Under the lens takes a deep look at films by focusing in on one or two particular areas of the picture that helped to define it for better or for worse. Spoilers will be included in this review.
Alien: Covenant is a horror science fiction picture and a sequel to Prometheus from Director Ridley Scott it stars Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, and Billy Crudup. Following the events of Prometheus, this picture finds the crew of a colony ship, bound for a remote planet, they discover an uncharted paradise with a threat beyond their imagination and must attempt a harrowing escape.
Under The Lens: Uneven tone, Noomi Rapace
Uneven Tone: The issue with Alien: Covenant is that it does not know what it wants to be, at times it feels like a slasher horror picture (Shower sex turns into bloody mayhem) at other times it waxes philosophical about man, God and the meaning of existence. It’s at once a prequel to Alien, then a partial remake of Alien, it’s all too bad as the picture has some truly beautiful scenery and the when it’s good its really GOOD! Its tone just jumps all over the place and leaves the audience unsure of what they are watching and why.
Noomi Rapace: Was the original star of the previous picture Prometheus, that film ended with her and David going off to find the homeworld of the Engineers, it was a fantastic ending that offered unlimited possibilities! The character of Shaw was very interesting in her quasi-religious mission and backstory, Alien: Covenant totally removes her from the narrative and even kills her off-screen with only a quick shot of her corpse. Leaving Shaw out of the picture removed the soul from the series, and Covenant was not the same without her, the new characters did not have the same feel as her and felt like ripoffs of other better characters we had seen in previous Alien pictures. Shaw brought a human wonder to the series, her faith and search for answers fueled the narrative, I myself was curious about seeing a person of faith grappling with Alien life while still beliving in a higher power.
Highlights
The picture does a wonderful job of creating a hellish world that is also beautiful
David is a fascinating character who carries the whole of the picture on his shoulders
We get to finally see the birth of the famed Xenomorph
Something to think about
Who was the greater threat? David or the Alien Xeno he created?
Conclusion
Overall Alien: Covenant is a well made and at times very interesting disappointment, it answers little to none of the questions the previous picture left us with and replaced an interesting and strong female character with ones that felt too much like those who had appeared in the original quadrilogy. An uneven tone and is at times balanced by David and the gorgeous hellscape of the plant, but in the end, it’s not enough to keep the picture’s narrative afloat. In the end, if you loved the new direction Promethious pushed the series in you will likely be bitterly disappointed by Alien: Covenant, however, if action and gore with monster action is your taste, you likely will find much to enjoy in Alien: Covenant.