A disappointing movie which I saved to watch on my birthday.

Rating: 3/10 (14 September 2017)

I was utterly let down. Director Ridley Scott achieved cult status for his 1979 film Alien. Subsequent sequels were directed by James Cameron(Aliens 1986), David Fincher(Alien 3 1992) and Jean-Pierre Jeunet(Alien Resurrection 1997). Alien Resurrection was meant as a homage to all the fans of Alien who were offended by Ripley's death scene in Alien 3.
This film is the third Alien film directed by Ridley Scott and follows events after his film Prometheus(2012).
In 2104, 11 years after the Prometheus expedition, the colonization-ship Covenant is bound for a remote planet, Origae-6, with two thousand colonists and 1,140 human embryos aboard. The ship is monitored by Walter, a newer android model that physically resembles David. A stellar neutrino burst damages the ship, killing 40 colonists. Walter orders the ship's computer to wake the crew, which includes several married couples, from stasis. The ship's captain, Jake Branson, is burned alive when his stasis pod malfunctions. While repairing the ship, the crew picks up a radio transmission from a nearby, habitable planet. Against the objections of Daniels (Branson's widow), the new captain, Oram, decides to investigate. Watch the film to find out what happens next...
Verdict. The casting of the film yet again is atrocious. None of the actors, except Michael Fassbender who plays the role of the android David shine. Katherine Waterston is not in the same league as Sigourney Weaver who became a household name as Ellen Ripley. If you think about it, Prometheus turns out to be a better film than Covenant and with a slightly better cast. Special effects try to be innovative and unique but still I was not impressed. The aliens portrayed in the film are mostly biped and more human-like.
I also disliked the script which seemed dull to me and also left a lot of holes. The android in the film David was thoroughly incapacitated and destroyed in Prometheus. Only his head part remained functional. Here he appears fully restored and by whom? David plays the same role as Ash(Ian Holm) in Alien(1979). The sound effects are decent the overture score in Prometheus is yet again played in this film. Cinematography and editing is not overly impressive.
Now comes the main question: has this film an element of horror. Yes. And also very disturbing. Perhaps this is the most horrific chapter of Alien ever directed. But overall, in rewatchability - it fails. Why on earth would I want to watch a run-of-the-mill toilet-paper Hollywood movie again. Just flush(to outer-space preferably).