Alien: Covenant

2017 sci fi horror directed by Ridley Scott and starring Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, Demian Bichir, Carmen Ejogo, Amy Seimetz, Callie Hernandez, and Jussie Smollett.   In terms of franchise timeline, this takes place between the events of Prometheus and Alien.  Minor spoilers ahead.

 The colonization ship Covenant is en route to populate a remote planet when it’s damaged by a neutrino burst, which forces its crew out of stasis to repair it.  During the repairs they intercept a signal of a John Denver song (seriously) coming from another nearby planet, which they decide to investigate.  Because they’re geniuses they send all but three crew members on the recon, none of them wearing any sort of garb that might protect them from the dangers of the planet, like unknown flora and fauna that might totally fuck with their biology.  Even though they’ve already lost a crew member by this point and should all be on the highest of alerts.  Even though they have an android they could send with one pilot to minimize loss of life.

 

 On the new planet they encounter David (Fassbender) an android who is an earlier model of their own android Walter.  Turns out he’s been there for a decade (since Prometheus) just twiddling his thumbs and playing God.  The crew realizes they are totally boned and attempt to return to their ship.

The good:  a diverse cast who acted their asses off.  I was really impressed with McBride and Waterston in particular.  And it ties together the prequel and the rest of the franchise so theoretically it’s finally done.  Right?

Other than that I ultimately just wanted it to be Alien.  I would have strongly preferred less special effects and more practical effects.  I loved the casting but it’s hard to hold a candle to Weaver, Skerritt, Cartwright, Stanton, Hurt, Holm, Kotto, and Badejo.  I cared less about the story of the alien’s origin and more about the action.  I wanted it to be scarier.

If you go in with fairly low expectations I think you’ll be pleased.  I would put it on par with Prometheus, so if you enjoyed that then give this a shot.