Alien: Covenant Review

Alien: Covenant is uninterested in answering any of the questions presented in Prometheus. Instead, it focuses on what made the first Alien movie work so well: creating a sense of terror and isolation in space where no one can hear you scream.

This film takes place between Prometheus and the original, focusing on a mission to colonize a remote planet. They receive a transmission from another planet that is seemingly better suited to support human life. As you may have expected, this does not go well.

This movie is a triumphant return to form for the franchise. It is the same format as the original classic, with a crew in space hunted by an alien. With the exception of a few subplots, the story doesn't stray far from that description. But Ridley Scott directs it with the same sense of dread that made the original such a classic.

It is full of graphic violence, but the real scares come from the aliens themselves. They are brought to life with terrifyingly realistic special effects, and their onscreen presence is very menacing. I feel like they could have shown less of them, maybe having them lurk out of sight, but they were still scary when shown in all their glory.

Alien: Covenant is significantly better than the previous outing, Prometheus, and an effectively creepy thriller. Though I am disappointed that it didn't continue the story of Prometheus, I am still glad we got another Alien movie that focuses on tension and atmosphere.

4 out of 5 stars