Less xenomorphs more androids

Rating: 7/10 (3 April 2018)

With all the plot holes that "Prometheus" had, I still hold it at a high place in the "Alien" franchise and I have hoped that the sequel to it would be a better thought-out film. However, the latest installment does not bring anything new to the series, feeling like an episode of a science-fiction TV series at times.
Ridley Scott comes back to direct what he created 40 years ago joined by acclaimed screenwriter John Logan, of "Gladiator" and "Hugo" and cinematographer and frequent collaborator Dariusz Wolski. Despite Scott's age, the veteran proves that he is still able to recreate the universe the once brilliantly displayed, with fast actions sequences and glorious special effects.
"Alien: Covenant" is set eleven years after the Prometheus expedition centering on the colonization ship Covenant's course to build a new world on a remote, earth-like planet. Nothing is as it seems on this apparently inhabitable planet, as alien lifeforms viciously attack the crew of the Covenant.
Michael Fassbender takes on the dual role of synthetic androids David, the former crew member of Prometheus and Walter, a newer model. Fassbender's dead-pan robotic performance makes him once again the ideal candidate for this type of role.
The set-pieces and production design were great, relying on props, traditional make-up and costumes rather than straight up special effects. This gave the film a proper serious science-fiction experience.
The film's main story isn't one of the most imaginative narrative lines ever written down. It's really just another movie where a spaceship lands on a planet that turns out to be dangerous. The most troublesome part of it is that it doesn't include a lot of xenomorphs and it doesn't really connect to the "Prometheus" idea of engineers being humanity's predecessors. It's more of a spiritual sequel because of the timeline and the "accidental" appearance of David when it should have explained more the philosophical themes of creation.
"Alien: Covenant" is a decent addition to the "Alien" franchise, but does to enough justice to the series or to the lore.