Alien: Covenant

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I made sense out of Prometheus then and now. But I'm aware then and now that not everybody did. Among the many complaints was that it didn't make up its mind if it was an honest prequel to Alien. 

For the sequel, the 2010 to Prometheus's 2001, its franchise intentions are a lot clearer. Once again directed by Ridley Scott, this is Alien: Covenant, a film whose answers are surprisingly not underwhelming.

The starship Covenant is on a voyage to the planet Origae-6. Their seven-year ETA is wrecked by a solar flare which kills a few personnel by cryotube malfunction (like the captain, cameoed by James Franco). Good thing the android Walter (Michael Fassbender) doesn't need hypersleep or he wouldn't be around to get up the rest of the crew.

Naturally, the crew doesn't want to go back to hypersleep. So when they pinpoint a new world to colonize that's even closer, the new captain Oram (Billy Crudup) orders full-speed ahead. Daniels (Katherine Waterston), the terraforming expert and the late captain's wife, is skeptical about the new planet. But everything's fine down there. Except for the organisms that infect live humans with vicious monstrosities.

The landing crew is decimated by the "Neomorphs" until they're saved by the android David (also Fassbender), last survivor of the Prometheus. Their new world was that of the "Engineers," the creators of the human race. David's been tinkering with their technology to create his own perfect organism. His crowning achievement is the Alien itself, the "Xenomorph." The survivors of the Covenant must work hard if they want to live.

The characters are a mixed bunch. On the one hand, some characters, like the dead captain, barely get development (or none) before they bite it. They get more in some scenes featured in the trailers, but not in the film itself. On the other hand, the characters we know the most are great. Tennessee (Danny McBride), the pilot, is the best of the humans with great lines and development. Daniels is a capable action heroine as much as Ellen Ripley in the classic tetralogy. Michael Fassbender has great chemistry with himself times two and the rest of the cast. Strong CGI (except one smudgy spot) helps him converse whole scenes with himself.

And the monstrosities themselves? Scary. They're both visualized by great motion capture work. The Neomorph makes for a great new addition to the movie monster Parthenon. The Xenomorph don't show up until the last fourth or so of the movie. They won't disappoint. Yes, there's two of them. The extra one nearly took a point off for me for ending fatigue until I remembered Alien and Aliens.

It's another technical achievement from Scott. The great production design by Chris Seagers visualizes such eerie locales as the Engineers' capital and David's lair. The Covenant itself is a nice ship on par with the Ares of The Martian until things go south. Dariusz Wolski's cinematography and the effects which visualized those locales was also excellent.  The costume and makeup design also get their jobs done. Editor Pietro Scalia builds up the relentless suspense with ease. Jed Kurzel's score mixes some of Prometheus's and Alien's tracks, often overshadowing his own. His best composition accompanies the debut of the Neomorph.

Alien: Covenant's answers may not be for everyone. Its horror isn't for everybody. I got through both those parts OK. I found a fascinating theme about a creation destroying its creator emerging. Add the film's quoting Ozymandias, and I think David's future isn't as secure as he thinks. I want to see if I'm right about it. It was a 122 minute sci-fi horror film that never bored me. The next installment is apparently coming within two years from now. And I'm already ready.