Alien Covenant (2017)

The anticipated follow up to 2012’s Prometheus directed by Ridley Scott that took audiences into the world of creators behind the Xenomorphs and human race and gave some answers but left us with a lot of questions.

Fastforward to Alien Covenant once again directed by original Alien and Prometheus director Ridley Scott, who seemed to bring the franchise back to what fans enjoyed about the franchise to begin with is the Alien we’ve all grown to love.

This film as an interesting cast of characters here, lead by Michael Fassbender who starred in Prometheus, we get a interesting but important opening scene between David(Fassbender) and Wayland(Guy Pearce), Wayland is much younger here than we saw him in Prometheus but he is still somewhat of an older man.

We are than introduced to Walter(Fassbender) aboard the Covenant ship as it’s making it’s way to a new home world for it’s crew and colonist who are on their way to a new home world to make a new life, along the way. there is a solar flare storm that hits the ship, during which some of the colonist are killed in their cyro tubes, the ships crew are awaking by Walter, during this time the captain(James Franco) is killed and which forces his second Oram(Billy Crudup) to take commander.

Alien Covenant in a lot of ways is very much like the original Alien and Aliens(1986) films with it’s approach but adds a lot to the universe that has been built up over the near 40 years since the first film was released.

First off I feel that this film does a much better job connecting to the already established universe of Alien than what Prometheus did, as there is more backstory given to David and how he came to be, as well as more insight to the Aliens themselves and how they became the “Perfect” creations that they are, and have heard a few times through out the Alien franchise.

The crew here for the most part aren’t great the only stand outs here are Daniels(Katherine Waterston) who is somewhat of a mix between Ripley and Shaw but takes on the Aliens more so like the former did, and you actually feel for her character through out the movie.

It’s funny that I was very impressed with Danny McBride as 3rd in command Pilot Tennessee, in what could’ve been a comic relief turn ala the late Bill Paxton’s Hudson, McBride actually takes this role seriously moreso than I’ve even seen him before. I’m looking forward to what does with the script for the new Halloween movie now.

The rest of the crew doesn’t do anything for me here as they were very one note ponies that were basically led to slaughter thanks in large to newly promoted Captain Oram(Billy Crudup) who says in the film why the company didn’t make him the captain over the mission and boy does he prove why.

I was surprised and disappointed that James Franco didn’t get a real chance in this movie, he could’ve been the Dallas character of this movie but instead if you watch the short that features him that’s all you really get of his character other that a video message that Daniels watches that is very touching if you really listen to his dialogue.

For me and probably everyone else who have seen the movie know that Alien Covenant is the Michael Fassbender show, so much so he takes on two roles both of which are androids, Fassbender proves once again why he is one of the top actors working today and even plays off of himself so well to the point you truly believe that there actually two different people playing David and Walter.

I wouldn’t have mind if they switched some of the cast from Prometheus to Covenant and visa versa, because some of them were more interesting and more developed that the ones here, so much to the point that I think they forgot that some characters were still alive so they got rid of them in the most simple ways possible.

I don’t want to give to much away about the plot of Covenant as it’s still new, but I feel that with this film we can some what see how the crew of the Norstromo find there way to an Alien ship that kickstarts the whole franchise. which I’m looking forward to the next one or two films that could happen before we lead into the original film.

I thought it was cool that Ridley Scott had some did some subtle and not so subtle call backs to the previous Alien films mainly the first 3 films, not everyone will get them but fans who know these films like the back of their hands will notice them right away.

So if you are a fan of the Alien franchise or even if you liked/disliked Prometheus you should check this one out as it gives fans what we all wanted more of in Prometheus(Aliens) and leaves us wanting more Alien films.