Alien: Covenant Film Review
Director: Ridley Scott
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| 20th Century Fox |
Date Seen: Thursday, May 18th, 2017
Theater: Cinemark Polaris
Overall Rating: B
For as long as I can remember I've been a lover of science fiction, dating all the way back to my childhood when I would watch Terminator, Robocop and (of course) Star Wars. I've always loved how the genre, I'd argue more than any other, has some point to tell in the story. Whether that's through the theme or the plot, the characters or the overall message. The special effects may not always hold up, but those things do.
As I entered my teens, I discovered Ridley Scott's film Alien and it has remained one of my all-time favorite movies since. The dark, claustrophobic atmosphere combined with amazing performances, groundbreaking special effects (for that time anyway) and a terrific score by Jerry Goldsmith really elevated the movie as more than "just a monster movie." What made it stand out even more was the dirty, lived-in feel of the universe and the technology. Nothing was clean, white, or pristine like it was in films like 2001: A Space Odyssey. James Cameron's sequel, Aliens, was one of the rare feats in cinema where a sequel improves upon the original and expanded the mythology. Unfortunately, the rest of the sequels since failed to capture that same magic or spark. I'm pleased to say that Alien Covenant, the sequel/prequel to the franchise, manages to restore some of that glory to the Alien name.
Taking place ten years after Prometheus, a colonization ship called The Covenant is headed towards a new planet carrying 13 crew members and roughly 2,000 colonists. Along the way, a solar flare disrupts the ship's systems and the crew is awakened. Once the damage is repaired, they intercept a signal from an unknown planet that is seemingly more perfect than their original destination. Upon arrival, they discover they've entered hell instead of paradise as they encounter David, the android that was part of the Prometheus crew.
I want to start off by saying no one does science fiction like Ridley Scott. Whether that is Alien, Blade Runner or even The Martian he knows how to tell a story and to create characters the audience will invest in. Not only that, but the set design and the cinematography are gorgeous. One thing I particularly applaud Scott for doing is using real locations, the crew went to New Zealand and filmed a portion of the movie there and it really stands out as a result. At no point does the pacing feel off, but rather like a roller coaster where you start slow and then build to twists and turns. At the end, I'm left wanting more and to get back on a second time! The score, the special effects and the sets are all fantastic! This is really a return to form for Scott after Prometheus and films he's made over the past ten years like Exodus: Gods and Kings and Robin Hood.
From the beginning of the movie, we as the audience are informed that this is DEFINITELY going to bridge Prometheus and the Alien movies. Something people wanted from the last film and were disappointed by was that lack of connection. Personally, I found Prometheus passable. It wasn't a particularly great film but I loved how it explored the themes of creation and free will in the pursuit of meaning. This film has a lot of great call-backs to the original Alien film from musical cues taken from Jerry Goldsmith's original score to the way the title shows up on screen to even little things like the drinking bird on the ship's table. Without getting into spoilers, it answers some of the questions we had from the previous film and also asks a few new ones that will be answered in the inevitable sequel.
The biggest stand-out in this film among the cast is without a doubt Michael Fassbender. I could sing his praises as an actor all day! He not only plays David, the android character he originated in the last film, but also the next generation model Walter. He does a fantastic job in portraying them both as completely different characters, right down to how he carries himself, his mannerisms, even his accent. There are scenes in this film where the two synthetics interact with one another that are just incredible to watch. One in particular has David teaching Walter how to play a woodwind instrument that says a lot about who they both are as characters. David is full of character flaws, nearly human, and driven to learn and create whereas Walter is meant to follow a plan, he's more systematic and robotic. "You made people uncomfortable. You were full of idiosyncrasies", he tells David at one point. He is absolutely right of course as Fassbender's performance as David is incredibly fascinating. He is at times compelling and charismatic as he is utterly terrifying and chilling. If Ian Holm's Ash from the original film was calculating and cold, David is even scarier to watch as he feels compelled by a purpose.
Katherine Waterston and Danny McBride also stand out among the cast as the second-in-command and pilot of the ship respectively. I don't want to compare Waterston's Daniels to Sigourney Weaver's Ripley, but the two are remarkably similar in that they are strong, compassionate and act as the voice of reason. You also feel really bad for her at the beginning of this film as she's lost her husband and is grieving for that loss. McBride really surprised me as he turns in a really serious performance, different from any he's done before. He's the everyman of the ship, he's not a scientist or a soldier but rather a man with a strong moral compass driven to make sure the crew and the colonists make it to their destination safe. There's one moment in particular where he's given some bad news and he really sells the grief and horror.
Unfortunately, those three are really the only stand outs in the cast. Most of the other characters aren't given much screen time and are just there to die. They aren't one dimensional, they're very well acted, but we're not led to believe they are to serve a purpose other than cannon fodder for the aliens to destroy. One of the things I love about Alien and Aliens is that you really connect with and feel for the crew of the Nostromo and the marines. You could sense the comradeship and bond between them and they felt like real people. I didn't get that from this cast. Plus, the film telegraphs when they will die in the most cliche' horror movie ways such as taking a shower or going off for a smoke. They don't get much time or development.
Another draw back for the movie is over-use of CGI, particularly in regard to the Aliens. I loved how in the original two films that they were puppets or guys in suits. It not only made them look more real, but it sold them as grotesque and scary since the directors had to shoot around that. You didn't see a lot of them and they had to be shot in a way that made them scarier. Kind of like the shark in Jaws. I'm also not sure why we were given a new species of alien in this film with the Neomorphs, creatures that are similar but different to the traditional Xenomorph. Even then, we don't see a lot of screen time for the monsters, which is odd for a film called Alien Covenant. Total, I think the aliens get about ten minutes of screen time and most of it isn't even until the last half hour or so of the movie. It isn't a huge sin on the movie's part, but I would like to have seen more of the creature throughout the film.
I'm not a fan of when movies advertise in the story that there will be another one, when they make it obvious there will be a follow up. This one does that to a degree. It isn't as offensive as other big budget blockbuster films, but it's something I find almost offensive and arrogant. "We're going to drop hints and clues here and there and end ambiguously to set up another film." I'd prefer if a film instead opts to tell a great story on it's own and THEN leave a door open for another one if there is going to be another for sure.
The movie isn't perfect, but it is a lot of fun and as a fan of the franchise I loved it. I'm trying to plan on seeing it again, for nothing other than Fassbender's performance alone. I know it is too early in the year to start throwing out Best Actor contenders for award season, but he should strongly be considered. This is definitely one of the best movies I've seen this year and it is a high point for the franchise. I can't wait to see the next film and to see what Scott and company do to bring us closer to the Nostromo's voyage 18 years after this film's events.
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