So familiar, yet so unexpected

Rating: 8/10 (25 June 2017)

Perhaps lacking the equilibrium of contrasting elements that made "Prometheus" such an awe-inspiring and interesting film both aesthetically and philosophically, "Alien:Covenant" is still a great film. Whereas Prometheus was eerie, perplexing and hair-raising, "Covenant" is dark, blunt and gut-turning. Many questions are answered here and not too many questions are raised. A pessimistic film, but tinged with the rejuvenating force of a rare acknowledgement or understanding of the tortuous, both inner and outer, reality that we inhabit.
Somewhere I read a negative critique of the film's old familiar narrative patterns. I completely disagree that this is a sign of creative tiredness: the eternal recurrence of the classic Alien motives (the crew drinking coffee in the ship, the "foolish" entering into hostile and unknown terrain, etc.) is a consciously reenacted ritual and is in fact a testament of Riddley Scott's ingenuity and mastery over his craft. We know what will happen next, yet it is always new, wondrous and frightening; this is the stuff of great myth-telling.