Alien: Covenant (2017)
Director: Ridley Scott
Cast: Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup,
Danny McBride, Demian Bichir, Guy Pierce, James Franco, Noomi Rapace
Ridley Scott’s Alien (1979), is one of those seminal horror
films that changes the face of a genre so much, that it marks the way the genre
will be for years and years to come. How many movies have imitated the style,
the look of Ridley Scott’s original monster movie? Many that’s how many.I could
write a list of films that look and play out exactly like it: Alien
Contamination (1980), Galaxy of Terror (1981), Outland (1981), Leviathan (1989),
Event Horizon (1997)…and the list goes on and on. Ridley Scott left that Alien
franchise after having directed that first film and the sequels that followed were
directed by talented directors that took each film in totally different
directions, which is why I love this franchise, each director has put his stamp
on each film, so they are all extremely different. Now if we fast forward a few
decades, things have come full circle. Now Ridley Scott has retaken the
franchise as if saying “this is my baby and I’m going to make it my freaking
legacy to the world!” Which is what Prometheus and Alien: Covenant are, these
films represent Ridley Scott’s reclaiming the franchise he started. Does Ridley
Scott still have it?
Alien: Covenant is a direct sequel to Prometheus (2012),
just in case you had your doubts. This is the story of how the xenomorphs came
to be, those nasty sharp teeth, perfect killing machines with acid for blood. Alien: Covenant is the second film in a planned trilogy of prequels, they tell us the
story of how the infamous aliens came to be. When Prometheus came out,
audiences complained about the lack of xenomorphs, audiences wanted more of the
creature that frightened them so much in Alien (1979), they wanted the horror
element amped up, the wanted that nail biting, heart pounding suspense they got
that first time around. But I like Prometheus for what it is, part of a trilogy
of how these creatures came to be, it’s the back story. With Alien: Covenant we can definitely
see a story unfolding. There are some surprises in store for fans of the Alien
franchise, my mind was blown. I mean, yeah, these prequels are deeper and more
profound, but that has to do with the fact that Ridley Scott has grown as a
filmmaker, he has a lot more to say about life, hence, the difference in tone
between these new prequels and the classic Alien films.
And speaking of depth and themes, what I enjoy about these
prequels is that they explore the origins of man. Who would’ve thought that the
Alien movies would end up touching such heavy themes? But here we are
considering themes about the origins of man, about death, about who made us. The
exploration of these themes begins with the introduction to androids, synthetic
beings who are capable of thinking and feeling like humans. Similar to us in
every detail save for one: they can outlive us. Questioning death and begging
the universe for more life is a theme that Scott has been exploring since Blade
Runner (1984) a film in which we have renegade androids begging their creator,
their “father”, for more life. So yeah, Ridley Scott’s exploration of heavy
philosophical themes continues in Alien: Covenant. These are questions that
need answers, and Scott knows they cannot be ignored. After all, these are "the big questions" in life. It doesn’t surprise me
that these are themes Ridley Scott has chosen to explore now, at the end of his
career and last half of his life. Scott is probably feeling extremely identified with the themes explored in these films, questioning life, questioning where we came from, who made us and ultimately: why must we die? As I write this, Sir Ridley Scott is 79 years
old!
Ridley Scott does not forget that the franchise started with
what is essentially a monster movie, a horror film, and a very good one at
that. When we go into top horror movies ever made, there’s no doubt Alien (1979)
will make the list. And Ridley Scott knows that. So with Alien: Covenant he
seems to want to go back to that horror, the spine tingling, nail biting
suspense. And I have to say that Scott nailed it. There are some genuine scary
moments here, there’s gore, there’s blood. Yes my friends, this one amps up the
terror. But the great thing about Alien: Covenant is that it doesn’t forget that it is
a sequel to Prometheus. So it’s like we get half of the philosophy and deep
themes of Prometheus (2012), and half of the horror and suspense from Alien (1979),
so it should satisfy both camps.
The film works even better because it has an awesome cast, and
a very eclectic one at that. Here’s Danny McBride doing a serious role, he
doesn’t do bad at all I have to say. But if one performance stands out it has
to be Michael Fassbender in the dual role of David and Walter, the androids of
the film. I simply love Fassbender in anything he does, but here he clearly
plays two different roles and it is magnificent. But then again, so many things
are magnificent here. The screenplay is so poetic, so good, the dialog sounds
beautiful with many references to classical music and poetry. By the way, you’d
do good in reading Percy Shelley’s sonnet ‘Ozymandias’, it comes into play at one
point in the film. Finally, the production itself is gorgeous looking, the
sets, the ship designs, the alien designs I mean, this film is simply beautiful
to look at, which comes as no surprise in a Ridley Scott film. So go see this
completely satisfying sequel! Here’s hoping this one makes some cash at the box
office so we can get to see the next and final film in this prequel trilogy!
Rating: 5 out of 5
