enough screen time. Knowing the this new set of films is most likely going to be a trilogy, it would've been nice to have the Neomorphs play a bigger part in the film, and only have the classic Alien seen at the end, if at all. But I guess Ridley Scott was under pressure after Prometheus for not showing the Aliens what so ever, not counting that weird pre-Alien thing at the end...

The Neomorphs are cruel, disturbing, and a great addition to the franchise...

One of the best sequences in the film is the birth of the Neomorphs and the following attack by them. Unfortunately after this scene, they're mainly pushed aside for no real reason. If we're getting a new Alien on the big screen, I want to see it have a decent chance to leave some nightmarish marks in my mind.

On the whole, there are both good and bad aspects of the film. Fassbender thrives in his roles and plays them to perfection, and revelations they bring were a huge win for me. It was great to see the Aliens back on the big screen, but they were outshone by a new breed even though Covenant's Neomorphs weren't given nearly enough of the spotlight. The rest of the cast was ok, but no breakthroughs which was a shame. The soundtrack and cinematography were good enough for the story being told, but looking back, Prometheus is the clear winner in those departments. Did I have a good time watching Covenant? For the most part, yes. I went in fairly average expectations and was pleased when some scenes delivered greatness. But the story could've used a bit more work, especially given how jarringly far it runs from where Prometheus leaves the story heading. Actually, that was quite a big issue looking back. Back to Covenant, the scenes featuring the new cast almost seemed like a waste of time given they were humans in an Alien film, and that was only ever going to end one way. All that being said, I felt the same way about Prometheus when it first came out, and now-a-days I'm quite a big fan of it. Who knows, perhaps Alien: Covenant is just one of those films that gets better the more times you watch it simply because you know what happens.

Also, it's original name, Paradise Lost, just sounds so much better.