Alien: Covenant received a great deal of hype as the sequel to the 2012’s Prometheus. However, it wasn’t exactly what fans expected. Nonetheless, the film cannot be categorized as a disappointment. Here’s what I have to say.

On first impressions, the film seemed to be all about reviving the Alien franchise. It looked all too similar to the 1979s Alien. Ridley Scott has used the same mantra that led the classic movie to be a blockbuster. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to work with Alien: Covenant.

The film takes place six years after the events that unfolded in Prometheus. In the present timeline of the sixth Alien Film, Planet Earth has evolved to the point where it’s capable of building a spaceship that could carry 2,000 members to colonize a new planet. But like every past Alien movie, it never goes according to the mission.

While the entire crew onboard were in hypersleep- the spaceship was controlled and taken care by Walter (played by Michael Fassbender), the next generation synthetic crew member. But due to a freak of nature incident, the crew members are forcibly awoken to fix the damage. Unfortunately, the accident also leads to mild causalities, including the death of their Captain.

Struck by grief is his wife Daniels (played by Katherine Waterston) who soon manages to recover and look past her pain to concentrate on the mission. But as the third in command, Daniels is not able to stop second in command, Christopher (played by Billy Crudup) from making a severe bad judgment that leads the team to the planet of xenomorphs (Aliens).

Initially, as a big time sci-fi fan, I was greatly upset by Scott’s ignorance towards the technical science aspects in the movie. Like the past Alien titles, Covenant continues to exist in the wacky illogical fantasy world where humans don’t care about protocols and basic safety in the far future.

The event that leads to total chaos isn’t convincing enough to accept. Moreover, I’d like to believe that humans in far future are capable of examining a planet to its full extent before walking around without a spacesuit in a rogue planet that could inhabit dangerous life forms.

Fortunately, the breathtaking cinematography manages to sway the audience away from these disturbing technical errors. Eventually, the film gets interesting as they make their first contact with the xenomorphs.

Fans would be glad to know that Alien: Covenant has some jaw dropping chestbuster scenes, gore, violence and everything else that would force the audience to be seated in fear. So, does that mean Alien: Covenant can be considered as a Sci-fi movie with good ol’ gruesome action? No. Unfortunately, the horrifying scenes don’t have a lot of screen time.

Instead, the audience is dragged to the past where the film gives us a disappointing conclusion to the mystery behind Shaw and David’s journey at the end of Prometheus. The film disappoints long time fans in many levels as it fails to surpass its expectations.

Alien: Covenant gives us a bad déjà vu experience. As a prequel to the Alien and a sequel to Prometheus, Covenant’s failure to appeal to the masses was due to its sheer hype. Instead, the $111million movie was only meant to course correct the franchise to a stable ground for the seventh installment.

I never expected or desired for the revival of the Alien franchise. However, on the release of Prometheus, I was persuaded to believe that the creation of the xenomorphs had a greater and interesting plot for the audience in upcoming titles. Unfortunately, the film disappoints us by shedding major limelight on two synthetic creations (David and Walter). Nevertheless, Alien: Covenant ends with a gripping climax that persuades the audience to crave for the next title.

Overall, I was satisfied to see Waterston’s Daniels become the new Ripley for upcoming films. Her character has managed to take on the mantle and could certainly amaze us by playing a prominent role in the seventh installment.

I rate the film 6.5/10

What did you think of the movie review? Let me know in the comments below. For more updates on Alien: Covenant, follow Pursue News on Facebook and Twitter. Readers can also follow me on my social media accounts for the latest scoops.