Some can debate and consider that the Alien franchise has run out of steam. I thought so before Prometheus came along. It is a divisive film but, in my opinion, I thought it brought in more curiosity and some intelligence into the franchise plus even though there are holes in the plot, it was a skillfully done movie. Yes, we are left with some questions in the end like why did *spoiler* David, the android, put in the black goo into one of the crewman's drinks? With this movie, it felt like watching a retread of the first Alien movie, along with the action-packed segments of Aliens and a few sprinkles of Prometheus. I was a bit disappointed that the movie could have been a bit better and a bit more intelligent but as a return to that sci-fi horror genre that was missing in Prometheus, the movie works.
In the year, 2107, a colony ship called the Covenant is flying to an uninhabited planet called Origae-6. The movie is filled with 15 crew members alongside 2000 colonists (embryos) onboard. The android, Walter (Michael Fassbender) goes to check the embryos. Meanwhile, the ship with a blast and Walter tries to wake up the captain (an uncredited James Franco) while his wife, Daniels (Katherine Waterston), wakes up and watches him perish and being burned alive. The rest of the crew is taken out safely.
As Daniels grieves for her husband, Christopher Oram (Billy Crudup) assumes the position as ship's captain. The crew tries to repair the ship while Walter receives a transmission from a nearby planet which is not Origae-6. Oram picks it up and tells the crew that it would take seven years to arrive at their destination and nobody is willing to go back into their stasis. Oram chooses to go down there, despite objections from Daniels. Oram tells his wife, Karine (Carmen Ejogo) that the crew does not see him perform at the level of being as a captain.
The pilot, Tennessee (Danny McBride), and the medic, Upworth (Callie Hernandez) and her husband, Ricks (Jessie Smollett) stay up in the mothership as the rest of the crew deploy and scavenger around the planet. They come across a wrecked Engineer ship with some dog tags. But, as a few crew members step on spores as small clouds are released and flown in their ears and noses, they effectively become sick and are checked out as an Xenomorph bursts out of one's back and becomes a hassle.
The movie is a predictable sci-fi horror movie, but it is a competently made, effective sci-fi horror movie. It brings both echoes of the first two Alien movies in the franchise and mesh to make it lean, energetic and gory. If I have to be honest, combined with the curiosity, I was missing the horror aspects from the first Alien movie that supplies quiet tension as the truth about the questions that surround Prometheus are somewhat revealed. There is also a bit of noisy tension as the alien causes havoc on the planet and also in the ship which the crew tend to shoot the alien. I thought the action and horror were skillful, however, whereas with the plot, it's more of where Prometheus left off instead of an actual plot. It's basically what happened to the survivors as the new players investigate and being killed off one by one. It sort of abandons the main plot but relies on the terrific performances and emotional distress as their loved ones are getting killed.
Katherine Waterston is good in the role but most of the movie, there is not much character development where she is mostly mourning for her lost husband. And, then, she gets bad-ass in a similarly B-level tribute to Ellen Ripley. I thought she was just pretending to be Ellen Ripley, rather than being her own strong character in the latter third of the movie. I was worried about Danny McBride being the comedian, like he does in his other comedies, but he is very good and brings in a layered and complex performance in one of his few dramatic roles. Carmen Ejogo, Demian Bichir and Billy Crudup are fine in their roles. All I can say about Michael Fassbender is that he steals this movie big time and you never know what to expect from him. He is truly magnificent in this movie.
Director Ridley Scott can still craft a exceptionally produced and magnificent staged science fiction movie. You can tell that he is a master of this genre and later, he will have an executive produced-movie coming up with Blade Runner 2049, directed by Denis Villeneuve. (I can't wait for that movie. Watch the second trailer.) But, this is not as intellectual as Prometheus or as tense as Alien, however, it is still skillfully made with some goriness and action, with an unbelievable fight. However, sometimes, there are flaws within the script that sort of make you question, "Wait, why are the characters doing that even if they're professional and great at their jobs"? And, the ending is not a big surprise but it is a little shocking. I thought the movie with similar qualities, Life, that was released earlier in the year, had a scarier twist. It is not up to the standards to the first two Alien movies, but it is entertaining.
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