Alien: Covenant (2017), directed by Ridley Scott, stars Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterson, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, Demian Bichir, Carmen Ejogo, Amy Seimetz, Callie Hernandez, Jussie Smollett, Uli Latukefu, and Tess Haubrich. The film follows a crew of colonists bound for a faraway planet who receive a distress call and decide to investigate. This leads them to a nearby planet that initially seems like a paradise. On this planet, they encounter David – seemingly the last surviving member of the Prometheus expedition (the focus of the previous film). When they begin to die one by one at the hands of various Xenomorphs, it becomes clear that David has no intention of letting the crew leave the planet alive. 

The film’s various performers all give wonderful performances. This is especially the case when they’re conveying fear/horror. Even though the script does little to make us care about the various characters, the strength of the performances ALMOST makes up for it. The thing is, similar to Prometheus (2012), there is little if any character development/nuance outside of David/Walter (Fassbender). The only difference is that the problem is even worse in this film. The characters once again make consistently frustrating decisions which is admittedly a bit more forgivable considering that these aren’t scientists like the previous film, but it’s still a bit bothersome. This is even the case when considering the overarching theme that humans often sew the seeds of their own demise, so I just wish this theme could be highlighted in a way that feels less frustrating. Fortunately, Fassbeder’s dual performance as David/Walter steals the show and forces him to go places that feel like an improvement on and/or development of his character from the previous film.    

What the film lacks in character, it makes up for in themes/ideas. It succeeds in carrying over the strong themes of the previous installment while exploring different and/or deeper aspects of it. For example, it continues to focus on the relationship between creators and their creations but goes further and explores how the creator often sees their creation’s life as lesser-than. Because David sees himself as better than his creator by the end of Prometheus, it results in a skewed view of the world where David sees all life as worthless. He believes that the creation is lesser because that is what he was taught and he believes the creator is lesser because that is what he learned. When one connects this previous idea to larger topics such as religion, the film only becomes more layered thematically. It also explores the idea of the creation outliving its creator. This likewise becomes satisfyingly layered when the viewer connects these themes to topics such as parenthood or art. To top this all off, the film also explores the idea that being imperfect is an integral aspect of being human. David begins to see humans as lesser than himself because he has exceeded their petty handicaps, but he fails to realize that he was created in their image, which includes human imperfection. David is essentially just any human being but with unmatched intelligence and a lack of irrational human emotions. Does that sound benevolent if it existed in the real world? I’ll let you dwell on that… An android without limits is the same as a human without limits: a possible benevolent savior, but more likely a misguided “genius.” It shakes up and challenges his character in ways that are simultaneously, smart, satisfying, and terrifying. 

Once again, Ridley Scott can’t seem to or quite frankly doesn’t want to connect his Prometheus lore with the larger Alien universe in a way that feels truly satisfying for longtime fans. That being said, it still connects a bit more than Prometheus and retroactively improves the experience of watching that film. 

As for the more technical elements, the film once again looks stunning and mostly relies on practical effects. That being said, there’s still a decent amount of CGI here (which will make any Alien fan nervous) but it’s thankfully on the higher end of the scale quality-wise. As for how well it will hold up in the coming decades, only time will tell. 

Scott also shows that he can still produce some of the most tense and terrifying scenes this franchise has to offer. This doesn’t hold a candle to James Cameron’s Aliens (1986) as an overall viewing experience, but I’ll go out on a limb and say that this is at least a scarier film (or at least has scarier highs). There’s a genuine intensity to what’s going on that proves a scene’s effectiveness requires something beyond a great script and powerful images; it requires a director who can bring it all together for the fullest effect.   

Overall, I have to say that I enjoyed this experience with the film much more than my first. It succeeds in providing what I look for in a sequel while fixing some of the glaring issues I had with its predecessor. That being said, an equal amount of those issues remain leading to a film that can be understandably frustrating for the more casual viewer. It’s also unfortunate that it ends on somewhat of a cliffhanger considering that the planned trilogy-capper was scrapped after this film underperformed at the box office. There’s more to enjoy than dislike and it’s hard to resist the return of the iconic Xenomorph aliens, so if you like the franchise and haven’t seen it, check it out. If you have seen it and were underwhelmed, give it a second chance. B