By
Nadia Ranaputri
Director: Ridley Scott
Cast: Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, Carmen Ejogo, Demián Bichir.
Alien:
Covenant revels in bringing back everything one loved about
the original Alien films, including
the eerie tone and gruesome horror that made the original films memorable. The
gore is so terrifically Alien, that
it's almost a guilty pleasure to relish in. Unlike Prometheus, Alien: Covenant
does feel a lot closer to the first Alien
film, given that its events will eventually lead to the 1979 film. Its
connections mostly linger to what happened in Prometheus, but its tone comes closer to that of Alien, involving those of the opening
title sequence, a brilliant nod to the original Alien title opening, as well as the eerie feeling that you’re not alone, yet at the same
time, you’re isolated and have no one to turn to for help.
There are a couple of throwbacks, the most obvious being from Prometheus, as the film's events and aftermath are explained, as well as some familiar aspects from the first film. Other than the tone, Alien: Covenant brings back what the Alien films do best: create tension by terrifying scenes that are completely devoid of any music. Those particular scenes are much more horrific without the music, making the scenes raw and remote.
Despite the return to a more familiar storytelling and tone that feels a lot closer to the essence of the Alien films, Alien: Covenant manages to have a story of its own, exploring a new slate for the franchise. However, it does have its inconsistencies in storytelling, sometimes focusing on one thing while a much more interesting plot is happening right next door, which causes a couple of missed opportunities that would have made the storyline more consistent and fresh.
Moreover, we're not given much time to warm up, or even know about the crew other than their ranks. There are scenes where we find that this certain crew member is the wife or the husband of another crew member through dialogue, and that's really all the information you're going to get from them. Other than that, they're mostly mere victims walking into slaughter. The deaths are downright brutal (actually a good thing), yet we only see them as pawns to dial up that brutality. The first Alien was clear on the fact that it focused more on story than character, pushing aside character moments to really get their story going. It relied on its main story and atmosphere, and it works, if done in the right way. In Alien: Covenant, they try to give some character moments and more depth to these characters, which in some cases, when clashed with the need to get the story going; isn't as efficient when these character moments are simply fillers, and that's exactly what happened in Covenant. The characters come off as disposable, with a couple of them meeting their end a lot earlier before we even know who they are, so you wonder why they even bother to give depth if you're going to kill them right after.
That being said, Alien: Covenant nails the visual and storytelling aspect, despite its inconsistencies, relishing the familiar gruesome and isolated tone that made the original films an experience to watch. In all its gorgeous visuals and compelling story, its characters aren’t much to be invested in, given that some meet their end as fast as they were introduced. All that aside, Alien: Covenant is still a riveting film that could be overlooked on its downfalls, as it triumphs in everything else that makes it what it is: truly Alien.
Stars: 3.5/5
 |
| Source: Slashfilm |
Cast: Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, Carmen Ejogo, Demián Bichir.
Space, gore, and Xenomorphs. All are back for Ridley
Scott's next installment of the Alien franchise, but how does it fair among
1979's Alien?
Alien: Covenant is the follow-up to 2012's Prometheus (a film with countless of divisive arguments among critics and general audiences), setting up a few years after the events of Prometheus. A colony ship called the Covenant, carrying 2000 colonists; are heading to their new home on a distant planet several years away from where they are. During the journey, the crew discovers a transmission from an uncharted planet. Despite hesitation from one of the crew members, the Covenant crew is determined to explore the planet, eventually finding that they were walking straight into a death trap.
When it comes to the performances, none of the cast holds back. When terror strikes, it's their reactions that make the experience ever the more terrifying. From Katherine Waterston's strong-headed Daniels, Billy Cudrup's nervous yet determined Covenant Captain Oram, to Michael Fassbender's collected David. The emotions that these characters go through are shown as raw as possible, going from grief to outright horrified at the oncoming terrors that come to haunt them.
Alien: Covenant is the follow-up to 2012's Prometheus (a film with countless of divisive arguments among critics and general audiences), setting up a few years after the events of Prometheus. A colony ship called the Covenant, carrying 2000 colonists; are heading to their new home on a distant planet several years away from where they are. During the journey, the crew discovers a transmission from an uncharted planet. Despite hesitation from one of the crew members, the Covenant crew is determined to explore the planet, eventually finding that they were walking straight into a death trap.
When it comes to the performances, none of the cast holds back. When terror strikes, it's their reactions that make the experience ever the more terrifying. From Katherine Waterston's strong-headed Daniels, Billy Cudrup's nervous yet determined Covenant Captain Oram, to Michael Fassbender's collected David. The emotions that these characters go through are shown as raw as possible, going from grief to outright horrified at the oncoming terrors that come to haunt them.
 |
| Source: Comic Book Movie |
There are a couple of throwbacks, the most obvious being from Prometheus, as the film's events and aftermath are explained, as well as some familiar aspects from the first film. Other than the tone, Alien: Covenant brings back what the Alien films do best: create tension by terrifying scenes that are completely devoid of any music. Those particular scenes are much more horrific without the music, making the scenes raw and remote.
 |
| Source: Film School Rejects |
Despite the return to a more familiar storytelling and tone that feels a lot closer to the essence of the Alien films, Alien: Covenant manages to have a story of its own, exploring a new slate for the franchise. However, it does have its inconsistencies in storytelling, sometimes focusing on one thing while a much more interesting plot is happening right next door, which causes a couple of missed opportunities that would have made the storyline more consistent and fresh.
Moreover, we're not given much time to warm up, or even know about the crew other than their ranks. There are scenes where we find that this certain crew member is the wife or the husband of another crew member through dialogue, and that's really all the information you're going to get from them. Other than that, they're mostly mere victims walking into slaughter. The deaths are downright brutal (actually a good thing), yet we only see them as pawns to dial up that brutality. The first Alien was clear on the fact that it focused more on story than character, pushing aside character moments to really get their story going. It relied on its main story and atmosphere, and it works, if done in the right way. In Alien: Covenant, they try to give some character moments and more depth to these characters, which in some cases, when clashed with the need to get the story going; isn't as efficient when these character moments are simply fillers, and that's exactly what happened in Covenant. The characters come off as disposable, with a couple of them meeting their end a lot earlier before we even know who they are, so you wonder why they even bother to give depth if you're going to kill them right after.
That being said, Alien: Covenant nails the visual and storytelling aspect, despite its inconsistencies, relishing the familiar gruesome and isolated tone that made the original films an experience to watch. In all its gorgeous visuals and compelling story, its characters aren’t much to be invested in, given that some meet their end as fast as they were introduced. All that aside, Alien: Covenant is still a riveting film that could be overlooked on its downfalls, as it triumphs in everything else that makes it what it is: truly Alien.
Stars: 3.5/5
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