The first time I saw Ridley Scott’s Alien I was only ten years old and the impression it left on my
understanding of the possibilities of science fiction horror still haunts me to
this day. More or less transposing
Steven Spielberg’s Jaws into deep
space with a biomechanical stowaway extraterrestrial designed by the late Swiss
surrealist H.R. Giger terrorizing the ship’s crew, Alien was and still is a game changer in the horror genre. Then came James Cameron’s Aliens and from there I was a devoted
fan of what eventually became known as the Alien
franchise.
After the fallout of Alien
3, Alien Resurrection, the
dreadful Alien vs Predator films and
finally Scott’s own return to science fiction in 2012 with the prequel film Prometheus, the franchise outside of the
wonderful Alien Isolation videogame unfortunately
got so far away from what Scott created in 1979 that most fans like myself were
left pining for a return to the gothic horror roots that made the series so iconic.
Now after five years of waiting, here is Alien: Covenant, a sequel of sorts to Prometheus which picks up where that
film left off with the promise of a full blown return to the series’ horror
origins replete with the beloved xenomorph showing off his sinew dripping fangs
in the film’s theatrical trailer. For
die-hard fans eager for the alien terror they were denied in Prometheus, I’m sorry to say despite
some tense and gory moments scattered throughout, we’re still waiting for
another great Alien movie.
While harkening back to the 1979 film a great deal, right
down to Jed Kurzel’s score reworking much of Jerry Goldsmith’s original cues
for Alien, the main problem behind Alien: Covenant is the inability to
fully separate itself from Prometheus. If you thought that film messed around with
the series’ mythology and logic with regard to the creature’s origins, Alien: Covenant only complicates things
further. We’re now introduced to more
than one species of xeno with some curious developments into how Giger’s alien
came to be, not all of which will sit well with Alien fans. Also somewhat troubling is Scott's penchant for CGI and giving the creatures swift movement, going against using practical effects with less emphasis on the creature hiding within dark shadows this time around.
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Much has been made of Scott ratcheting up the gore this
time around and while there are plenty of gross out gags scattered throughout,
I never once recoiled in the way the infamous chestburster scene from the 1979
film did. While the film succeeds in
outdoing the gore in the previous Alien
films, the film largely fails to frighten with exception to a few jump scares
and a particularly gruesome birthing scene glimpsed in the red band
trailer. There’s also a lull in the film’s
midsection which runs the risk of instilling restlessness in some viewers. Where the first and second films were
perfectly paced with a thread of tension holding our attention, Alien: Covenant tends to meander.
Where the film does work very well involves the casting,
starting with the great Katherine Waterston as a surrogate Ellen Ripley of
sorts. Aiding the ensemble cast is
Michael Fassbender as the android Walter who manages to expand upon what he did
with David in Prometheus and Danny
McBride jettisons his comic talents in favor of a riff of sorts on Parker/Brett
from Alien. Also turning over solid supporting roles are
veteran actors Billy Crudup and Demian Bichir, though for the most part Alien: Covenant is Fassbender’s show.
In the end however, despite all the technical precision
of Scott’s direction and working from a stronger script this time around by The Aviator screenwriter John Logan, Alien: Covenant while an improvement
still suffers from the aftermath of Prometheus. From the outset Alien: Covenant aims to revive the franchise and return it to the
scare fest that terrorized audiences in 1979 and 1986. The reality however is that this is Prometheus with some Xenomorphs and a
few more scares thrown in for good measure.
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Scott says there are more films on the way which should
hopefully bring things full circle but your best bet for indulging in the Alien series is to simply rewatch the
first two films. Alien: Covenant may have brought the classic sci-fi horror
franchise closer to what fans know and love but not enough for this die-hard
fan. As a standalone Alien film, Covenant is good but not great.
Score:
- Andrew Kotwicki