Nerds That Geek Movie Review – ‘Alien: Covenant’

8/15/2024

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Danny McBride and Katherine Waterston as Tennessee and Daniels in Ridley Scott’s ALIEN: COVENANT. (Photo Courtesy of 20th Century Studios.)

For decades now, the creature known as the Xenomorph has managed to captivate and terrify our imagination. This horrific being, first introduced in 1979's Alien, was a creature unlike anything we had ever seen before in science fiction and horror. It was not benevolent, nor did it come in peace. Its sole purpose was survival, and it would kill anything that got in the way of that goal and in reality, what has allowed this creature to stay in our hearts and minds over the course of five sequels and two crossover films, is the sheer mystery of the creation of this abomination.

It's something that's been explored in various Alien themed comic books and novels, but on the big screen, we still know nothing more of this creature outside of what it can do and the terror it can cause and it would seem that after all these years, the time has come at last to reveal the origin of these awful monsters and it's only fitting that the man who brought these living nightmares to the silver screen, Ridley Scott, be the man to reveal their genesis in Alien: Covenant.

The plot for this particular entry in the Alien saga picks up ten years after the events of Prometheus aboard the Colony ship Covenant. The crew of this particular vessel, and the colonists they are to care for are all resting comfortably in Hypersleep until a neutrino burst damages their vessel, killing the ship's captain and waking the crew long enough for them to intercept a strange signal from a world that appears to be even better for colonization than the world they originally selected, prompting the Covenant to make a pit stop on this mysterious planet. While at first it appears to be the paradise they seek, the discovery of trinkets belonging to Dr. Elizabeth Shaw, combined with strange beings that infect and kill their host from within, forces the remainder of this fragile away team to trust the only being on this planet that seems to have a clue as to what happened and what is going on here, the android known as David... the last survivor of the doomed Prometheus expedition.

If that sounds like an intriguing plot filled to the brim with juicy plot points that suck you in, you'd be correct. There's actually quite a bit to like when it comes to Alien: Covenant, because the scares in this film are solid and there's definitely joy to be found in seeing the Xenomorph return to the big screen after a long absence. But sadly, once the sheen has worn off of this particular adventure, one finds themselves feeling as though something is missing from this particular entry in the saga and there's a reason for that. While Covenant is indeed fun and thrilling, it offers little in the way of new ideas and concepts when it comes to the franchise and that's disappointing to say the least. Because every film before it gave us some kind of fresh new take on the Alien mythos and this film simply tries too hard to be a 'best of' reel for the franchise.

You'll hear it in the soundtrack, since selections from Jerry Goldsmith's score from Alien pop up here. The action reminds you of Aliens, and the dark, brooding nature of the film is reminiscent of Alien 3, and heck they even found a way to tie in Alien: Resurrection by way of David's gruesome experiments and there's really no need to discuss the Prometheus tie in since that story looms large over this one. But the lack of an original plot thread to explore gives the film an unfortunate sense of comfortability, which in turn makes the film a lost opportunity, especially when one considers that there was an aspect of the plot that the story could have explored in depth to truly give this motion picture a unique and powerful feel; David's rejection of mankind, and his desire to create a perfect being. That twisted vision is cemented in the opening scenes and revisited later in the film, but it's clear that deeper exploration of this idea was shoved aside for guts and gore.

Which is shame because the idea of man playing God and having its creation cause more havoc than expected is a staple of the science fiction and horror genres, and glossing over this idea robs all the power from the fact that David is in fact the creator of the Xenomorph and it would have been wonderful if the film scaled back the action and adventure to explore this more, but alas it did not. If anything, Alien: Covenant is nothing more than an average entry in this storied franchise. You'll have fun watching it, you'll hoot and holler when the carnage begins, and if you're a fan of the saga you'll find sheer bliss in seeing the Facehugger and Xenomorph return in all their glory. Just don't expect to walk away from this one feeling that sense of awe and wonder that other films in the series have offered your way, and that's unfortunate because this film truly had the chance to be something revolutionary for the franchise, but it chose to take the safe route instead.

Watch ‘Alien: Covenant’

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