Alien: Covenant
Alien: Covenant
6.465%55%
The crew of a colony ship, bound for a remote planet, discover an uncharted paradise with a threat beyond their imagination, and must attempt a harrowing escape.
Tubeman72 reviewedApril 3, 2025
"In space, no one can hear you scream." That was the tagline for the1979 classic 'Alien'. Director Ridley Scott delivered an intense horror experience that sent chills down many spines. Years have passed since then. Sequels were taken up by other directors, and Scott's career took quite a dive. It wasn't until2012 that Scott returned to the world of 'Alien', giving audiences insight into the origins of the monster introduced in1979. The reactions were mixed, as horror was exchanged for quasi-philosophical science fiction, which didn't sit well with many fans. However, it turns out that this was just the first chapter of Ridley Scott's comeback. The director now presents 'Alien: Covenant', the film that proves that the1979 tagline can still be incredibly effective.
To start with a disclaimer, this installment isn't entirely a horror film. It's as much a sequel to 'Prometheus' as a prequel to the original 'Alien'. For this project, Scott had to satisfy fans of the original and the popular sequel 'Aliens' (1986), as well as offer a logical continuation of 'Prometheus'. Scott juggles these different styles like a seasoned circus artist and delivers the best film in the series since the universally acclaimed adventure from the seventies.
Of course, he doesn't do this alone; the cast is truly fantastic, especially Katherine Waterston (the heroic XO Daniels), Billy Crudup (the reluctant captain Oram), and Danny McBride (the experienced pilot Tennessee). Then there's Michael Fassbender, whose dual role as the androids David and Walter elevates the film to a higher level. The rest of the cast does fine, but unfortunately, their characters are never fully explored.
In this case, this isn't a major pitfall. We're here to admire the nightmare creations of artist H.R. Giger: the titular alien. And those who come for that will be richly rewarded. 'Prometheus' promised to delve into the origins of the monstrous Xenomorphs but ultimately left the audience with more questions than answers. 'Alien: Covenant' fulfills that promise entirely and even introduces fans to some new species in the alien family. In addition to the familiar Xenomorphs and Facehuggers, there are now Neomorphs, smaller albino aliens that are just as dangerous to the crew of the Covenant as the two previously mentioned.
Plot-wise, the film follows the familiar lines we've come to expect from the Alien movies. The ship (the colonization ship Covenant in this case) receives an unknown signal, and the crew decides to investigate. After that, all hell predictably breaks loose. What's so clever about this installment is that Scott takes this simple plot outline and applies his fascinating geo-fiction without losing sight of the simplistic aspects like action and horror elements that made the earlier films so successful. Despite mentioning earlier in this review that 'Alien: Covenant' isn't a pure horror film, it does contain quite a few scary and intense scenes. Especially in terms of gore, this film goes further than any of its predecessors, though that pure sense of isolation remains absent.
Nonetheless, Ridley Scott makes it a feast for every fan of the Alien franchise. He combines the intensity of 'Alien' with the quasi-philosophical geo-fiction of 'Prometheus' and fills the remaining gaps with the hard action of 'Aliens'. A visual delight and a roller coaster ride that science fiction fans will remember for a long time.