Mehlien

Rating: 6/10 (18 May 2017)

Alien a franchise that has continued to take many forms over the last four decades. While some of its evolutions have been weaker and worthy of forgetting, there have been some forms that will forever hold throne in the realm of good science fiction horror. Tonight, Alien Covenant launches in US theaters, unfortunately to a mixture of reviews slamming it enough to call it worse than its predecessor Prometheus. So, alongside my friend Jeff, we hit the theaters to see what it's got after all the buildup and hype. Robbie K back and as always, I'm here to share my thoughts.
LIKES:  Back to Alien tactics  Danny McBride isn't a stoner  Science Fiction Elements  Loose ends somewhat tied up
Summary: Low and behold, Covenant finally returns back to the elements we fell in love with years ago. Nostalgia runs wild in this movie as Daniels and her colleagues work to survive the nightmare that dwells in this movie. Narrow Hallways filled to the brim with shadows as the "perfect" organism seeks out its prey, amidst shrieks, acid blood, and that infamous lethal tongue? The gimmicks are all there, alongside the science fiction element this series is famous for. Biology is certainly one of the topics they focused on this one, in hopes of adding some plausibility and "realism" to the series. My buddy and I both agreed that this component did some nice damage control and added a unique twist to the mix.
A particular like for me was finally seeing McBride in a new role. If you're a fan of classic McBride acting like an idiot constantly on drugs and spouting nonsense, you won't see that side of him in this film. For me this is refreshing, and McBride finally crafted a character I didn't want to punch in the face, but instead relished as he took a major role in the story. While I certainly would have liked a little more him in the film (not something I say often), McBride works on so many levels for me in this film.
Finally, the story element of the movie. When last, we left the series, Prometheus left so many freaking questions and confusion that we needed another movie to explain the movie. Good news, Covenant comes in to tie up those loose ends, helping bridge the gap between the new and old and answer some questions we have asked for a while. In doing so it adds an interesting element to the mix and doesn't raise as many questions as Prometheus did. Thank the lord for that.
DISLIKES:  Weak opening  Most characters practically worthless  Weird gimmicks  Overzealous gore  Inconsistent story line
Summary: Reading some of my fellow reviewers' writings I have to agree with many of the dislikes in this movie. Much has to do with the story, and it starts with the weak, almost pointless opening that causes all the trouble. It's lazy writing, with a random element thrown in to get things going that barely makes sense other than some special effect firework display. Throw in the pointless cameo (again) and you are left with a bitter taste from the start.
Unfortunately, that's only the start, for Alien Covenant continues to take hits in the plot development, primarily in the character story aspect. Much of the cast is pretty much pointless outside of being fodder for the aliens, with few having any backstory or an understandable name. We get it, Aliens is all about nameless characters facing the elements, but the first two installments were successful in integrating some of them into plot and bestow significance. In addition, someone wasn't paying attention to their details, because Alien Covenant offset some of the details Prometheus set. While it may not be a big deal to the layman, most fans of the series though are going to noticeyeah, we nerds can be a pain in the butt. Still, I didn't like some of these lack of attention to detail and will most likely do everything in my power to theorize a story to cover this gap. Nope instead this movie wanted to try out some new gimmicks in multiple departments including weird kissing scenes, that notorious black crud, obsessions with "love", and of course new types of creatures. I'll give them points for some originality, but the gimmicks were a little off the wall even for me (who is pretty dang weird). Even worse, the gimmicks are kind of unnecessary or neatly explained in a single sentence. Instead the new gimmicks, as well as much of the movie was all about the gore. Alien Covenant keeps to the displays of blood, going strong for the insanely detailed displays of blood (both CGI and real) and people getting torn to bits, by a less impressive looking Xenomorph.
The VERDICT
Aline Covenant is pretty much what you expect from the series since Alien 3 emerged out into the theaters. It is all about the gore filled hunt, mediocre story, all wrapped in a science fiction exterior. A plus side is again the Alien tactics and tying up loose ends, but unfortunately it still lacks a lot of story, relevant gimmicks, and balance the first two movies had. Perhaps, should a next one be made, they will tie up more loose ends and obtain a little more storytelling. In addition, the insane obsession with death and gore might be diluted as well, though I highly doubt this given modern audiences obsession with killing. Worth a trip to the theater? For the fans of the series, yes, otherwise hold out until RedBox for this one folk.
My scores are: Horror/Sci-Fi/Thriller: 7.5 Movie Overall: 6.5