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May 15, 2017 · The David-Walter relationship differentiates “Covenant” from all other “Alien” films. It gives it a beating heart as well as an endless source of humor that’s often dry and occasionally self-aware, verging on campy. The highlight is a marvelous scene, done with a laterally moving camera and no cuts, where David suggestively teaches ...
Taznim J A fan of Alien franchise would love it despite the inconsistencies. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/21/24 Full Review First name L Only watch if you want closure from ...
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Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Aug 19, 2022. Don Shanahan Every Movie Has a Lesson. The non-human is the most interesting character and the one who runs the show. "Alien: Covenant" is ...
Alien: Covenant, as its title suggests, is a film ostensibly about faith; its diagnosis, however, isn't particularly cheery. Faith, it says, is what fuels our tortured drive to discover purpose in ...
- Ridley Scott’s latest Alien movie finally answers some important questions while returning to the series’ horror roots.
- Untangling Alien's Complicated Timeline
- Verdict
By Daniel Krupa
Updated: May 12, 2017 10:49 pm
Posted: May 7, 2017 3:45 am
Alien: Covenant director Ridley Scott must’ve heard the screams of frustration as Alien fans left theatres after watching Prometheus in 2012. Like the Prometheus’ crew, I’d waited so long and come so close to the origin of it all, yet left knowing so little. What exactly is that aggressive black goo? What did we do to anger our creators to deserve obliteration? Why do experienced scientists think it’s okay to poke stuff? With more questions than answers, I felt cold on it – and I wasn’t alone.
Covenant begins, true to form, with a crew emerging from hyper-sleep. They’re pioneers; a mixture of engineers, scientists, and pilots transporting colonists in stasis to a distant planet carefully selected to be their new home. But during the long voyage, the crew is lured to what appears to be an even better site for their colony.
From hereon, Covenant delivers a focussed, suspense-driven story as various members of the crew play host to a variety of vicious parasites which burst forth in gruesome fashion. Scott even offers up a grisly new rendition of the infamous chestburster sequence which is an effective and full-on piece of body horror, though it’s almost impossible to match the surprise of the 1979 original. It’s an early statement of intent: the sterile musings of Prometheus violently give way to splintering ribs and blood-spattered med bays.
Scott initially holds back the classic xenomorph teased in trailers in favour of a pale, haunting creature – already being referred to as the ‘neomorph’ by fans of the series – which is no less aggressive and, when fully grown, possesses an eerie quality all of its own.
The classic alien is withheld for good reason, and when it finally makes an appearance, it’s worth the wait, punctuating the most intriguing and disturbing section of the movie. It remains one of the greatest monsters in all of cinema, though it’s still strange to see H.R. Giger’s original design brought to life with computer animation and moving with such intense ferocity and speed. It’s not badly done by any means, just at odds with how that creature was originally used. In Covenant, you see it so nakedly, performing a variety of actions outside and in full daylight, when before so much of it was cloaked by the Nostromo’s shadows, leaving your imagination to fill in its sinister mystery.
Covenant’s early action sequences are exciting; even though much of what unfolds has been seen before in the series, it’s testament to Scott that he’s able to find new and visually striking ways of tackling these set pieces. Covenant is the first film in the series (not counting the awful AvP spinoffs) to take full advantage of outdoor locations adding novelty to what could’ve otherwise be a staid sequence. One particularly memorable and violent attack takes place in a field at night, with juvenile creatures scurrying between sheaves of wheat by torchlight.
Scott’s compositions and visuals benefit from how he dovetails detailed sets with impressive location work. It’s like watching an idyllic postcard of New Zealand fade into one of Hieronymus Bosch’s hellish landscapes.
Alien: Covenant strikes a more favorable balance between the unwieldy philosophical ideas of Prometheus and the classic horror and suspense of the 1979 original film. Despite continuing Prometheus’ questionable line of inquiry into the xenomorphs’ origins and occasionally adopting its histrionic tone for entire scenes, Covenant’s framework and exci...
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May 19, 2017 · Review: Love It or Hate It or Both. Two GQ writers argue about whether the latest entry in the Alien franchise is good or not. By Scott Meslow and Tom Philip. May 19, 2017. Scott Meslow, GQ.com ...
May 6, 2017 · ‘Alien: Covenant’: Film Review. Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston and Billy Crudup lead the ensemble of 'Alien: Covenant,' Ridley Scott's second installment in the 'Alien' prequel series.