A few too many cheap jump scares plus too little suspense makes an average Alien film

Rating: 7/10 (18 May 2017)

Following the disappointing Prometheus with an attempt at a re-invigoration of the Alien franchise was always going to be a tough task.
While this film didn't fail at that, I can't say it entirely succeeded either.
Alien Covenant takes place about ten years after the events of 2012's Prometheus and follows the colony ship Covenant, on its way with 2000 colonists to a new world when it intercepts a rogue transmission from a nearby system.
Upon exploration, it turns out it is the planet where Dr. Elizabeth Shaw and David (Michael Fassbender) ended up, with the seeds of the Xenomorphs in tow. Things go predictably downhill for the crew of the Covenant from there.
This film has a couple of interesting twists on the classic Alien formula, most notably the rapport between Fassbender's stranded David, and the updated model Walter, also played by Fassbender, and the interesting dynamic that develops between them. Also, this film, since it takes place before the events of Alien (1979), explores the evolution of the Xenomorphs from how they appear in Prometheus to the familiar figures we've known.
Unfortunately, the rest of the film is fairly shallow in its delivery. The characters are pretty common horror film tropes, down to Katherine Waterson's adequate but barely compelling portrayal of Dany Branson. Thee are plenty of jump scares, as well as scenes of Xenomorphs killing people in pretty brutal ways. Too bad the first Xenomorph bursting out of the back was spoiled in the trailer, since that was probably the only cool innovation in this film.
Alien: Covenant is no Prometheus in terms of absurdity, and will be a worthy addition to the Alien franchise (I guess it's now a Sextillogy since this is the sixth film?) I would recommend seeing it, but as with many franchises that last six films and nearly 40 years, the first film or two are always the best and the rest try to recapture the magic and never quite succeed.