Alien and Aliens seemingly spawned a bevy of sci-fi clichés and tropes, and this film brazenly runs right through them.

Rating: 6/10 (19 May 2017)

Alien: Covenant is not the full-fledged sequel to the original Alien anthology, instead it is serving as the sequel to 2012's highly divisive Prometheus. It takes place 10 years after the events of Prometheus, and 20 years before the events of Alien graced the big screen. Ridley Scott returns to the director's chair, and Michael Fassbender reprises his role as David from Prometheus, while also playing Walter in a double role. Other new cast members include Katherine Waterston as Daniels "Dany" Branson, Billy Crudup as Christopher Oram, Danny McBride as Tennessee, Callie Hernandez as Upworth, and James Franco as Jacob "Jake" Branson.
You wouldn't be mistaken for thinking that judging by the synopsis, this film's story sounds strikingly similar to the first Alien film. Unfortunately, my optimistic hopes going into it were crushed when I left the theater, barely possessing a look of shock or rightful disbelief. The opening of the film (not counting the pointless opening credits scene) sees the crew of the Covenant having to scramble to get the ship functioning properly again after it strikes a neutrino burst, and then shortly afterwards, they intercept a mysterious signal emitting from an unknown planet, to which they decide to investigate. Our Ellen Ripley behavioral-cloned protagonist, Daniels, objects to the idea. From there on out, the film was looking like it was going to get better, now that the story was picking up and the characters were established. Sadly, the plot transitions from a retread of Alien to a retread of Aliens. While I won't get too deep into spoilers, the direction that the characters were given, how they were separated and killed off one-by-one, felt very been there, done that. Essentially, the first half of this movie was a retread of the first half of Alien, and the second half of the movie was a retread of the second half of Aliens. Couple that with an overabundance of sci-fi clichés and tropes; the captain dies and an inexperienced person takes his place, a radio that drowns out the noise of an impending threat, the characters having an unlimited supply of ammunition, as well as the film forcing a story arc with David and his ideologies of "creation" that failed to grab my interest in a significant way, and you have a story that's generic, lazily thought-out, run-of-the-mill, and thoroughly uninteresting.
Another aspect vital to make any film's story engaging is the acting, and unfortunately, this film is seriously lacking in that department. The issue moreover lays with the side characters, as most of them looked like they hadn't graduated from acting class yet. Their line delivery was weak, their gestures felt out of place, and their ability to express emotion was next to nonexistent. One particular side character, Tennessee, stood out above the rest, but even his performance was not something I'll remember when reflecting on the history of the Alien franchise. As for the cream of the crop, Katherine Waterston put on the best performance in my opinion, her dramatic timing was excellent and her displays of emotion were top-notch, while Michael Fassbender and Billy Crudup were both very, very good. But ultimately, the poor acting from the side characters took me out of the moment in many key spots when I was supposed to feel something, and that only bogs down the film's watchability.
This film is not a total failure though, and here's why. The suspenseful element was better handled than in my mind, Prometheus, as the thrills were focused on the characters and how they are reacting to the current situation. While some moments are ineffective due to the poor supporting performances, there were some genuine moments of terror where it felt like you were in the same room, sometimes where it felt like if you were there, you could save the character in peril and defeat the attacking alien (even though that's probably not the smartest idea). This feeling is brought out by the great camera work and Ridley Scott's expert directing, and proved to be arguably the biggest takeaway of the whole film. It is also elicited by the occasionally breathtaking scenery, bristling with seamless cinematography and photo-realistic landscapes, especially the scene where the Covenant lands on the unknown planet. One might make the argument that this film was just a tech demo for another, more superior Alien film releasing down the line. But this movie is not torture to watch, it's good if you want to go the movies and kill a few hours, and as for a sci-fi flick, its standard but fun.
Overall, Alien: Covenant was a disappointment. Even though I kept my expectations cautiously in check after getting overly hyped for Prometheus, I couldn't help but walk out of the theater feeling like I could've gotten more (more in the context of a well though-out story and not mere spectacle). The film does have it's positives, but in the end they're not quite enough to weigh out the disappointingly rehashed & contriving story, underwhelming performances, bad dialogue, stock characters, and emphasis on style over substance. I would recommend it if you're a mega-fan of the Alien saga, but don't expect the series to be taken in any new directions with this entry.
Rating - 5.9/10 stars