The new “Alien” film is upon us! Usually I like to do an intro paragraph leading into my review, but since this film is special, so is my review. If you are a loyal Empire member, you know my love for the series, and with Ridley Scott returning to direct, I have hope! (And yes, I will try to be objective as possible.)
“Alien: Covenant” stars Michael Fassbender (Prometheus, Inglourios Bastards), Katherine Waterson (Steve Jobs, Inherent Vice), Billy Crudup (Almost Famous, Big Fish), Danny McBride (Pineapple express, Your Highness), Carmen Ejogo (Selma, Away We Go), and Damien Bichir (The Hateful Eight, Machete Kills). Ten years after the end of “Prometheus,” Oram (Crudup) is a captain of a ship on mission to colonize anther planet. After a sonic storm that damages their ship (The Covenant), they find a planet that is weeks away instead of years. After they land, things go awry quickly.
There are some really great shots in this film and while there is a ton of CGI, it is so good I forgot it was CGI after a bit. The acting is impressive, with Fassbender living up to the expectations that we have on him at this point and Bichir really stands out for being a supporting role. But it was surprising to see McBride in his role as Tennessee, which he is a natural in that type of role as the redneck pilot, but has more emotion and caring in this character versus other roles in the past.
“Alien: Covenant: is just over 2 hours and does flow well, but my issue is how the first half of the film was the set up and basically the space travel, while the real fun starts a little bit in the beginning of the 2nd half, and it is not until the last quarter of the film, where we see the alien we all know that the action really kicks in perfectly. For me, the last half (not the last quarter) should be dealing more with the alien. I did like the way the story gives some backstories to the Xenomorphs, and with a third film to be made by Scott which will tie this series into the original “Alien” series, this is a good setup for it. If you are fan of the series like me, this is a must see and will definitely recommend this film as an objective review as a twilight showing for the main stream fan. However, if you are a fan like me, this is a must see and I will recommend it as the coveted full price in the theaters.