‘Alien: Covenant’ Provides Plenty of Spectacle and Action

Alex Aronson

It’s been two decades since audiences had a proper incarnation of the now iconic “Alien” monster. Yes, there have been a couple of films in the interim that pitted the alien against another ‘80s franchise creature, Predator. But those early-millennium duds were not true to form, and certainly didn’t feature Ridley Scott’s elegant direction. In fact, they lacked his involvement altogether.

“Alien Covenant” sets the franchise back on course. Aboard the spaceship, named the Covenant, 2,000 deep-sleep pioneers are bound for a planet that can serve as a new home for human life. When the ship abruptly runs into some technical problems along the way, all of the pioneers awake. They quickly get the ship back into working order but are soon contacted by a nearby transmission.

The transmission directs the Covenant off course towards a new planet that they never knew existed. Once they reach hovering distance, a group of pioneers, including Daniels (Katherine Waterston), the Ripley-esque leading lady, Walter (Michael Fassbender), and others, venture onto the planet – finding not a single living insect or bird. But they quickly realize there is something much more sinister inhabiting the bucolic mountainsides.

In the film’s best scene, several alien creatures attack the explorers soon after landing. While audiences are privy to the alien reproduction method at this point, the brutal attack is nothing short of thrilling – filled with gore, and amplified for modern audiences. Alien is back. After the battle goes very wrong, the crew loses their small expedition ship due to an explosion and must find a way back to the home base on Covenant.

Holding down the Covenant, we have Tennessee (Danny Mcbride) and Upworth (Callie Hernandez). McBride, who is currently penning another genre piece – a “Halloween” reboot for Blumhouse, fits into the world surprisingly well. For McBride, recognized for his comedy roots, the film allows him to show off a more serious angle.

Back on the planet, at the height of the attack, a cloaked stranger, soon to be revealed as David from “Prometheus,” helps them to safety. Even though the threat of the alien monsters remains constant throughout the entire film, it is the robot nemesis of David that serves as the real villain.

If the film holds one flaw, it is that the attention is geared away from the aliens and focuses a bit too much on the robot, David. Fassbender pulls double duty playing both robots. While he can consistently play sinister very well, he often takes center stage. And for an “Alien” film, audiences might want more, well, aliens.

For true fans of the aforementioned franchise, “Alien: Covenant” will prove to be a treat. Scott provides slick direction that elevates this genre piece into a pure spectacle, which at times can induce an adrenaline fueling reaction.

Ultimately, Scott has created an “Alien” prequel that is a step-up from “Prometheus.” Although the monster isn’t completely front and center this time around, “Covenant” confirms we’ll get a true-to-form “Alien” film in the near future.  

“Alien: Covenant” opens in theaters May 19.