Coming fresh off the heels of 2012’s Prometheus is Alien Covenant, a follow up to the 2012 origin story of the Alien franchise. With what looked like a return to form for director Ridley Scott, unfortunately Covenant turned out to be a Frankenstein monster of movies, trying to be several different things and never quite settling on what it wants to be, or not answering the questions it said it would. Trying to be another origin movie, a Prometheus sequel, as well as a unique Alien horror experience, all the elements are there, but they never quite flow well into one movie and often make the viewer think “That seems out of place or stupid.” When the crew of the Covenant wake up prematurely from cryo sleep, they stumble upon an inhabitable planet that seems almost too good to be true. We soon find out it is too good to be true, and the planet has been booby trapped by persons unknown as a type of defense mechanism for unwanted visitors.

Similar to Prometheus, Michael Fassbender is the standout as returning android David and the Covenants resident synthetic Walter. Seeing the two interact at times in intriguing and other times confusing, like the rest of the film, struggling to find its footing. Katherine Waterson as Daniels is another standout, taking a Ripley persona, as the strong and sensible female officer, never really giving into the damsel in distress role and instead taking action. Danny McBride is also a joy to watch as Tennessee, straying from his usual goofy stoner role and showing that he can be a serious actor when the role calls for it. Other cast such as Billy Crudup and Damian Bichir are focused upon as fellow Covenant crew, but bring little that is original or memorable to the film and just serve as Alien Fodder. Crudup plays Oram, the God fearing Captain of the Covenant, giving the character an interesting and religious perspective on the events that transpire while still bringing a little diversity to the crew, despite his gullibility. The movies special effects are as here and there as the movies plot. When the Neomorphs emerge they look very silly and unbelievable, but when the classic Xenomorph appears on screen it looks as realistic as it once did. Fans are even treated to the never before seen alien vision, giving a first person view into how the creatures see.

In what looked like a true horror return for the Alien franchise, Covenant turned out to be another summer movie that for the most part, left its story at the door. Make no mistake, there are some beautifully shot scenes and character interactions, but what was going to be a follow up to Prometheus, turned out to be an alien movie that director Ridley Scott said was “pressured into making”. I for one hope the Prometheus follow-up is still out there, and the future of one of the best Sci-fi franchises is handled with more care from here on, and there aren’t as many detours from great story telling like Alien Covenant turned out to be.

6 out of 10.

Images courtesy of Google.com