Scarier than Prometheus? Not really, but still pretty exciting...

Rating: 8/10 (15 June 2017)

When the first Alien film came out, I had not been born yet. As soon as I was old enough, however, I jumped on the chance to see this film due to my love of science- fiction movies. Thinking back, I remember how much I thoroughly enjoyed Alien. It was an amazingly well done sci-fi/horror movie that started a highly-praised franchise that I have gladly been following for decades till this day. Aliens was a sequel that certainly did the franchise justice, while Alien 3 wasn't terrible but not exactly an award winner either, in my book. Alien: Resurrection made me glad to see Ellen Ripley one last time, even if she was a clone of the original. Now, jump ahead to the recent prequel, Alien: Covenant with two questions in mind: 1) Does the film live up to its predecessors, particularly the first two Alien films? 2) Does the film work as a strong enough sequel to Prometheus? As a story that is supposed to serve as a prequel to the first Alien film, I would say Alien: Covenant is almost there, but it hasn't quite arrived at its destination. The film touches on the origins of the face-huggers and the eggs they hatch from, as they were evidently created by the calculating, renegade android, David. We get to see the results of some of David's experiments with the black goo, which was first introduced in Prometheus. We are essentially introduced to the Xenomorphs that Alien-fans are all too familiar with. We are, however, not introduced to the alien pilot or the planet that Ripley and her crew come across in the first Alien film, and while this might be unfortunate, I believe it is also highly justified. Since Ridley Scott's prequel films are set decades before Ripley's adventures, I believe it is reasonable to say that the prequels are on their own journey that will not end until they have arrived at that moment that would mark the beginning of the first Alien film. With that said, my answer to the first question, would be "Yes". Alien: Covenant does live up to the first two Alien films, as a kind of bridge to those films, only half a bridge granted but a bridge nevertheless. As a direct sequel to Prometheus, Alien: Covenant has its strengths both visually and as an engaging story, as well as its shortcomings. While I did appreciate the look of the planet, even I have to admit that many of the characters in this film fell a little flat at times on common sense. Their skittish attitude about not wanting to reenter stasis for another seven years was somewhat understandable, considering the way they lost their captain. However, as I watched the film, even I couldn't ignore the fact that Daniels made too many good points as to why the crew should not land on an uncharted planet made the rest of the crew look like almost complete idiots for dismissing her warnings. Can I, however, forgive this film's shortcomings. As strange as this may or may not sound, yes, I can. I can forgive the captain foolishly falling for David's face-hugger trap. I can even forgive clichéd horror scenes that seemed to be used simply to keep the story moving. As far as I'm concerned, the visual appeal, the pacing, and the ultimate, albeit unsurprising twist at the end of the film proved to be enough to at least keep my attention throughout the course of the story. Yes, many of the characters could have been a little smarter, but in a way, that just added to some of the fun of watching this film. The movie also works as an effective enough sequel to Prometheus. It essentially continues with the story of how the Alien eggs and the Xenomorphs came into existence with what I would consider a reasonably plausible explanation provided by Ridley Scott through David's ongoing experiments with the black goo. A part of me did wish that the movie had been a little more original with the horror element of its story. However, Ridley Scott still manage to convince me to enjoy every minute of this typical science-fiction/horror flick. So, for that reason, I give Alien: Covenant a score of 8 out of 10. If you like B-movie sci-fi/horror films, then, you will likely enjoy Alien: Covenant just as much as I did, despite its recognizable shortcomings.