(Reviewed by our Guest Critic, The Movie Knight): It has been 10 years since the space ship Prometheus left on its mission and was never heard from again. The colony ship Covenant holds 15 crewmembers, 2000 colonists and 1000 second generation embryos. Its mission is to colonize a planet 7 years away from Earth; but, a storm in space awakens the crew, losing one of its members in the process. They receive a signal from an unknown planet that could be used for colonization right away, so they decide to investigate it hoping it may be a better and closer planet than their original choice. However, those who are familiar with the Alien franchise know how well things work out for crews investigating strange signals.
It’s hard to believe the Alien franchise is almost 40 years old. What’s harder to believe is that, outside of the Predator vs. Alien movies, this entry is the worst of them all. It’s even more unbelievable, considering veteran filmmaker Ridley Scott was the director. This outing contained no tension at any point, which so unusual for Scott. Delivering tension is something he normally excels in. On top of that, the pacing is considerably slow throughout. The laundry list of problems are on going, from having one of the most unintelligent characters in this movie series ever, to a “surprise” ending even the most naive audience member will see coming.
Fans of the Alien movies will finally have a long, burning question answered, “How did the Alien species come about?” Whether they will be satisfied with the answer remains to be seen. Ridley Scott’s last effort, Prometheus, was not a heavy favorite among audiences and critics alike. While that movie is not required viewing before seeing this one, it is clear that you benefit if you have recently seen it or carry a strong memory of the events of that story.
Visually, the movie is stunning. That is one characteristic Ridley Scott maintains. The movie will probably be more enjoyable without sound. The gore factor has also been enhanced, which was a surprise. The acting is high quality all around. However, after a strong start to the summer movie season, this Alien entry has brought it to a screeching halt.