The Xenomorph is Back in all its Bloody Glory in "Alien: Convenant"

   Ridley Scott returns to familiar ground with his newest film Alien: Covenant, opening this weekend. The Alien franchise has had its ups and downs, with the first two films being the best and everything else after that being, well, meh. When Prometheus came out in 2012, audiences were unaware that what they were watching was actually an Alien prequel, even though it wasn't advertised as such. It was also met with mixed reviews. Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986) are, in my book, two of the most important films in movie history, and the best of the franchise hands down. Alien was this horror-inducing nightmare that introduced us to the Facehugger and the Xenomorph. Aliens took that horror aspect and gave it more of an action-packed upgrade. They also gave us Ripley, one of the greatest female protagonists of our day. Unfortunately Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection kind of destroyed her legacy a bit. Now, in the age of mass-used CGI and desensitized audiences, does this new incarnation have the legs to make it big?

   Set ten years after the events of Prometheus, this story follows the crew of the Covenant, a colony ship bound for a remote planet meant to serve as humanity's new home. In the midst of a solar flare that damages the ship, the crew discover an uncharted paradise with a threat beyond their imagination, and must attempt a harrowing escape. This film has everything you would want from an Alien film. It reminded me a lot of the first two films, mingling the horror and action into one. What caught me off guard was the emphasis on story. Unfortunately, the movie isn't as horrific as the advertisements would have you believe. Don't get me wrong, there are some horrific and gory moments, but I was expecting this dark and gruesome horror film, when in retrospect I got a creepy, bloody sci-fi that actually had a message and story it cared more about.

   If you were a fan of Prometheus, of which I was, you'll be comforted to know that this movie does briefly address what happens after Elizabeth Shaw and David leave. I'll leave it at that because going any further would be treading into spoiler territory. But that also dovetails into what I mentioned earlier. This movie has a particularly interesting emphasis on the android David and the new upgrade for this film, Walter. Both are played brilliantly by Michael Fassbender. The topics of creation and its connection with humanity are at the forefront of this story. The movie centers around these two characters far more than I had imagined - so much so that all of the humans almost become secondary. That's the grander aspect of the story. Of course we all go into these Alien movies to see one thing: a xenomorph jackin' fools up. Let me tell you, there's quite a bit of that and it's awesome. There are even some new versions of the creature that are terrifying. The inventive ways that these creatures come about are also interesting. The good ole egg-facehugger-chestburster is present but we learn that there are much more gruesome ways to gestate one of these things. The visuals in this movie are insane, and you would expect nothing less from Ridley Scott. Like Prometheus, this movie is absolutely gorgeous to look at, and even the gory violence is sight to behold. Ultimately, in the end, it is the story and its message that resonate surprisingly more than anticipated.

 
   The acting is pretty good in this film. Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, and Demián Bichir all give really great performances, as well as the rest of the supporting cast. Danny McBride was an unsuspecting joy that ended up being one of my favorite parts of the movie. Usually known for his comedic work, on paper you would baffle as to how exactly he would fit within this type of movie. He's fantastic. He plays it serious the entire film, and can actually pull off some emotional drama. Once again, it just goes to show how great comedians can be in dramatic roles. Katherine Waterston is our lead female protagonist, but she's no Ripley. She's great, don't get me wrong, but I found her character too-one note so it was hard to focus on anything other than that. I thought Elizabeth Shaw from Prometheus was much more interesting of a character, but again, that's just me. The stand out - as I mentioned before - is Michael Fassbender. What he does with both David and Walter is truly remarkable, and they are both easily the most interesting characters of the entire movie.

   Covenant straddles the line between a sci-fi action movie and straight up horror film. It works most of the time, but I kind of wish it had picked either one or the other. It has everything you would come to expect in an Alien movie and I enjoyed that tremendously. Where the strength of this movie really resides is in its story and mythology. I'm diggin' where this narrative is going. Covenant is suppose to be the second film in a trilogy that is supposedly meant to lead up to the events of the very first film. If you're a fan of the franchise I think you might like this movie more than Prometheus. It's not the best of the franchise, I'd place it third overall. But for a movie-going experience it'll take you on a creepy, gory, xenomorph-filled ride that will leave you wanting to know what happens next.