Alien: Covenant

Movie Name: Alien: Covenant
Year of Release: 2017

Director: Ridley Scott

Stars: Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, Demian Bichir, Carmen Ejogo, Jussie Smollett, Callie Hernandez, Amy Seimetz, Nathaniel Dean, Alexander England, Benjamin Rigby, Uli Latukefu, Tess Haubrich

Genre: Sci-Fi, Thriller, Horror

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5
View Trailer Here

Synopsis:

After the critical and commercial success of "The Martian", director Ridley Scott is back to the "Alien" saga, which originally propelled his name, this time around following up the mediocre "Prometheus" with a film that tries to adhere closer to the mythology created by Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett in 1979. The film follows a crew from the spaceship "The Covenant" who are on a mission to colonize a distant planet. During the trip, the ship suffers some damages, and the crew is forced to awake. They discover a signal coming from a nearby planet, and set out to discover what lies within. Upon arrival, they start getting infected with some alien parasites, where the remainder of the crew, come to find out that the survivor is actually David, the android from the original "Prometheus" crew. Much to their horror, the alien species starts proliferating again, and soon the crew is desperately fighting for their lives.
What was so original, interesting and compelling about the original series of films, wasn't so much the alien creature and how destructive and terrifying it was. It was primarily the fact that Ripley was the heart and center of the films, and it was her odyssey dealing with these creatures that showcased her resilience, intelligence and heart (and in doing so, proving that humans can overcome the deadliest foes). What these new features have revealed, particularly the more they try to marry it with the original films (always finding new female characters as their heroines), is the general lack of coherence and of compelling characters that create effective drama (it's pretty much a given that most characters are going to be fodder for the alien to destroy). Whereas "Prometheus" was poorly written, "Alien: Covenant" provides further insight (and a better structure), and shifts the focus of the story from the human centerpieces. Writing aside, the film features Ridley Scott's impeccable aesthetic and point of view, with a superb cast, and production team. The film tries to marry design aspects from the original 1979 feature, with digital effects, making the whole endeavor feel awkward and not entirely successful. At this point these films feel more like a desperate attempt to breathe life into a property that has run its course. The legacy of the "Alien" films deserves better, and so does Ripley.