Can you guess how many Alien movies have been made…and can you name them in chronological order? Any science fiction nerd can answer that in their sleep. Just like the Fast and Furious franchise, the Alien series is a mainstream staple within the American pop culture. From the very first Alien film starring Sigourney Weaver as the mother of all badass, the story grabs you by the balls and never let’s go. It depicts space as a cold and unforgiving place where your worst nightmare becomes reality, not to mention very cool and terrifying looking aliens that want to eat you and procreate both at the same time.
Ridley Scott returns to the director’s chair after his longtime hiatus from the Alien franchise. Prometheus became his signature film with mix reviews. Personally I liked it. It brought us back to the beginning where it all began. The following film Alien Covenant takes place ten years after Prometheus. The story follows a group of space travelling crew ferrying a human civilization to their new home. But something goes wrong and they are forced to land on a planet where nothing is what it seems.
Michael Fassbender, who play dual roles as the synthetic android David and Walter, delivers a commanding performance. Even though his appearance is identical to each other, Fassbender uses his skill as an actor to portray two totally different personalities. It is entertaining watching him interact with himself. Both David and Walter have polar opposite opinions about humanity and where they fit in it. The moral and ethical dilemma comes into question during the course of the film with these two.
Katherine Waterston who plays a terraforming expert, Daniels Branson almost mirrors a Ripley-like performance to survive the unforgiving planet’s ecosystem and its savage inhabitants. She does a very good job trying to be the voice of reason and kicking a lot of alien butt. Like in most of Scott’s films the director casts very strong female roles. Waterston is not Ellen Ripley, but she sure measures up to the iconic heroine.
Scott delivers a film that grabs your senses and takes them through a gauntlet of creepy music, and dark, shadowy set pieces. The action sequences are very fast and intense, there is no time to take a breath. The aliens are cool. There are some variations when it comes to the creation of these Xenomorphs and Neomorphs(a new kind of Xenomorph). It is refreshing to see something new, but not too new. Alien vs Predator: Requiem is a perfect example of what not to do with the Xenomorphs appearance.
So far the two prequels have done their jobs in telling the origin of the Juggernaut ship on the planet of LV-426, and the backstory of the Space Jockey. The story does revolve around the crew of the Covenant and their survival against the Xenomorphs and the Neomorphs, but the real story is about David and Walter and their different internal struggle with humanity.
Great film, great special effects, great Alien creatures, great cast. I give this film four movie stubs out of five.
