Underwhelmed

Rating: 5/10 (14 May 2017)

I really wanted to like this movie a lot, but whilst it has some merit I came away feeling disappointed in the overall film.
The film acts as a follow on from Prometheus and has an intriguing beginning with the 'birth' of David, the only real surviving link to that film. His initial conversation with his creator/father Peter Weyland is fascinating and promises much in how the two films are linked. We then cut to the spaceship Covenant and the beginning string is largely forgotten, much to the films loss.
We then follow the crew of the Covenant who have been awoken early from their hyper-sleep en-route to set up a colony on a far off planet. This crew are partners of each other which is quite a neat idea as it should increase the dramatic potential when you are not just looking out for yourself but also a loved one, but this isn't followed to its potential. The only partnership which rings true is that of T and his wife. Others it is often unclear exactly who is married/with whom as there is little or no time given to personal grief as the losses mount.
There are also some decisions made by characters who should be far more intelligent seemingly to move the plot along. Gaps in logic abound and you find yourself being frustrated over these which takes you out of the film experience.
What I suspect is that as with many Ridley Scott films there will be a Directors cut released on DVD which will add to the plot and give a more cohesive structure. I know that there have been scenes filmed involving Noomi Rapace from the previous film which add to the character of David and explains further his motivations which should have been in this film. I also recall from the first trailer a group conversation with the crew including James Franco's character which is also missing from the film which would have added to establishing the crew's characters much sooner. Hopefully there are also additional scenes which are available to include which may explain certain individuals decisions better and whether what should have been more sensible options were considered.
As said it isn't without some merit. The twin performance of Micheal Fassbender is very impressive. The subtle differences between the characters of David and Walter is very well played. Unfortunately none of the other characters resonate enough to really care what happens to them. Some of the set pieces such as a battle on a rescue ship is very well done, but there is a lack of tension throughout the film. The film as with all of Scott's is beautifully filmed.
Overall a missed opportunity to get the Alien story back on track