Some time has passed now since Ridley Scott’s latest chapter in the Alien universe was released.
As with most movie franchises that have been so immersed in our psyche and reawakened the nostalgia in us all when the latest adaptation hits the screens, we yearn for that ‘magic moment’ that connected us to the world in the first place.
It only exasperates things further when in this instance there have been two successes from the outset and have left such a strong mark that many have tried to replicate but fallen short of every time, even Scott himself with his prequel Prometheus, which many felt fell short of their expectations.
For good or ill, Scott has chosen to delve deeper into his journey and provided us with Covenant, the true beginning of our favourite Xenomorph.
The trouble lies with trying to provide the audience with all that we fell in love with offering something new in the mix at the same time.
A fine line to walk along and one that will guarantee some unhappy punters regardless.
The journey does carry on where Prometheus left us and David’s (Michael Fassbender) search for the ultimate creation in a God-like pursuit.
When the crew of the Covenant, an ark carrying human cargo to their new Eden, are woken early from their hyper sleep, their troubles begin. Despite a form of salvation appearing in a transmission originating from an inhabitable planet, their journey takes them further down the rabbit hole.
Cue new creatures and a world within David’s playground.
Some fine performances are on display with Fassbender’s dual role of David and Walter, alongside Katherine Waterston’s Dany (the voice of reason and hope), Billy Crudup’s faith driven leader of the group, and Danny McBride’s pilot Tennessee.
Much more could have been made of Demián Bichir’s Sgt Lope and his talents are criminally wasted, but one could put that down to an over-populated cast who one can’t really differentiate as the film goes on. Their expendable for a reason but our care factor is non existent when they are knocked off one by one as a result.
As far as offering something new to the genre, Scott does provide us with some fascinating creatures and a possible hint and something less tribal and intuitive is on hand only to be squashed by the ‘outsiders’. But one can’t help but feel that there is something missing to this tale and if rumours are to be believed that the next venture may completely be remiss of the xenomorphs, then we are left scratching our heads and pondering the end game to Scott’s vision.
It’s little wonder then, that some traditionalists are campaigning for Blomkamps’s vision for an alternate take on the universe to become a reality.
The Diagnosis:
Whilst there are plenty of entertaining moments in this film with some strong performances from the cast and ultimately an enjoyable narrative, the faithful fans of the original movie will be disappointed in this latest direction.
Recommended for those who have never drifted into the Alien universe before, but what does that say when you’re effectively alienating your fan base in a quest for one man’s vision?
- Saul Muerte
