A successful return to the series' horror/sci-fi roots

Rating: 8/10 (11 May 2017)

Alien: Covenant is the sixth installment in the Alien franchise and the sequel to the 2012 film Prometheus. Once again directed by Ridley Scott, this film marks the series' successful return to its horror/sci-fi roots that has been absent for some time.
In the year 2104, the crew of the colony spaceship Covenant receive a radio transmission from a nearby uncharted planet and decide to travel there to investigate. Upon arriving there, they discover that the planet appears to be perfectly habitable and an ideal place for possible human colonisation. However, after closer inspection, the crew make a terrifying discovery that this seemingly perfect utopia is not what it seems on the surface.
Expanding upon some of the philosophical themes first brought up in Prometheus and even answering a couple of confusing questions that film previously raised, Alien: Covenant is a worthy entry in the franchise and a huge improvement over what the series was turning into. Director Ridley Scott makes full use of the scenic planetary landscape to make this environment believable and realistic for human habitation. The threat of the Aliens feels real and the tense atmosphere makes the danger feel like a real possibility. This film also has a great deal more blood and gore effects than its predecessors, but most of it seems like tacky CGI rather than practical effects, I still miss the old practical look and feel of the original films. Like with Prometheus, most of the human characters are flat and uninteresting. It just seems as though most of the development went into the android characters of David and Walter (both Michael Fassbender) rather than the human crew.
I rate it 8/10