Review Alien: Covenant film review by Seph7
Written By Seph7 on 2017-08-05 12:54:45
I tried to avoid too many spoilers before going to see the film for the first time, so that everything would be in perspective. I was initially worried about how much they would disregard from Prometheus, especially when they announced that Noomi wouldn't be returning.
I was pleasantly surprised by how they had followed on from Prometheus, keeping the little details in, from Shaw's tags and various personal items, to the suit that David wore and the Ampules from the Juggernaut.
The Captain's death scene was horrifying in its simplicity. Burning to death in an enclosed space... I think the only thing worse would be drowning...
Daniels grief was palpable, and whilst many keep comparing her to Ripley, she was never meant to be a Ripley replacement. She's not military, or even used to deep space travel. She'd left her home and whatever family and friends she had, to spend seven years crossing deep space with her only companion, only to wake up and discover him dying.
The reassuring logic behind Walter's assurance that she should continue to build her cabin I think helps to bring home the reality of everything else going on. They are still on their way to Origae 6, and whether she is able to pull herself out of it or not, life will continue regardless.
The 'distress' call I found to be the perfect enticement for a human ship. Let's face it, if it had been a genuine message of distress, they might have reconsidered and simply sent a message back to Earth to investigate. A simple song encourages curiosity. They have no real reason to be worried off the bat, and the proximity is too good of an opportunity to pass up, given their reluctance to return to sleep.
I'll admit, upon landing, the logical mind of mine was instantly screaming that they shouldn't go out without environmental suits on, which was obviously a plot device. Upon reading the novelisation, it is made clear that the atmosphere has been scanned thoroughly, and that the air has been found to be crystal clear. Might have helped in the film...
It doesn't take long to jump straight into the action, which definitely helps to keep the pace going. The birth of the Neomorph is certainly inventive! Any orifice available!
The appearance of David is certainly welcome, if somewhat concerning... Is he their rescuer, or their damnation? Of course, we soon learn he's gone bat crap crazy! Though he doesn't directly kill any of them, he has certainly engineered their deaths through his biological meddling, and extensive knowledge of lying through his android teeth!
Walter tries to glean some pertinent information from him, and we are then treated to the short scene of when David arrived, looking down at the world he is coldly destroying, clearly feeling like the God he has elevated himself to. More like Weyland than he realises.
The moment between David and the Neomorph is almost beautiful in its innocence, and his child-like reaction to Oram killing it is simply an extension of his malfunctioning mind. It was this moment that I felt Oram came into his own, though following David certainly wasn't his brightest moments! When a psychopathic android tells you to lean over a funky looking egg, would you do it??
The Xenomorph birth is traditional in its rendition of chest-bursting action, and what it lacks in original surprise, it makes up for in elegance. I also thought it was a nice touch to follow it with the discovery by Walter of Shaw's unfortunate demise, which upon the first few viewings I actually found both upsetting and disturbing... What he must have done to her, for me, is far more horrifying than the Aliens ever will be... It's almost Hannibal Lecter in its clinical precision, just without the cannibalism.
It's the confrontation scene with Walter and David that I realised, David is like Peter Pan and Pinocchio. He is the the child that never wanted to grow up, whilst being made of wood and wanted to be a real boy (something Holloway says to him "I keep forgetting; you're not a real boy"). He is the child who could never please his father, and now seeks to destroy everything he considers to be inferior, hoping to out-do Weyland on the creation front. "I've found perfection here, I've created it: The perfect organism."
So, of course, thinking he could take Walter out of the equation was never going to go down well, and when he later rescues Daniels, I was mentally screaming "YES!!!! You go, Walter!!! Kick his arse!!!"
The ensuing escape from the planet courtesy of Tennessee was visually impressive, however, my complaint comes over the method over the first Xenomorph death... It seemed to lunge at the crane itself, rather than at Daniels, and then was squished... It seemed to be over too quickly, and I wonder if it was originally meant to be a longer sequence...
The second encounter back on the Covenant was a better thought out sequence, and the corridor moments were a definite nod to the original Alien. It might have been a little predictable, but it was far too visually stunning to complain about at all, not to mention smart of Daniels to remember that it had acid for blood and that they couldn't simply shoot their way out!
The final nugget of course had people talking endlessly. Was it Walter? Or was it David? To some, it might have been a predictable twist, but it certainly keeps the future plot open. Let's face it, love him or hate him, you can't keep a bad android down!
I honestly enjoyed it and saw it a few more times at the cinema. I hope they follow on with the next one, and do as they sad they would and include the Engineers!
