Prometheus is the first film I have ever seen from the ‘Alien’ Franchise. I enjoyed it, so I bought the first Alien film on BluRay and watched that shortly afterwards. I liked Alien a lot more and was surprised by how similar Prometheus was to it. The trailers of Alien: Covenant had me convinced that this film would not introduce anything particularly new, and as it turns out I was mostly right.
We don’t know what the fuck’s out there.
While this film may be lacking from a character and writing perspective, it is technically proficient. Simple put: this is a well made film. The acting is quite good, the effects are top notch (mostly), the camera work is also really good. The xenomorph would have used a bit more work, but it was okay. The music is yet another factor that elevates the film. It has a nice blend of themes from both Prometheus and Alien. The first forty minutes or so of the film are solid. The crew is introduced, and the plot begins to take form. The crew itself is not anything special, but there are some standouts like Katherine Waterson’s Daniels and Danny McBride’s Tennessee.

Add in Danny McBride and these are the best characters.

They were given more screen time so they simply felt more real to me. It should also be noted that even though it is an enjoyable forty minutes, it became clear that the crew is filled with idiots. Something goes wrong on the ship and they refuse to go back into cryosleep. They then find a distress call on a planet that seems habitable, so they decide to investigate. Just like that. They had their own mission, but now they decided it was best to them to go off book, especially after they had an incident on board. When the crew lands on the planet that is where they start getting increasingly dumber. These are a bunch of scientists who are parading around like a bunch of high schoolers who just got done drinking (yeah, it is an exaggeration, but you get my point). Often times I forgot these guys were scientists because they certainly did not act like it. However, I did enjoy some aspects of them being on the planet. The mystery of what happened to the planet was certainly interesting, and even played into the evens of Prometheus.
You are such a disappointment to me.
At this point in the film, when the crew is trapped on the planet, the film starts to fall apart a bit more. It becomes more of a horror/survival film but without any tension. There is plenty of blood and gore, but never did I feel like I had to cover my eyes or anything like that. The film also tries to add to the mythology of the ‘Alien’ franchise and it made the timeline much more convoluted. As the film began wrapping up it became much more predictable as well. There is a bit of a twist towards the end and I saw it coming a mile away.

When the Xenomorph popped up I just did not care.

Unfortunately, this film is not that great. I had an enjoyable time watching it, but it is so plain that I will not have a desire to rewatch it ever again. I do want to mention Michael Fassbender as David and Walter. Just like Prometheus, he is the best part of this film. Compared to the rest of the characters he is far more interesting. Which is surprising seeing as though he is not even human. I think Ridley Scott realized this because there is a large focus on these two androids. In fact, my favorite scene in the film was David teaching Walter how to play the flute.
Closing Remarks
This is one of those films that I do not have much to say because there is not much to the film itself. It feels very similar to all the first Alien film, as well as, Prometheus. It is very well made but it lacks substance, and I think it is a sign that these ‘Alien’ films should be left alone.