Space Colonists, Androids, and Aliens

Rating: 5/10 (28 July 2017)

Alien: Covenant is a 2017 science-fiction horror film. The story follows a crew of space colonists on their expedition to form a civilization on a new planet. During their trip, a solar phenomenon damages the ship and awakens the crew from their cryogenic hibernation. Once awake, the captain of the ship is notified of a nearby communications signal, and the crew travels to find the source. Horrors ensue as the source is revealed to be a damaged ship on a hostile planet, and the crew finds themselves in peril.
Alien: Covenent continues the Alien franchise with a dark chapter in the series, revealing a new history behind the xenomorph menace. As expected from an Aliens movie, there is plenty of thrills and gore. Michael Fassbender gives a great performance as the androids, David and Walter.
Unfortunately, this film has many flaws. The writing is bad with horrible dialogue, no subtlety, and the humor is corny when attempted. The acting, in general, is terrible. This is B-level, melodramatic acting and when Fassbender is not in the scene, you could be fooled into believing that you are watching a low-budget, made-for- television movie. The acting is hindered further by the poor casting choices. Katherine Waterston is a poor lead, Danny McBride plays an uncomfortable and serious role, and James Franco appears in the movie for only a moment. Fassbender, being the only decent actor, is so good we get him twice, playing two different characters. In fact, Michael Fassbender should have been cast as all of the characters. Every character is in a relationship with one another, as if that replaces any need to develop their personalities. Lastly, and this is a complaint that can be made of many horror films, is that the danger presented to the characters is often a result of their own lack of common sense. Suspension of belief is required to comprehend the behavior of some of these characters. If you find something strange on the ground, don't lie down next to it and put your face in it.
Overall, Alien: Covenant is a bore. It lacks the intensity, action, horror, and story that were once hallmarks of this franchise. I would only recommend this film to those that are extreme fans of the series. Otherwise, don't waste your time.