Alien: Covenant

Alien: Covenant

Starring Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride

Directed by Ridley Scott

The Story:
In 2104, a group of colonists are on their way to a new Earth-like planet in hopes of colonizing it.  When a neutrino burst kills several colonists, the crew awakens from stasis to fix the repairs, but in the process of waking up, the captain is killed.  New captain Oram (Billy Crudup) and the crew hears a distress call coming from a previously uncharted planet, and decide to investigate, to the dismay of Daniels (Katherine Waterston), the former captain's wife.

Upon arriving on the planet, they discover it to be an almost utopian world, something very reminiscent of the old Earth, except there's no animals.  The lone inhabitant on the planet is David (Michael Fassbender), a synthetic who crashed there ten years ago.  Daniels is wary of David and has her own synthetic, Walter (also Fassbender), investigate his story. When members of the team start getting sick, things escalate when vicious aliens emerge from their bodies, and the crew finds themselves in a fight for survival. 

The Synopsis:
Ridley Scott's visionary "Alien" movie was one of the first alien horror movies in space, and is the father of several copycat films to follow, none of which coming even close to achieving the excellence "Alien" had.  In 2012, he directed "Prometheus," which he said wasn't directly connected to the "Alien" universe, but was.  He later said this would be the first in a prequel trilogy that will lead into the original "Alien" movie, and "Covenant" is the second film in that trilogy.  While it amped up the gore and violence and the more commanding lead of Michael Fassbender, there were times when the story seemed disjointed and the character development was so thin that you would be remissed to remember anyone's names other than David, Water, Daniels and Tennessee (just because it's such a unique name).

The story Ridley Scott tries to tell is both a simple and complex one.  The simple story centers around the crew, whose sole purpose is to just stay alive.  However, they make the most stupidest decisions imaginable that ultimately greatly hinder that purpose.  When they receive a distress call, the new captain wants to make a name for himself and investigate, even though the planet was never vetted and no one even knew it existed.  Sounds like the perfect time to hightail it out of there and never think of it again, but then we wouldn't have a movie and everyone would continue with their happy little lives.  So they go to investigate, and at first it seems like paradise, but of course it's anything but.

As the film progresses, the simple story becomes even more simple, and traditional to the horror trope.  "Expendable Crewmember #1" decides to wander off to investigate something, while "Expendable Crewmember #2" decides to stop and smell the spores that slowly invade their body.  "Expendable Crewmember #3" is left alone to fix the broken communication lines, while "Expendable Crewmember #4" goes off after a strange noise.  With the exception of a very few crew members, we don't even know their names, what they look like, or care what happened to them.  Still, their deaths are very gory, cool, and memorable, so at least they're known for something after all.

The deeper story Ridley Scott tells centers on our own humanity, and where we came from.  In "Prometheus," this is explored with the revelation that mankind was created by an alien species known as Engineers, and at the end of the movie they set out to find them.  David - who was created perfect by Peter Weyland - struggles with his own identity: if he is perfect and without end, how could he have been created by someone who's imperfect and capable of death?  He also struggles with the fact that he cannot create life of his own, even though lesser beings were able to, which led him on his search.  David finally is able to synthesize life with the creation of Neomorphs and Xenomorphs, which incubate in human hosts.  He doesn't see humanity as something worth saving, but rather as the weaker state of his own consciousness.  Walter - the newer, more robotic model of David - starkly contrasts the man in deeply profound ways.  Walter is the heart, and David is the head; Walter is more thoughtful and pragmatic, David is more headstrong and determined.  The main thrust of the film isn't about the alien creatures - or even the colonists - but rather the tense, passionate dance between these two polar opposites who look exactly alike, and their vastly differing ideologies that will ultimately lead to humanity's rise, or fall.

Michael Fassbender plays double duty, as playing both leads David and Walter in a way only Fassbender can.  His version of Walter is that of a kind, helpful, thoughtful being who looks out for the safety of his colonists, while David is a bit more unhinged, yet highly cerebral, as if he was Hannibal Lector in android form.  David appreciates the art and music humanity has given, but hates humanity itself.  He sees humans as simple chambers to house his own brand of offspring, and decides the ends justify the means.  Fassbender plays brilliantly off himself, serving as the main crux of the deeper, more profound story Scott tells. 

Katherine Waterston has been compared to Sigourney Weaver's epic hero Ellen Ripley, but "Covenant" doesn't really utilize her talents to the degree it should.  She's regulated to supporting cast member behind Fassbender, and even though she shows glimmers of Ripley - from her no-nonsense attitude, spunk, determination, and hairstyle - she never fully blossoms into that level of cinematic hero.  Maybe in future installments she'll be able to really come into her own, but here she had the opportunity to do much more than the script allowed her to.

Taking a vast departure from his known comedic mainstays, Danny McBride actually shines as Tennessee, the ship's pilot whose wife is among those investigating the lost planet while he is forced to stay in space with the rest of the colonists.  He delivers a powerful performance that shows he's got more talent than just being a comedian, and is able to branch out to different types of roles.

"Prometheus" didn't deliver in gore and violence, but "Covenant" more than makes up for it with several crew members serving as unknowing baby makers for the alien creatures, and seeing them bursting out of their backs, fronts, and mouths is a horror fan's dream.  The effects are impressive and the environment adds to a sense of claustrophobia (even though they're on a huge planet, it seems suffocating) that keeps you on the edge of your seat.  Even though it's slow going at first, when the carnage hits it hits hard and fast, in a thrilling, exciting manner. 

The Summary:
In returning to his more "Alien" roots, Ridley Scott manages to re-vitalize the franchise that made him a household name due to thrilling, violent deaths and tense, claustrophobic settings that draws the audience in, not to mention a fantastic duel performance by Michael Fassbender.

The Score: A-