BLOOD WORK: SILVER TONGUED SILVER SCREEN: ALIEN COVENANT (2017)

Okay, this is going to date me a bit, but I remember being a little kid, like really little, and sneaking a peek at a movie my parents were watching that I wasn't allowed to watch. That movie was ALIENS. This was before Alien 3 came out and Aliens was still turning heads. I remember peeking around the corner and catching a glimpse of the character Bishop being ripped in half by the Queen Alien. Scared the hell out of me and gave me nightmares! After that the Xenomorphs were forever embedded in my memory. I collected the Kenner Toys for both Aliens and Predator. I remember the television premiere of Alien 3 and taping it on VHS. Even back then I was disappointed that Corporal Hicks (Michael Biehn) wasn't in it.

ALIEN COVENANT is the eighth film in the Alien franchise and the second film in the Alien prequel trilogy. I hate to admit this but, as I was watching I realized, Alien Covenant is the first straight up Alien movie I'd ever seen in a theater. I've seen both Alien Vs Predator films in theaters but this was the first non-versus solo Alien film for me in a theater. I missed both Alien Resurrection and Prometheus for some, now long forgotten, reason.

ON PROMETHEUS

When Prometheus came out I learned that it was a prequel and I was under the impression that it butted up right with the beginning of the original Alien. Well, I bought Prometheus right away when it came out on video, not having seen it or read any reviews or reactions. Obviously I discovered that the movie DID NOT butt up against the beginning of the original Alien. My reaction was "I need this explained... NOW!" So I queued up the director's commentary which did not answer my questions at all. So then I queued up the writers commentary and I found my answers. Writers Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof explained that Prometheus was intended to be the first of a trilogy, at the end of which, would butt up with the original Alien.

I was lucky to have these options at my fingertips otherwise my initial feelings toward Prometheus might be more mixed. Once I learned I was watching "Part 1" my thoughts turned to, "I sure hope they get to make the next two films." In preparation for Alien Covenant I went back and rewatched Prometheus and found I really liked it, more than my previous viewings. It's pure and unadulterated science fiction. Looking at the franchise as a whole, the first two films are still the high points. I really enjoy the AVP films and it is amazing what director David Fincher was able to pull out of the studio trainwreck that was Alien 3. Resurrection is fun to view as a beta test for Joss Whedon's Firefly. Barring the AVPs and the first two Alien films, I think I enjoy Prometheus the best of the other sequels.

THE PLOT

The space ship Covenant, while on a colonial mission, picks up a distress signal. The signal is strangely human from a place where no human being should be. A preliminary scan of the planet shows the surface to be quite inhabitable, perhaps more so than the planet Covenant was originally heading toward, still seven years away. Instead of going back into hyper-sleep for another seven years, the crew of the Covenant decide to deviate from their course and explore this new unknown planet. Once there they discover why the distress signal was sent and it makes them wish they had never picked up the signal in the first place.

WHAT I LIKED

Return to the Roots. I rewatched Prometheus before seeing Covenant. I wish I would've watched the original Alien too. Right from the get go Covenant sets the stage. The opening credits are just like the opening credits of the original film. And what's more, the music playing is Jerry Goldsmith's original score from the 1979 Alien. This trend continues throughout the film. No other film in the series feels closer to the original 1979 film tonally, in narrative structure, and in visual presentation as this film. It appears as if Ridley Scott took audiences complaints regarding Prometheus into account when making this film.

Horror. Yes, it's a sci-fi flick. But man oh man is it a horror film too! Covenant re-injects the fear back into the franchise in a big way. First off there's the soundtrack. The sampling from Jerry Goldsmith's score sets the tone but the new score by Jed Kurzel takes the terror to a whole new level. It's a perfect blend of sci-fi and horror in sound. The camerawork coupled with the music is fantastic. When the first member of the crew is birthing the alien, the panic running through the other crew members is captured in the camerawork. It's a moment that really gets the tension flowing! The filmmakers manage to sustain the tension rather well throughout the rest of the movie. There's also that general uncomfortable feeling throughout the film and great displays of gore too.

Prometheus 2. I enjoyed Prometheus even if others did not. I'm not saying I want all the Alien movies to be like Prometheus but that I want to see where Ridley Scott will ultimately take it. Covenant, while taking a big step closer to the familiar Alien films we know and stepping further away from Prometheus, does continue the plot thread started in Prometheus. I'd say its 20% Prometheus and 80% Alien. Seeing them merge Prometheus and Alien is what I was hoping for, albeit maybe not this soon. I'm just happy this film didn't outright ignore Prometheus altogether, which some fans I'm sure probably wanted.

NITPICKS

Now remember that these are just my personal preferences. I'm not saying I know better or that what I'm about to mention are mistakes. Just that what works for others doesn't necessarily work for me. Cause I'm weird like that.

CGI vs Practical Effects. There were moments in the movie where the CGI rendered aliens look overly CGI and don't blend as seamlessly with the actual actors. The CGI motion of the young alien seemed too frenetic in some cases. It doesn't last very long and the CGI alien does get better later on. But at first I didn't quite get into it. It does get a lot better though. And in the fleeting cases where we do see a man in a suit, those quick scenes blow the CGI away. I like the filmmaker mentality, "If we can do it practical and in camera then lets do it practical."

Almost too close to the original Alien. While the movie is certainly its own entity, there is a significant portion of it that plays out almost predictably in the spirit of the first Alien film. There's enough new stuff to keep you engaged and wondering where it's ultimately going to lead. But there's your Ripley character who sort of rises to the role of captain through the same set of circumstances. Actress Katherine Waterston even kinda looks like Sigourney Weaver in the film. Also certain scenes play out like you'd expect. And then there are some scenes that really go to a weird place: two androids making out anyone?

Despite my little nitpicks I really enjoyed the movie.

THE VERDICT

Big budget horror films are rare. And after some negative reception to Prometheus I wasn't sure that this film was ever going to happen. Just receiving this movie is totally awesome. I loved just how much horror was in this movie. It was a nigh perfect blend of sci-fi and horror and a wonderful merging of Prometheus elements toward something more recognizable as Alien. I really hope this film receives a green light for a sequel so we can get our completed Ridley Scott prequel trilogy. Two down. One to go.

Overall Ranking: 7 out of 10

Nude-O-Meter: 1 out of 10