Poetically Brutal and Frustrating

Rating: 7/10 (6 June 2017)

No doubt ALIEN : COVENANT is a good movie; it gets a lot right. There's a lot that impressed me and then there were some things that didn't. I'll start with the good stuff first. I was extremely impressed by how Scott was still able to balance the philosophical essence of PROMETHEUS with the pacing and outright horror of the original series - basically done in an attempt to silence PROMETHEUS critics who cried about that movie being short on action. This one certainly isn't; there is plenty going on. It's a brilliantly staged Gladiator dome battle between aliens, humans, and synthetics. ALIEN : COVENANT is an operatic, poetic, and ultimately brutal sci-fi film that spills a good deal of blood, mostly human red but also acid green and synthetic white. It's also an exceptionally well made film; no surprise for fans of Scott and his work. There's fantastic cinematography and great use of color, light, and sound; the editing and all other technical aspects are top notch.The action, the attack sequences are phenomenal and genuinely startling and frightening, hatching out of an intense mood of dread. Say what you will but Scott still knows how to craft sci-fi suspense like no other. He ramps up the gore here too and overall it is very effective with some nice, nauseating moments of bloodletting. The pacing is spot on for a film that clocks in at every second of two hours and the film commands your attention and is never boring - how could it be? There is something ominous going on every minute of this film, even if it isn't necessarily action. The CGI aliens are mostly effective (aside from the first encounter with a newborn Neomorph which didn't really impress upon close-up shots). The characters aren't exactly deep or layered but they are introduced well and they are engaging. Those are a lot of good reasons to see this movie, if you're a fan of course, and you absolutely should (if you're not then why would you ever see this? Which is a separate issue). But unfortunately there are some glaring negatives too. This is the stuff I have a problem with, and talking to other fans and critics, I'm not alone. SO MANY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS! One fan site I went on compared this frustration to an annoying friend who insists on answering a question with another question and that sums it up perfectly. This can be a very confusing film and thinking about everything I saw; it becomes frustrating trying to figure it out. It seems to me there a lot of plot holes in connecting the gaps from ALIEN (1979) to PROMETHEUS (2012) and back again. This installment answers a few questions raised in PROMETHEUS, albeit with vague unsatisfying answers. But there are too few. I'll also say that although Katherine Waterston is fine in her role as Daniels, she's no Ripley, hell she's no Elizabeth Shaw either and is by far the weakest heroine this series has yet to introduce. I have a lot of other issues with the plot too, but I can't get into them without revealing major spoilers, so if you've seen the film and would like to discuss some of these with me please hit me up one on one and I'll be glad to elaborate. At any rate is it possible that more will be revealed? Absolutely! In fact, I hope so. I hope that there is at least one more film in this brilliant series that, by the way, still has plenty of bite left in it; however, judging by sluggish box office receipts, I'm not exactly optimistic. I honestly wish that Scott had wrapped it all up here, with a neat little bow on top but he didn't. The plan was for another sequel/prequel to be released within the next 2 years. I do hope that happens because I am certainly thirsty for more. As a long time super fan of this beloved franchise I want to see more; I crave it! This film did satisfy me for the time being though. It is a good movie, worthy of seeing and enjoying and dissecting at length with other fans. In fact, I can't wait to see it again. In my opinion ALIEN : COVENANT isn't as great as PROMETHEUS was and certainly not as stellar as ALIEN; however, it is miles ahead of sequels like ALIEN 3 & ALIEN : RESSURRECTION and that's saying something. Scott hasn't lost his edge that's for sure and I highly recommend seeing this, especially if you are a fan but be warned - you will leave with a feeling of disappointment, having just as many questions as you came in with. It's a beautifully made, poetically brutal film and on its own merits it is very good but as part of a film series it leaves a lot to be desired. 3 stars out of 4 is the best rating I can give it.