Alien: Covenant

Starring: Katherine Waterston, Michael Fassbender, Billy Crudup
Directed by: Ridley Scott (“Alien,” “Prometheus”)
Written by: John Logan (“Spectre”) and Dante Harper (debut)

The slow-burning narrative that takes up most of the first half of filmmaker Ridley Scott’s prequel “Alien: Covenant” is as close to the tone of the original two films (Scott’s 1979 “Alien” and James Cameron’s 1986 sequel “Aliens”) as anything this franchise has conjured up in the last 30 years.

Scott’s last foray into the classic series, 2012’s “Prometheus,” was more ambitious than effective, and other Hollywood waste like the “Alien vs. Predator” crossover movies didn’t do the franchise’s mythology any favors. In “Covenant,” however, Scott is able to slow everything down to a crawl and get back to the roots of the story without trying so hard to be something it’s not. It might feel like déjà vu for some, but watching spaceship crewmembers exploring an uncharted planet is a lot more interesting than watching two iconic movie monsters drool all over each other for 90 minutes.

Actress Katherine Waterston (“Inherent Vice”) is wonderful and Sigourney Weaver-esque as Daniels, one of the crewmembers on a recolonization spacecraft (the Covenant) headed to a remote planet after their cryosleep is disturbed while on their way to a new planet they hoped to colonize. Instead of going back into hibernation for another seven years, the crew, which includes Tennessee (Danny McBride, who, fortunately, is not cast to play a cliché comic relief character); commanding officer Chris Oram (Billy Crudup); and android Walter (Michael Fassbender, who played android David in “Prometheus”).

Or course, when the crew lands, all hell breaks loose when two of them are infected with an alien parasite that uses them as a host before ripping through their flesh and causing havoc for the survivors. With the help of a lone inhabitant of the vicious planet, the remaining crew risk their lives to get back to their ship before their mission—and the fate of the thousands of human embryos on board—is destroyed.

With some solid performances and highly intense scenes, “Covenant” is entertaining albeit not nearly as inspiring as “Alien” and “Aliens,” two films many consider as the greatest contribution to the sci-fi genre ever. In the second half of the film, much of “Covenant” finds itself in familiar horror territory (that bloody shower sex scene is ridiculous), which overshadows some of the film’s more subtle moments. Plus, the last 20 minutes are so predictable and anti-climactic, you’ll wonder how screenwriters John Logan (“Spectre”) and Dante Harper, couldn’t avoid being so calculating with their decisions.

Nevertheless, “Covenant” is passable sci-fi fare. It won’t necessarily make anyone enthusiastic for whatever is next in the franchise, but at least Scott has the last word for now.