Review of Alien: Covenant (2017) by Matthew D — 21 Oct 2017

One of the strengths of the Alien franchise is that each of the films goes off in new directions, often changing genres at least providing a distinctive feel in each outing. Covenant very much feels like a mix between Prometheus and the first Alien, this may be intentional since it's set between them, but this is the first in the 40-year-old series that doesn't feel like its own thing.

In terms of quality it's also somewhere between the two, it never reaches the heights of Ridley Scott's original, but it's less flawed than his last outing in the universe with more believable characters, better writing and touches on some of the themes Prometheus tried to discuss in a more successful fashion.

Although it's less overtly philosophical, it works well as a follow-up to the first prequel and keeps building the mythology. Yet the actual alien creature elements are not so well-executed, the new monster design is poor (even laughable in one place) and the horror not as well done as it was in either predecessor.

The exploration of Fassbender's characters on the other hand is even stronger than in Prometheus and the film's real highlight, without it this would be a forgettable entry in the series. As it stands the bridging nature of the project really shows and while it lacks its own identity, it's not without its charms.