Written by James Reilly – Student Pages Entertainment Journalist/Film Critic
Film Rating:
★★★
Alien: Covenant (2017), directed by Ridley Scott, is the second film in the Alien prequel series which started in 2012 with Prometheus. In the film the crew of a colony ship, bound for a remote planet, discover an uncharted paradise with a threat beyond their imagination, and must attempt a harrowing escape. Starring Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterson and Danny McBride, the film releases five years after the film Prometheus which is both loved and hated amongst the fan community. Some hated it and wanted a film more like Alien and Aliens. Some loved it and wanted a sequel in the same vein of Prometheus. So what did we get? Well, a little bit of both.
Let me preface with this. I LOVE Alien (1979). I LOVE Aliens (1986). I didn’t HATE Prometheus (2012), but I agree it was nowhere near the level of Alien or Aliens. It was enjoyable and while not a good film, it was mighty intruding and the thought of a sequel answering all the questions Prometheus asked was very appealing indeed. So is that what we got with Alien: Covenant? Not exactly.
The film doesn’t know what it wants to be. Does it want to be a sequel to Prometheus, which only a select few enjoyed, or does it want to be a standalone Alien film, bring us back gore, violence and suspense. Unfortunately Scott tried to do both, and in doing so failed to make a good, focussed product. Thats not to say there are not great moments in the film, there are. The stuff you could see that was a direct sequel to Prometheus was fascinating, in fact, nearly all the related stuff to Prometheus worked very well and ended up being the highlights of the film. What didn’t quite work, however, was the bits in between. The bits trying to cater to the hardcore fans who hated Prometheus, and longed for the old days of Alien and Aliens. By trying to appease everyone, I don’t think Scott manages to craft the particular story he wanted to tell, a legit – full blooded Prometheus sequel and instead we get this good, if not masterful, Alien film.
Follow James at @JamesisGinger
