Although I had seen Alien Covenant more than a month ago, around when it first came out, I could not review it because--technically--I didn’t really see it, thanks to some loud jackasses who thought the general rule of being quiet in the theater while the movie was playing didn’t apply to them. The nonstop chattering started during the opening scene where a newly “born” David (Michael Fassbender) is speaking with his creator Peter Weyland (an uncredited Guy Pearce). This opening scene may not make much sense at first, but the reason why it’s included snaps into sharp focus the deeper you get into Alien: Covenant, which is very much a sequel to Prometheus (and is all the better for it).
But, being the overexcited screech-weasels my fellow movie watchers were, once the chattering began it just got worse, with people speaking loudly to each other or into their cell phones, as if they were anywhere else but a movie theater. Leaving midway through the film, I managed to impress upon the staff my displeasure at the situation to the point where they gave me a free pass for a future movie viewing at their theater. Interestingly enough, none of the ushers made a move to even go inside the theater to try and hush the wild-eyed crowd. Did they know something I didn’t? Should I have considered myself lucky just to have gotten out of there alive? Haunting questions, indeed.
In any event, I gave up on seeing Alien: Covenant until it came out on home video, with the emphasis being on “home”. I figured I would wait until I saw it at home before writing about it. But something interesting happened. I wound up seeing Alien: Covenant--all of it--in a cheapie theater near me that usually runs second-hand films: these are older films that are either almost on video, or big “blockbusters” that bombed. Sadly, Alien: Covenant falls into the latter category, having crashed and burned at the box office despite being a pretty decent film.
While Covenant is not in the same rarefied league as the original Alien and Aliens, it’s still much better than the flawed third (“Ripley goes to a prison planet”) and fourth (“Ripley makes friends with Winona Ryder!”) Alien films. While Covenant--named after the colony ship that our main characters are from--is very much an Alien movie, with the classic monster on hand to cause chaos, it’s a direct descendant to Prometheus, the prequel/not-quite-an-alien film that annoyed many people, including me.
The flaws in Prometheus is basically the aggravation of watching stupid people doing stupid things, despite the fact they’re supposed to be professionals in their chosen fields. But despite its problems, Prometheus was visually stunning, and it ended with a fascinating cliff hanger that raised plenty of questions. Alien: Covenant provides the answers, and while many people may not like what happens, Covenant at least offers closure. But Covenant is its own gnarly beast, with impressively shot and edited scenes of terror that had me on the edge of my seat.
And Scott is still a visual stylist, offering scenes of splendor both in outer space as well as planet-bound. In addition to Fassbender, the new cast is led by Catherine Waterson (the daughter of Law & Order actor Sam Waterson) as Daniels, a spunky heroine in the Ripley mold who winds up being engaging in her own right. Comic Danny McBride also shines in his dramatic turn here, and Fassbender is good, as always.
Reportedly, Scott as more prequel stories to tell, which should eventually lead up to the first Alien film. I hope he gets the chance to tell these stories, despite the box office failure of Covenant. For while it may have some flaws of its own here and there, Alien: Covenant is still entertaining, reviving life in a cinematic franchise that’s proven to be just as relevant now as when it first premiered back in 1979. --SF
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