Although not on the same level as Life or The Martian, Alien:Covenant is a well-made sci-fi horror film which I can watch more than once.

Rating: 8/10 (21 August 2017)

Firstly, kindly keep in mind as you read this that I am commenting on this film as a movie in itself. That is to say, I am not, repeat not, comparing it as a prequel or sequel to the Alien/Prometheus series but rather just another 'fun' movie to be watched and enjoyed on your to-watch-list.
Having said that, I enjoyed Covenant tremendously as such a movie albeit the decisions made by a crew (who years from now in 2104, specifically trained for a space mission can succumb to personal emotions and stray from their objective is not entirely believable!) and this fact combined with the weakness of characters portrayed by said (actors) crew gives me reason to deduct 3 points from my rating.
Yet, Fassbender as David/Walter made up for this and carried the strength of the film to its very end. Just him, and oh yes - the visuals of the film. And so, add another 5 points. I can tell you that the visuals (mainly the spaceship and the planet's surroundings) were up to par with the standards of any great sci-fi film - and I am a sci-fi fan- although the sad disappointment was the CGI-created alien. You would expect a more realistic creature with today's technology than the films made pre-CGI, and I have to admit that the aliens from the previous 5 movies (yes, deliberately including the AVP: Alien vs. Predator 2004 film) were more convincing and frightful!
Now, judging the movie as a sequel to the Prometheus film; it did not meet my expectations because quite frankly it did not tie in with the story-line ending of its originator and as such, the series in my opinion does not truly evolve. (Nevertheless I am in hope that the next film will do so....)
However as a prequel to the Alien series, this film does bridge the gap (years 2104 -2122) and answers a few questions I have had in mind since watching the first Alien in 1979. For instance where did the ship (containing the alien eggs) come from was foremost in my mind for nearly 3 decades!
Finally I understand.
(Note: Ridley Scott's fascination for synthetic intelligence is apparent since his Blade Runner in 1982, which still remains one of my favs of all time, and I absolutely loved the part where a reference is made to this iconic film in the latter part of Covenant.)