Alien Covenant

ALIEN COVENANT

Director : Ridley Scott
Year : 2017
Genre : Science Fiction
Rating : **1/2

Despite its mixed reception upon its release in 2012, I really enjoyed Ridley Scott's 'Prometheus'. Admittedly, it did have some problems when it came to the script and characterisations but thematically, it had far more depth and imagination than many of it's genre counterparts and as a result, I named it my 6th favourite picture of that year.

Now half a decade later, Scott returns to the universe he and H.R Giger so masterfully created back in 1979 with 'Alien Covenant', the 6th installment in the hugely popular yet disparate sci-fi horror franchise. Serving as both a sequel to 'Prometheus' and a prequel to 'Alien', 'Covenant' expands on many of the high-concept ideas that made it's predecessor so interesting while also directly addressing the criticisms levelled against it. But by answering his critics, Ridley Scott has inadvertently created a whole new set of problems - problems that may have undermined the longevity and future of the franchise.

Taking place 11 years after the events of 'Prometheus', the film tells the story of the ill-fated Covenant, a gigantic colony ship whose intergalactic journey to a new home is interrupted when its computer picks up a fractured signal from a nearby planet. Led by Billy Crudup's newly instated Captain Oram and Katherine Waterston's plucky officer Daniels, the crew descends on the uncharted planet to discover the source of the rogue signal as well as determining its suitability for terraforming. However, upon landing on its strange yet beautiful surface, this haven swiftly turns into a living nightmare as various members of the crew soon find themselves on the bitey end of our favourite chest-bursting, face-hugging, flesh munching extraterrestrial.

Those who were disappointed by the lack of xenomorph action in 'Prometheus' are sure to be pleased with the various ways in which Scott and his team recall many of the classic 'Alien' tropes of old - a machine gun wielding heroine, MOTHER, characters running breathlessly down corridors, talks about quarantine, airlocks, ethically skewed androids, eggs, blood, guts and of course, the star of the show, the alien itself to name just a few. 

But while the return of these conventions are sure to satisfy fans of the series, this crushing familiarity only helps to emphasize just how tired and stale this franchise has become. Back in 1979, the sight of a creature violently bursting out of someone's chest was beyond terrifying. Now in 2017, it has lost much, if not all of its shock value. Oh, there are certainly some graphic kills on offer in 'Covenant' but not one can profess to reach the gruesome heights of any of the deaths in either 'Alien' or James Cameron's superior 1986 sequel 'Aliens' which begs the question, what does this franchise have new to offer us? Clearly, as evidenced here, not very much at all.

On a positive note, 'Alien Covenant' is technically outstanding. The sets are beautifully intricate and creepy, the cinematography is consistently gorgeous, the bloody carnage is well executed and the direction by Scott is nothing short of masterful. Impressive too are a number of performances, from Katherine Waterston who proudly dons the mantle of female badass once worn by Sigourney Weaver's genre-defining Ellen Ripley to returning star Michael Fassbender who is marvellously malevolent in his reprisal of the role of David, the last surviving crew member of the Prometheus and the sole inhabitant of the new planet. But for all of its expertise both in front of and behind the camera, a distinct lack of suspense coupled with John Logan and  Dante Harper's equally portentous and pretentious screenplay makes 'Alien Covenant' a frankly tiresome and formulaic affair that unfortunately generates more exasperated sighs than screams.